Verrill Dana to become Maine's largest law firm
PHOTo / James McCarthy
K.C. Jones, left, managing partner of Verrill Dana, and Harold Friedman, partner with Friedman Gaythwaite Wolf, discussing last year's merger of Verrill Dana and Friedman Gaythwaite Wolf in a 2013 file photo.
Verrill Dana, one of Portland’s oldest law firms, is set to become the largest in Maine when it joins forces with Connecticut-based firm Levett Rockwood at the beginning of next year.
The law firm announced on Monday that it will combine with Levett Rockwood effective Jan. 1, though it’s technically not a merger, like last year’s merger of Verrill Dana and Friedman Gaythwaite Wolf. As a result, Levett Rockwood will lose its name and operate under the Verrill Dana name. In addition, Verrill Dana’s Stamford, Conn., office will relocate to the Levett Rockwood’s Westport, Conn., office. Financial details of the deal are not being disclosed.
The combination of firms will make Verrill Dana the largest law firm in Maine, beating out Portland’s Pierce Atwood, which most recently held the distinction, according to Verrill Dana and a recent list of Maine’s largest law firms compiled by Mainebiz. The combination of firms will bring Verrill Dana from its previous count of 120 attorneys and 219 employees total to 140 attorneys and 260 employees total. According to the Mainebiz list, Pierce Atwood had 130 attorneys and 242 employees total as of October.
Despite Verrill Dana’s new distinction, Managing Partner K.C. Jones told Mainebiz that the law firm’s goal is not to be the biggest, but to be the right size for the market.
“We’re very proud of our roots in Maine, but we found our existing clients have been telling us they wish we had a bigger presence in Connecticut,” Jones said. “It’s all about having the breadth and depth of service for clients,” and increasing services in the area.
Levett Rockwood’s attorneys will help bring additional experience to Verrill Dana in practice areas like commercial transactions, capital formation, equity funds, SEC matters, health care, employment, tax, commercial real estate, advertising and promotions,and technology law.
“Our two firms share a passion for providing our clients quality legal services in a cost-efficient manner,” Christopher Graham, Levett Rockwood’s managing shareholder, said in a prepared statement. “This combination adds to our core practices and enables us to address our clients’ needs in broader areas, such as labor and employment, white collar investigations and intellectual property and patent prosecution. It is a perfect fit for our clients.”
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Verrill Dana, Friedman Gaythwaite Wolf merge
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