Tyler Cooper is Likely to Close as New Group Leaves for LeClairRyan
A venerable Connecticut law firm is not only losing 25 lawyers to a New England competitor but reportedly will likely be closing entirely.
After the announcement earlier this week that Tyler Cooper & Alcorn will be establishing a new office of Hinckley Allen & Snyder in Tyler’s current Hartford, Conn., quarters, the Hartford Courant says the 50-lawyer firm is on the verge of closing entirely as another contingent of lawyers prepares to depart, too.
The newspaper doesn’t name the firm, but LeClairRyan has announced that “a significant number of former Tyler Cooper attorneys” will be helping the firm establish a new office in New Haven, Conn. “LeClairRyan expects its New Haven office to continue to expand through year end,” the press release states. The firm, which has been on an expansion drive, is based in Virginia.
Among those joining LeClairRyan is Tyler partner Richard “Deke” Bowerman, who will be in charge of the new office. A former co-chair of Tyler Cooper’s litigation department, he currently serves on the firm’s executive committee.
“At the end of the day, the legal market is changing, and if you don’t change, you get left behind,” says William Fish Jr., a former managing partner of the Tyler firm who is leading the 25-lawyer group to Hinckley. The Tyler firm tried to expand to stay on a level playing field with competitors, he tells the Hartford newspaper, but had trouble attracting lawyers with expertise in employment and tax matters.
“The Tyler Cooper name won’t go away immediately,” the Courant writes. “A handful of lawyers will remain to wind down business. It was unclear Tuesday how long that might last.”
Reportedly the Hinckley firm has about 100 lawyers, not counting the new Tyler Cooper lawyers, and LeClairRyan has more than 250.
Related coverage:
Connecticut Business News Journal: “Tyler Cooper Law Firm Closing”
ABAJournal.com: “25 Tyler Cooper Lawyers Will Open New Hinckley Allen Office in Hartford, Conn.”
ABAJournal.com: “Another Merger for LeClairRyan Puts Va. Firm in Calif.”
Updated at 12:41 p.m. on Sept. 15, 2008 to include link to subsequent Connecticut Business News Journal article.
