Davis
Polk
&
Wardwell
isn’t
wasting
any
time
making
itself
at
home
in
Los
Angeles.
Just
weeks
after
announcing
its
long-awaited
L.A.
launch,
the
firm
is
already
reportedly
looking
to
build
out
a
full-service
office
in
Southern
California,
not
merely
plant
a
flag
with
a
few
high-profile
lateral
hires
and
call
it
a
day.
According
to
a
new
report
from
the
American
Lawyer,
Davis
Polk
has
much
bigger
ambitions
for
the
market.
That
means
more
hiring,
more
practice
groups,
and
even
more
competition
for
elite
West
Coast
talent
in
an
already
overheated
lateral
market.
The
move
follows
the
firm’s
recruitment
of
longtime
Skadden
Los
Angeles
office
leader
Jason
Russell
to
head
up
the
new
operation,
a
hire
that
immediately
signaled
Davis
Polk
wasn’t
interested
in
a
modest
California
debut.
And
based
on
Russell’s
comments
to
Am
Law,
the
firm’s
expansion
plans
extend
well
beyond
litigation.
The
office
“will
bolster
litigation,”
Russell
said,
while
adding
that
it
will
also
be
“strong
in
the
entertainment
space,
life
sciences
and
tech.”
In
other
words:
Davis
Polk
wants
in
on
virtually
every
lucrative
sector
Los
Angeles
has
to
offer.
Firm
chair
Neil
Barr
echoed
those
ambitions,
noting
that
the
office’s
transactional
capabilities
will
continue
to
grow
as
well.
“You’ll
see
our
corporate
transactional
footprint
expand
there
as
well
as
the
sectors
that
Jason
alluded
to,”
Barr
said.
“We
are
going
to
be
opportunistic
with
private
equity
and
(venture
capital)
work.”
Of
course,
having
nearly
$10
million
in
profits
per
partner
probably
doesn’t
hurt
when
it
comes
to
recruiting,
and
gives
the
firm
plenty
of
firepower
as
it
competes
for
top
lateral
talent.
Barr
was
candid
about
one
reason
behind
the
expansion:
“We
concluded
that
our
current
office
footprint
was
artificially
limiting
our
ability
to
attract
certain
talent.”
Translation:
elite
firms
increasingly
need
a
California
presence
if
they
want
access
to
the
full
pool
of
rainmakers
and
rising
stars.
And
per
Barr,
Davis
Polk
certainly
doesn’t
sound
worried
about
its
ability
to
scale
up
quickly
in
a
crowded
market:
“We
will
do
what
we
do
everywhere:
Hire
the
best
lawyers
in
the
geography
we
are
in.”
Simple
enough.
Best
of
luck
to
Davis
Polk
on
building
out
its
brand
new
Los
Angeles
outpost.
Davis
Polk
Eyes
Full-Service
Office
in
LA,
Recruiting
More
Talent
[American
Lawyer]
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
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Law,
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worked
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2011.
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