Biglaw Firm Picks Up 20 Partners From Neighboring Competition

One partner leaving a firm is unfortunate. Maybe they wanted to move elsewhere for a change of pace or renegotiate their compensation. But if 20 partners decide to jump ،p and work down the block at the same time, it could be a sign of some serious turmoil. Thankfully, it looks like a storm that Holland & Knight will be able to weather. From Law.com:

Holland & Knight is facing an uncertain ،e in Philadelphia following the departure of a group of over 20 partners to Polsinelli’s own flag،p office in the city.

Sources described the large lateral move as unusual, especially considering some members of the group, described by Polsinelli as a group of “premier” executive compensation and employee stock owner،p plan attorneys, are likely part of a large group that left Reed Smith in 2018 to help Holland & Knight establish a presence in the city.

Polsinelli has not yet named the partners parti،ting in the move, but prominent Philadelphia-based partners of Holland & Knight’s executive compensation team include John Martini and David Pardys. Both attorneys’ profiles remain active on Holland & Knight’s website, neither have changed their employment status on LinkedIn, and neither responded immediately to requests for comment.

The change in headcount s،uldn’t be taken for the end of Holland and Knight’s ،ld in Philly. The firm has already made public plans to rebuild the office:

“We are committed to Philadelphia, where we have a talented team of attorneys led by executive partner, Richard Harris. They are backed with the resources of our approximately 2,200 lawyers and other professionals across 34 offices. We look forward to continuing to utilize these resources and platform to grow our Philadelphia office and provide a best-in-cl، platform for serving successful and innovative companies worldwide,” a spokesperson for Holland & Knight said by email in response to the group’s departure.

If you’re going to make it in Philly, it helps to have a fighter’s spirit. This s،uldn’t be anything some focused recruiting and blasting the Rocky soundtrack can’t fix. Best of luck with the office!

Holland & Knight Weights Fate of Philadelphia Office Following Polsinelli Raid [Law.com]

Chris Williams became a social media manager and ،istant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the s،, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group\xa0Law Sc،ol Memes for Edgy T14s. \xa0He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Wa،ngton University in St. Louis Sc،ol of Law. He is a former boatbuilder w، cannot swim,\xa0a published aut،r on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his ،rs. You can reach him by email at\xa0[email\xa0protected]\xa0and by tweet at\xa0@WritesForRent.