Dissolution
Though American Lawyer magazine ranked it "among the 100 highest-grossing firms in the United States" in 2004, it was dissolved in 2005 after failing to reach a merger agreement with another firm, Baker & McKenzie.
The breakup of Coudert Brothers was long in coming. In 2004, the firm had profits of only $410,000 per partner—among the lowest in big law firms. Coudert Brothers took a significant hit when Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe recruited 11 partners from its London and Moscow offices, effectively ended its presence there. After the break-up, most of the New York office joined Baker & McKenzie, greatly expanding its New York operations. In Paris, the Coudert Frères office split to the Philadelphia-based firm Dechert and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. In Brussels, Antwerp, Singapore and Tokyo, DLA Piper and Mayer Brown welcomed new attorneys from Coudert. Additionally, some of the lawyers in Almaty, Kazakhstan and St. Petersburg, Russia went on to be the foundation for new offices for Chadbourne & Parke in those areas. Its Bangkok office switched to Hunton & Williams.
On September 22, 2006, Coudert Brothers filed for bankruptcy.
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