VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – Williams Mullen law firm today announced that it will merge with Hofheimer Nusbaum, P.C., based in Norfolk, Virginia. The merger becomes effective May 1, 2004.
The combined firm, to be known as Williams Mullen, will have 250 attorneys and 550 total employees in nine offices in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and London. Williams Mullen is the second largest law firm in Hampton Roads and the third largest in Virginia. After May 1, Williams Mullen will consolidate its Norfolk offices in the Dominion Tower at 999 Waterside Drive. The firm’s Norfolk and Portsmouth offices will be known as “Williams Mullen Hofheimer Nusbaum.”
“Our merger with Hofheimer Nusbaum is an important part of the firm’s strategic initiative to grow in major business centers in Virginia,” said Thomas R. Frantz, chair of the Hampton Roads region for Williams Mullen. “Our clients will benefit from greater depth in many of our existing practice areas, including securities, mergers and acquisitions, healthcare, tax, real estate and litigation.”
“We are pleased to see the additional local growth of Williams Mullen as we know more experts in house benefits the client,” said A. Eugene Loving, Jr., Chairman/CEO, Max Media, LLC. “The management team at Max Media has worked with the attorneys of the Williams Mullen Virginia Beach office for over 20 years. They have handled our business and personal interests with the expertise of the top law firms in America,” Loving added. “Through taking a company public in 1985, selling it to Paramount Pictures in 1991, dozens of acquisitions and sales of television and radio broadcast stations, Williams Mullen has handled every aspect of the transactions, including real estate, tax work and employee relations.”
“We are not only relying on the local attorneys we have trusted for so long, we now have work being done by their Richmond and Washington offices, especially when we are involved in multiple transactions simultaneously,” Loving said. “Another facet of Williams Mullen’s support to our company has come from the firm’s government affairs subsidiary in Washington. Williams Mullen Strategies, working in concert with the law firm, has been able to arrange and prepare us for every appointment I wanted and needed with members of Congress and the federal agency that regulates our business.”
According to William A. Old, Jr., president of Hofheimer Nusbaum, P.C., “The merger with Williams Mullen represents our commitment to providing comprehensive legal services to our clients. Williams Mullen provides our clients with a broader geographic reach and deepens our bench in existing practice areas. Additionally, we will now be able to assist our clients with labor, government contracts, international trade, customs and lobbying matters.”
“Hofheimer Nusbaum has been our corporate attorney for three decades,” said Macon Brock, chairman of Dollar Tree Stores, Inc. “From K&K Toys in the ’70s and ’80s, through the development of Dollar Tree Stores in the ’80s and ’90s, they have displayed a keen ability to navigate legal matters for our company.”
“Hofheimer Nusbaum has demonstrated top-notch legal work and business acumen in guiding us through our 1995 IPO, numerous stock offerings, and the five mergers and acquisitions we have accomplished in the last decade,” Brock added. “Running a public company today is much more complicated, and we rely on their sound advice. Their professionalism and knowledge have served our shareholders well. I congratulate both firms on this merger.”
Julious P. Smith, Jr., will remain the chairman and chief executive officer of Williams Mullen. Thomas R. Frantz will continue as president and chief operating officer and the chair of the Hampton Roads region. William A. Old, Jr., will serve as a board member and vice president of Williams Mullen, and Howard E. Gordon will serve as head of the Norfolk office. Mr. Old will be vice-chairman of the firm’s corporate section, and Patrick C. Devine, Jr. will serve as vice-chairman of the health care section.
Williams Mullen provides comprehensive legal services to companies whose businesses range from regional and national to global. Attorneys in our offices in Virginia, Washington D.C., and London bring their experience and expertise to the work of solving the myriad legal needs entrusted to us by a diverse group of clients. Close working relationships with clients have been the foundation of Williams Mullen’s progressive approach to law practice since the firm was founded more than 90 years ago. For more information, please visit www.williamsmullen.com.
Members of the law firm of Hofheimer Nusbaum, P.C. have helped to serve the legal needs of Hampton Roads’ businesses, industries, institutions and individuals since the 1920s. Attorneys at Hofheimer Nusbaum are committed to providing clients with high-quality service, achieving cost effective results on a timely basis, devising creative solutions to clients’ problems and identifying and preventing problems through appropriate planning. For more information, please visit www.hnlaw.com.
