Business of Law

LeClairRyan Raids Nixon Peabody for At Least 15 Lawyers, Mostly in Rochester, NY, Office

  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Print

What was initially billed as a five-partner intellectual property team exiting the historic Rochester, N.Y., headquarters of Nixon Peabody to start a new office of LeClairRyan has now grown considerably.

A total of 12 lawyers have departed Nixon Peabody in Rochester for the new LeClairRyan office there, which opened Dec. 31. Plus, another three lawyers from other Nixon Peabody offices bring the attorney total leaving Nixon Peabody for the Richmond, Va.-based law firm to 15. And support staff accompanying the attorneys bring the total number of personnel making the move from Nixon Peabody to LeClairRyan to 34, reports the Rochester Business Journal.

However, the Am Law Daily says the group includes at least 16 lawyers.

These latest departures leave Nixon Peabody with an attorney roster of roughly 700, down from more than 800 in 2008. The firm’s website says it has 120 lawyers in its Rochester office, which opened in 1875. However the Rochester Business Journal says that number has now dropped to 78.

A spokeswoman for the firm provided a written statement that Nixon Peabody has “seen lawyers come and go in the past; and we’re likely to continue to see movement in both directions,” in what she describes as a fluid legal market.

Nixon Peabody’s IP department “is nationally ranked and includes a robust life sciences practice,” the statement continues. “Our firm has strong capabilities across the board and is attracting top talent.”

A LeClairRyan press release provides additional details.

The Richmond, Va.-based firm has opened offices in New York City, Boston, Newark, N.J., and Hartford and New Haven, Conn., since 2006. Its website says LeClairRyan had almost 300 attorneys as of September 2010.

Earlier coverage:

ABAJournal.com: “5-Partner IP Team Latest to Depart Nixon Peabody; Firm Announced Leadership Shift Earlier This Week”