Duane Morris Scoops Up 20 Thelen Attorneys, Boosts Construction Practice

Duane Morris expanded its construction practice by 50 percent with the addition of 20 construction and real estate attorneys from the now-dissolved Thelen. The nine partners and 11 special counsel and associates brings Duane Morris' firmwide total to 650 lawyers, with 60 serving the construction industry, the firm announced in a statement (PDF) today.

While an economic recession seems like an inopportune time for expansion, Crain's New York Business notes that the recent dissolutions of several high-profile law firms present rare opportunities for firms like Duane Morris, Nixon Peabody and Reed Smith to court well-respected partners with big books of business.

Duane Morris’ additions come the same month construction law boutique Stein, Ray & Harris laid off four Chicago-based lawyers, nearly a third of its associates, after hiring seven attorneys earlier this year to handle an increase in construction litigation that never materialized, the National Law Journal reported.