Ailing law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP suffered a global round of defections as 25 partners and their teams jumped ship in cities ranging from Palo Alto, Calif., to Moscow, the Wall Street Journal reported today. One of Dewey's most-prized assets—the mergers-and-acquisitions group led by Silicon Valley attorneys Richard Climan and Keith Flaum—is heading to Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP. As the force behind several major West Coast assignments, including recent deals by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Dell Inc. and eBay Inc., the group was regarded by the legal industry as a gateway to one of the few regions where merger activity is showing significant signs of growth.
