Metropolitan News-Enterprise

 

Tuesday, June 11, 2002

 

Page 3

 

Bryan Cave to Merge With New York Firm, Creating 800-Member Practice

 

By DON PARRET, Staff Writer

 

St. Louis-based law firm Bryan Cave, with 80 attorneys in the Los Angeles area, said yesterday it is merging with a smaller New York firm, Robinson Silverman Pearce Aronsohn & Berman LLP.

Bryan Cave has 60 lawyers at its Santa Monica office and 20 at its Irvine office.

After the merger is completed in July, the new firm will retain the Bryan Cave LLP name everywhere but in New York, where it will be called Bryan Cave/Robinson Silverman.

When combined, the new Bryan Cave will have more than 800 lawyers at offices across the United States and around the world.

Bryan Cave, which specializes in corporate, real estate and international business transactions, also has offices in Kansas City and Jefferson City in Missouri; Chicago; Phoenix; Overland Park, Kan.; New York and Washington. Abroad, the firm has offices in China, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

Bryan Cave’s Los Angeles offices have specialized practice groups in technology, entertainment, media and sports.

Former U.S. senators John Danforth of Missouri and Alan Dixon of Illinois are partners at Bryan Cave.

Founded in 1950, Robinson Silverman has 170 lawyers who practice general, commercial and corporate law in addition to litigation. Former New York Mayor Edward Koch is a partner in the firm.

All of Robinson Silverman’s attorneys practice in New York.

The merger of the two firms “signified the blending of two strategic plans and cultures aimed at providing an enhanced client service operating platform,” Brad Hildebrant, chairman of Hildebrant International, a leading legal industry consulting firm, said. “Law firm mergers of today must be based on more than mere size to be successful going forward.”

Michael N. Rosen, chairman of Robinson Silverman, said “the national and worldwide reach of Bryan Cave was the answer our firm sought in planning our future course.”

Rosen will continue an executive role with Bryan Cave, the company said.

 

Copyright 2002, Metropolitan News Company