Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Page 3
Nossaman Guthner Announces Merger With Washington D.C. Firm
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The Los Angeles civil law firm Nossaman Guthner Knox & Elliott LLP has merged with a Washington D.C.-based firm to form Nossaman LLP, attorneys involved in the merger said yesterday.
Among the 23 attorneys and lobbyists from O’Conner & Hannan LLP joining Nossaman LLP are Don Itzkoff, the former deputy administrator for the Federal Railroad Administration, said Karen Hedlund, a partner at Nossaman’s Virginia office who was involved in the merger negotiations.
The combined firm will have over 150 attorneys and lobbyists operating in eight offices nationwide, including offices in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Francisco, and will continue to operate O’Connor’s current office on K Street, Hedlund said.
The merger allows Nossaman to expand its ability to do government relations work in the capital, and adds capacity to the firm’s rail regulation area, she added.
Hedlund said began talks earlier this year. She said the final decision was made late last week when the merger agreements were signed.
Nossaman Managing Partner Michael Heumann said the merger will allow the firm to differentiate itself from other mid-sized firms within the state and “add another dimension to our core practice areas and to the services we can offer our clients at the federal level.”
F. Gordon Lee, O’Connor & Hannan Managing Partner, shared a similar perspective. “Merging with Nossaman allows us to better serve our clients’ range of needs, which was our primary measure of evaluating the deal. However, it also had to make sense at an interpersonal level, and our firms’ cultures are remarkably similar,” he said. “Our strong alignment in work styles, service to our clients and the intersection of both firms’ expertise positions us very well for the future.”
In July, Nossaman’s Washington, D.C. office will elect members to the firm’s executive and compensation committees. Timothy W. Jenkins, a legislative advocate with O’Connor & Hannan, will become chair of Nossaman’s national Government Relations Practice Group.
O’Connor & Hannan LLP was founded in 1957 and specialized in the representation of corporations, trade associations, non-profit organizations, public bodies and individuals in court, in domestic and foreign negotiations and transactions, and before Congress and federal departments and agencies.
Nossaman Guthner Knox & Elliott LLP was founded in 1946, and specializes in infrastructure, complex civil litigation, land use, environmental, real property, water, healthcare, corporate transactions and public policy law. The firm represents public and private sector clients with interests ranging from transportation to real estate development and water.
Copyright 2008, Metropolitan News Company