UPDATE; Tenth Partner Allegedly Defects in DLA Phillips Fox Premerger Evacuation

[ED we received the following anonymous update to yesterday's post (re-posted below) on the mass defection of DLAPH Brisbane partners pre-merger:

More chaos at DLAPF with another partner resigning today. Partners from all over the country descended on Brisbane yesterday but no-one convinced.

By our count, this takes the pre-merger defection total to 10. However, it looks like Melbourne-based partner Damian McNair wont be joining the throng of departees - his profile was apparently reinstated on the DLAPH website yesterday]

Over the weekend we received a number of emails relating to our story on Friday that the DLA Phillips Fox Brisbane office was witness to a mass walk-out of partners just months before formalising its merger with DLA Piper. Some very interesting comments from our readers.

DLAPH partners make their move

First this, from an anonymous DLAPH spy confirming the departures:

Partners will be leaving 30 April, has been downgraded to 9 not 10. Merge will be official 1 May.

Then this from another anonymous DLAPH spy commenting on the significance of the loss:

Re DLAPF. I think firmspy haven’t grasped the significance of the story yet. if 10 partners of the brisbane office are leaving -which is more than just corporate, its planning, construction and real estate too – then that would only leave 10 or so mostly insurance partners and a couple of real estate, project finance guys. DLA Piper in brisbane is deciminated. And this leads into the bigger issue of ridiculous global mergers which result in global charge out rates in a market (brisbane) that won’t pay them.

On this issue, you’ll recall DLAPH severed ties with the Adelaide branch of its firm last year (which went on to rebrand itself as Fox Tucker) as well as removing its New Zealand limb from its Aussie profit pool. Perhaps questions should be raised with CEP Tony Holland as to why he didn’t sever the Brisbane office as part of his efforts to trim the DLA Phillips FAT pre-merger, if it is clear that Brisbane clients are unwilling to pay DLA Piper fees.

We also received the following comment in response to our post on Friday:

It should not come as now surprise this has happened. DLA Phillips Fox merger with DLA Piper was bound to end up as a shambles. The staff are unhappy, the place is a mess but it comes down to the leadership of DLA Phillips Fox it has been poor to say the least… all they are interested in fewer partners with more money! They don;t give a rats a** about anyone else. That includes heads of support functions such as the Marketing Director who likes to go through several teams thanks to their unpleasant and nasty ways….not someone you want to meet on a dark night…or in daylight.

Brisbane is just the tip of the iceberg – wait for more..it is coming….it is going to be quite a ride!

Yes, quite a ride indeed! Is Damian McNair one of the ones who will be joining? According to an anonymoys DLAPH spy:

Damian McNair has disappeared from DLA’s website. He was last listed as a partner in Melbourne after returning from the UAE but now no sign of his profile and a search of the Victorian LSB website shows he has no firm listed against his PC. Interesting in light of recent events at DLA

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