Miami Firm Shrinks and Refocuses, But Doesn’t Implode, Founder Says

The 40-lawyer Miami law firm Kluger Peretz Kaplan & Berlin is losing two of its name partners and a dozen other lawyers, but it’s not imploding, according to founding partner Alan Kluger.

The split is a result of the firm’s decision to focus on litigation and shed its bankruptcy and intellectual property practices, Kluger told the Miami Herald. 'It's sad,'' Kluger told the publication. “But we decided that the platform that is best for our clients is as a litigation shop, with 25 or so lawyers.”

'We didn't implode. Nobody ever missed a paycheck or a bonus,'' he said.

Howard Berlin, chair of the firm’s bankruptcy practice, is jumping to Berger Singerman, according to the South Florida Business Journal and the Miami Herald. And Steven Peretz is forming his own intellectual property boutique. The Herald says he is taking three partners with him, while the Business Journal says he is taking two lawyers.

Meanwhile, six transactional lawyers and four partners are leaping to Akerman Senterfit, according to the Herald.