Linklaters has added three New York lawyers from Paul Weiss to expand its United States disputes and sports capabilities. Law360 identified the group as partner César Rivière, counsel Grant May, and associate Cara Day. The move followed an earlier July announcement that partners H. Christopher Boehning and Daniel H. Levi had joined from Paul Weiss, bringing commercial litigation and sports work connected with clients including FIFA. Together, the hires show Linklaters building depth around complex disputes rather than adding isolated individuals. A lateral team can bring client relationships, knowledge, and immediate market credibility, but the economic result depends on integration. Firms need accurate matter assignment, time capture, billing practices, conflicts, staffing, and reporting from the first day. MIRA’s guide to legal timekeeping best practices provides a foundation for prompt entry, specific descriptions, consistent coding, review, and practical technology support.
Team Hires Can Accelerate Practice Growth
Hiring several lawyers who already work together can reduce the time required to build a new capability. The group arrives with shared experience, established working patterns, and knowledge of complex matters. Linklaters can combine that experience with its international platform and existing disputes practice.
The risk is assuming that the team will transfer seamlessly. Client conflicts, engagement terms, billing rates, document systems, support staffing, and case management practices may differ between firms. Integration should begin before arrival with a controlled review of active matters, client permissions, data transfer, deadlines, and the systems each lawyer will use.
Lateral Economics Need More Than Revenue Projections
A lateral business case often focuses on portable revenue, but profitability depends on realization, leverage, support costs, compensation, and the amount of nonbillable integration work. Senior lawyers may initially spend substantial time introducing clients, training teams, rebuilding internal relationships, and adapting to new processes.
MIRA’s guide to billable and nonbillable hours explains how matter context, firm policy, and client agreements determine classification. Firms should measure integration activity without pressuring lawyers to place internal work onto client bills. Clear categories help management understand the real investment required to establish the practice.
Billing Quality Protects the Client Transition
Clients moving with a lateral team expect continuity. They should not receive inconsistent narratives, duplicate work, unfamiliar codes, or delays caused by new systems. The incoming lawyers need clear guidance on time entry deadlines, client billing rules, task codes, block billing restrictions, and invoice review.
MIRA’s guide to missed billable hours shows how fragmented systems and delayed reconstruction create revenue leakage. That risk rises during a transition because lawyers are working across onboarding, client communication, active matters, and unfamiliar software. Early support and daily capture can prevent the first invoices from becoming a repair project.
Practice Expansion Requires Operational Follow Through
The strategic story is straightforward: Linklaters wants a stronger United States litigation platform with commercial and sports expertise. The operational work is less visible. The firm needs to connect the new team with offices, practices, business development, knowledge systems, pricing, conflicts, billing, and client service standards across the global organization.
Success should be measured beyond the number of hires. Useful indicators include retained clients, new matters, cross office work, realization, team utilization, client feedback, and whether the lawyers can deliver their existing practice without disruption. Lateral recruitment creates the opportunity, while disciplined integration determines whether that opportunity becomes a durable business.
Originally published on the MIRA News and Blog.
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