Thelen to Other Firms: Hire Our Lawyers
After the failure of merger talks with Nixon Peabody, Thelen is reportedly asking that firms and others hire some of its practice groups or take over office space.
The Recorder has news of the development. The other law firms that may be interested in Thelen lawyers include Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman and Alston & Bird, several sources told the publication.
A partner who spoke on condition of anonymity blamed Thelen’s situation on the economy and the 2006 merger that produced the firm. Around 200 lawyers have left since Thelen Reid & Priest combined with Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner. The partner told the Recorder the merger made sense at the time. “Sometimes even reasonable decisions turn out to have bad results.”
The partner told the publication that a core group of Thelen lawyers may remain together. Dissolution has not been formally discussed, the partner said. Thelen partners are meeting weekly to discuss their options.
