quinn beatles

"Don't let him drive your car."


The passive-aggressive sniping between two big-hitting lawyers is providing a rare insight into the anger and heartache which can plague partners who split up.

When Quinn Emanuel's Head of Competition in London, Boris Bronfentrinker, jumped ship for Willkie Farr in October, UK Senior Partner Richard East showed how deeply he felt about the departure by declaring on LinkedIn that "we existed for 7 years before he arrived as an unknown lawyer from hausfeld and we will exist and grow when he has gone".

Now Bronfentrinker has shot back with a post which is precision-engineered to poke East where he's most sensitive.

"It has been fantastic how the entire team of 14 have been made to feel so welcome by our awesome new colleagues", said Bronfentrinker, helpfully confirming to the market that he took his whole team with him from Quinn.

"Also very grateful to our terrific and loyal clients all of whom have continued to trust us with their most important cases", Bronfentrinker told his audience of one.

Having established that he has all the clients as well as all the lawyers, Bronfentrinker explained how, naturally, "This has meant that the entire team has been very busy from the outset as well as having lots of new exciting opportunities to pursue".

"And not a bad view to enjoy from the office!" he concluded, appending a snap which fails to show his hand pressed against the glass and, far in the distance in CityPoint, East staring back, doing the same.

boris


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Comments

Storm in a teacup 17 December 21 13:18

Boris is obviously very capable, but so are almost all law firm partners. As the sentencing remarks from his criminal conviction earlier this year made clear however, he has a temper. So far, so non-defamatory, as I am merely referring you to those sentencing remarks.

I’ll conclude by suggesting that readers speculate: (1) what it’s like to work for a partner whose judgement and temper is such that he ends up with a criminal conviction; and (2) whether, in that context, his departure is a loss or a benefit to Quinn Emanuel, in terms of both collegiate atmosphere and associate retention. 

London has lots of legal work and so there are plenty of firms and there is no point sticking around somewhere where you’re a square peg in a round hole (even if you’re a profitable square peg. Arguably, even more so if you’re profitable as that might affect someone’s ego. I imagine.). If Boris feels the need to be king of his his own castle, good luck to him. And good luck to Wilkie Farr.

Anonymous 17 December 21 13:34

The one on the left looks like Ben from The Thick Of It and the one on the right looks like Bill Bailey.

Big Litigator King Dick 17 December 21 13:59

Lol at the guy above claiming that a firm which has billing targets of 2,100+ hours and has to hire dozens of new associates each year to replace the burnouts has a "collegiate atmosphere" and good associate retention. It says a lot that apparently 13 people would prefer to work for someone with an anger induced criminal conviction than hang around at the old shop. 

Story 17 December 21 14:22

In response to 13:39, if the partner you do most of your work for leaves, and if the firm he is joining is offering similar £150k salaries, but also with a huge joining bonus, then the default position is you go with him. Why wouldn’t you?

Big Litigator King Dick 17 December 21 14:38

In response to 14:22. No, as a bargaining chip to increase my salary I would send several pre-action letters, including extensive demands for pre-action disclosure, followed by three separate Part 36 offers each of which has a 24 hour deadline for acceptance. Feel the dread. 

Anonymous 17 December 21 15:23

"Middle aged men on social media are embarrassing."

Just wait till you listen to the women...

Anonymous 17 December 21 15:31

If Howard Kennedy lost its entire management Committee, I am not sure anyone would notice, but the firm would be better run and we might not get laughable pronouncements like a projected £80m a year in the next 2 years. We cannot even retain the talent we have and we'll be lucky to keep it at current levels.

Anonymous 20 December 21 14:32

I suspect the poster at 14:38 on 17 Dec ("BLKD") isn't quite the litigator they think they are. Any Part 36 offer which has a 24 hour deadline for acceptance would be invalid. Feel the dread indeed.

Anon 22 December 21 17:14

I suspect people DREAD having conversations with the poster at 14:32 on 20 Dec if their typical response to a joke is to miss the point.  

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