Recruiter won?t collect fee in maritime law merger

Recruiter wonÆt collect fee in maritime law merger A New York judge has dismissed a complaint by a legal recruiter that it should get paid a fee for helping arrange a 2006 merger of the New York maritime law firm Healy & Baillie with Blank Rome.
   Judge Herman Cahn of the New York Supreme Court said recruiter Mark Bruce International cannot collect a fee for introducing Blank Rome to Healy & Baillie.
   Mark Bruce had provided Blank Rome with information about Healy & Baillie in 2005, but Blank Rome had decided not to pursue discussions because some associates felt it was not a “good fit.”
   However, at the same time, Healy & Baillie had entered into an agreement with a different consultant, Major, Lindsey & Africa to help it find a merger partner.
   After Blank Rome originally expressed a lack of interest in Healy and Baillie, ML&A was successful in arranging a meeting between the principals of both firms, leading to a merger in September 2006. ML&A was paid a fee on $720,930.
   The judge found that e-mails exchanged between Mark Bruce and Blank Rome nearly a year earlier did not amount to a binding contract, but was 'an unenforceable agreement to agree.'
   The motion by Mark Bruce for summary judgment was dismissed and Blank Rome's motion for dismissal was granted.