Midsize Boston Firm Seeks Merger Partner After Losing Nearly 50 Lawyers To Biglaw In Mass Lateral Moves

Bye Goodbye lateral moves departures Hand waving goodbye vector illustration in round circle isolated

Is it time to wave goodbye to this firm, or will a merger partner come to its rescue?

Biglaw firms are trying to expand their presence in Boston, and that’s causing some local firms to leak lawyers like sieves. In fact, one midsize firm in the area has been hit so hard by Biglaw firms on the hunt for attorneys that it’s now looking into merger opportunities.

Down nearly 50 attorneys since April, Burns & Levinson is gauging its merger prospects after having lost partners, counsel, associates, and patent agents to the likes of Blank Rome, ArentFox Schiff, and Locke Lord. Bloomberg Law received a statement from the firm:

“We are exploring several growth options,” Burns & Levinson said in a statement. Those include “reinforcing our team through high-level lateral hires or a combination with another firm that shares our commitment to a collaborative and entrepreneurial culture.”

“We are excited about the possibilities for growth and expansion that we are considering, and we look forward to the opportunities ahead,” Burns & Levinson said in its statement.

Kent Zimmermann, a law firm management consultant with the Zeughauser Group, tempered that optimism in comments given to the American Lawyer, where he noted that the group lateral moves Burns & Levinson has sustained in recent months could be quite detrimental to a firm. “Firms are generally not interested in mergers and acquisitions when they’re in a position of strength, because they think they can achieve their aspirations incrementally,” he said. “It’s usually not until a firm is weakening that there’s interest in talking about M&A.”

Best of luck to Burns & Levinson during this critical juncture in time, as its future may depend on the next moves that are made.

Burns & Levinson in Merger Talks After Latest Round of Departures [American Lawyer]
Burns & Levinson Ponders Moves After 17 Exit for ArentFox Schiff [Bloomberg Law]

Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.