When Morgan, Lewis & Bockius scooped up Dennis Mondolino's 35-lawyer patent boutique in 2001, it seemed like a wise move -- but it turned out to be a poor match from the start. Fallout from the combination and related turf wars has prompted at least 30 IP lawyers -- including 13 partners, as well as Mondolino himself -- to leave Morgan in the past year. Former partners say the acquisition laid bare the flaws of a management group that sought to boost profits, but had no clear plan for orderly growth.
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