Oops. If you're a law firm managing partner trying to secretly shop some of your colleagues to a competing law firm, it's best not to leave documents from a PowerPoint presentation intended for the prospective new firm's management committee on your current firm's office copier.
But that's what allegedly alerted an equity partner at Taylor Wessig's 55-lawyer French subsidiary to managing partner Arnaud de Senilhes's claimed plan to lead a group of non-equity partners to New York-based Nixon Peabody, reports the AmLaw Daily.
On Monday, a New York court in Monroe County will hear competing motions for summary judgment. They concern litigation filed over what the French firm has characterized as a "raid" by Nixon, in claimed violation of an anti-poaching agreement entered into between the two firms in conjunction with merger talks.
Among filings made Friday in anticipation of the hearing was one telling the story of the alleged PowerPoint problem, the AmLaw blog reports.
Taylor Wessig is seeking $5 million and injunctive relief preventing Nixon Peabody from poaching its partners. However, the New York-based firm contends that Taylor Wessig is interfering with its lawyers' right to work where they wish, and argues that the written agreement cited by Taylor Wessig was no longer in effect during the relevant time period.