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WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
CRAZY TRAIN? - Global powerhouse Dentons has touted its Project Golden Spike as an innovative expansion into regional American markets. Its name is intended to honor the celebratory railroad spike that completed the first transcontinental railroad in the United States in 1869—an infamously grueling project that took years to complete and resulted in thousands of casualties along the way. The firm’s current situation is certainly not that dramatic, but, similar to the challenges facing White & Case that we told you about earlier this week, Dentons has experienced a fair number of growing pains since it launched its strategy. According to data from ALM’s Legal Compass, 181 partners and associates have left the firm since the start of 2020, nearly offsetting the 259 who have joined, largely through the addition of new Golden Spike firms. And, as Law.com’s Bruce Love and Justin Henry report, many of the partners who have left Dentons since the announcement of Golden Spike said they felt that moving into smaller markets came at the cost of improvements needed in major markets. The firm, however, took issue with that characterization. “There are naturally certain large markets we believe are unique and require a strong presence—like Manhattan and Washington, D.C. Golden Spike does not run contrary to that strategy,” said Dentons global chair Joe Andrew.
