Kilpatrick Stockton is adding 25 lawyers to its London office effective August 1. The lateral group, which consists of lawyers who have been in the London office of Altheimer & Gray, will join following a vote by the Kilpatrick Stockton partners over the weekend to extend partnership offers to a group of equity and income partners.
Bill Brewster, managing partner of Kilpatrick Stockton, said: “Our partnership committed two years ago to expanding our presence in Europe and we have been doing so ever since. When we analyzed this opportunity to bring on board a team of lawyers of this size and quality, we recognized that it fit precisely within our strategic plan, and obviously would allow us to accomplish a tremendous amount in one step.”
Bill Brewster added: “With this under our belt, we anticipate further development in Europe in key practice areas. We also view this effort as very supportive of our plan for strategic growth in our current US markets, especially targeting Washington DC and our anticipated entry into New York City.”
The addition of 25 lawyers will make Kilpatrick Stockton one of the 20 largest US law firms in the London market.
The lawyers joining Kilpatrick Stockton have established domestic and international practices with recognized strengths in projects, mergers and acquisitions, finance and litigation. In addition, the group will provide Kilpatrick Stockton with specialist teams in UK property law, UK employment law and pensions and UK/international tax.
Kilpatrick Stockton’s existing European practice – which has focused on intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and international arbitration – will be strengthened by the arrival of the new laterals.
Ken Boehner, managing partner of the Kilpatrick Stockton London office, said: “We have been looking to expand our presence in the UK for the past two years and this group of lawyers is a perfect fit for us. Their practices are complementary to the existing strengths of our lawyers in London and will enable us to enhance services to clients.”
On the client front, Kilpatrick Stockton’s major US and Nordic corporate client base will be complemented by the addition of several high profile corporate clients, and it is anticipated that the combined practices will have significant business development opportunities in the US, the UK and the rest of Europe. MFI, the UK furniture manufacturer, is a client of both firms and has expressed its support for the deal.
Ken Boehner added: “These lawyers have a proven track record of building a successful UK practice and have an entrepreneurial approach that fits very well with our culture. Kilpatrick Stockton is fully committed to providing the necessary resources to ensure the successful integration of the group.”
Nick Davis said: “We received a lot of interest from a number of law firms, but very much welcomed the approach from Kilpatrick Stockton and are delighted to be joining them. We look forward to working with our new colleagues and helping to build Kilpatrick Stockton into a leading US law firm in the London market.”
The arrival of this group continues a strategic growth trend at Kilpatrick Stockton that has seen almost 50 attorneys join the firm since the beginning of May. It is coupled with the firm’s strong financial performance over the last two years, which has seen reported profits per partner rise more than 30 percent to $515,000 on revenues of $214m.
