Prominent Antitrust Litigator Leaves Heller for Sheppard

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008

SINCE 1888 Prominent Antitrust Litigator Leaves Heller for Sheppard

By Rebecca U. Cho Snider’s move, but not- of his book of business, but in the past, his Daily Journal Staff Writer ed that Heller continues book has been in the range of $5 million to have a strong antitrust to $10 million. His practice also includes LOS ANGELES — Prominent antitrust practice. securities class actions, accountants’ liai- litigator Darryl Snider jumped from Hel- “I wish him the best bility, mergers and acquisitions and bank ler Ehrman to the Los Angeles office of of luck. Beyond that litigation. Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton on I’m not going to have Sheppard’s antitrust practice leader, Gary Wednesday, becoming the second partner any comment,” Hubbell L. Halling, said the firm hopes to grow its this week to join Sheppard from San Fran- said. antitrust bench in Los Angeles. Halling, cisco-based Heller. In antitrust and secu- who is based in San Francisco, said Snid- Snider Blaine Templeman, a New York intellec- rities litigations, Snider er’s hire in Los Angeles is a boost to the tual property partner formerly with Heller, has represented Mercedes Benz of North 25-member practice group and to the firm. also defected for Los Angeles-based Shep- America, KPMG, Deloitte & Touche, Mas- “He has a long history of doing very pard on Monday. co Corp. and Altria, among others. In 2007, significant matters for very large and im- Snider, 59, said the timing of his move he successfully represented Philip Mor- portant clients, whether on the East Coast, is coincidental with last week’s dissolution ris U.S.A. in an antitrust challenge in the California or Europe,” Halling said. of merger talks between Heller Ehrman and 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, alleging Snider said he looks forward to working Baker & McKenzie. He was with Heller for that a master settlement agreement resulted out of a national firm based in Los Ange- 10 years, joining the firm from New York- from a price-fixing conspiracy among to- les, a new experience for him. Most of his based Shearman & Sterling, which since bacco manufacturers. clients are based on the East Coast or in has closed its Los Angeles office. Snider said he was attracted to the high other cities outside California, he said. He “This has nothing to do with Heller,” quality of Sheppard’s lawyers and the firm’s added that he hopes to take advantage of Snider said. “It’s just a great opportunity steady growth in antitrust litigation. the large number of Sheppard attorneys in for me and my clients.” “I like their strategic vision and the Los Angeles to cross-sell business and cre- Heller has been on the hunt for a merger fact that they have excellent lawyers, and ate stronger local ties. candidate this year, as partner defections they’re doing well and growing in what is Legal placement firm Watanabe Nason from the firm have persisted. Since the be- a very competitive market environment,” Schwartz & Lippman brokered the move. ginning of the year, nearly 30 partners in Snider said. “That speaks volumes of the Sheppard Mullin has about 150 attorneys California have gone to other firms. strengths of their client relationships, law- in its Los Angeles office and 520 attorneys Robert Hubbell, Heller Ehrman’s man- yers and their strategy.” firmwide. Heller Ehrman has about 600 at- aging partner, was brief in his reaction to Snider declined to comment on the size torneys firmwide.