DLA Piper to close Tampa office
DLA Piper will close its Tampa, Florida, office early next year.
The closing was confirmed in a prepared statement Tuesday from firm spokesman Josh Epstein, the Daily Business Review reports.
The firm will transfer its Tampa lawyers and support staff to its Miami office, where it has excess space, the Review says.
Former partners said the firm’s Tampa office had been struggling since a handful of lawyers left to open Quarles & Brady’s Tampa office in 2010. One of those lawyers, David Beyer, now managing partner of Quarles & Brady’s Tampa office, said he heard one of DLA Piper’s Tampa lawyers will move to the firm’s Seattle office. Another is reportedly heading to Washington, D.C.
A law firm consultant who asked not to be identified said he wasn’t surprised by the news. He said few, if any, Am Law 25 firms have offices in Tampa, which he described as a lower-rate, second-tier market.
In his statement, Epstein emphasized the growing importance of the Miami area to the firm.
“These moves will allow us to improve service delivery and efficiency by streamlining our operations and bolstering our offerings in the Southeast and Miami in particular, markets that are of key strategic importance to us as we continue to expand in the region, Latin America and beyond,” he said.
DLA Piper’s service center for back-office operations that is located in Tampa will remain open.
