Clyde & Co. to acquire 18-lawyer Miami firm, seeks to be top US insurance coverage shop
A London-based international law firm plans to open its sixth U.S. office by acquiring an 18-attorney Miami, Florida, corporate litigation boutique.
Clyde & Co. announced the deal with Thornton Davis Fein on Thursday, and expects it to be complete by July 1.
“Our ambition in the United States is to be the preeminent insurance coverage law firm for global insurance carriers and the London market and to build a network of trial and defense capability across the country,” said partner Michael Knoerzer in the release. He is a member of the U.S. management board of Clyde & Co.
The Miami office will connect Clyde & Co. to what Knoerzer refers to as “Florida’s supply chain of bad faith litigation and property claims,” and will also serve as a gateway to Latin America, where Clyde & Co. already has offices in Brazil and Venezuela.
Partner Ricardo Lewandowski, who is licensed in both England and Brazil, will be relocating from London to oversee a Latin American liaison practice in Miami. He currently has clients in Europe, the U.S. and Latin America.
Senior partner James Burns told the Legal Business blog that Clyde & Co., which has been in the U.S. a decade, expects further growth here soon.
“There are a number of locations being considered in relation to further expansion in the US. I would expect us to be looking at further expansion in the US in the next 12 months,” he said. “I think in the next six to 12 months we’ll be looking to try strengthen and grow our international capability, probably in Europe and probably in Latin America.”
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “London-based Clyde & Co. opens 4th US office with Robins Kaplan insurance coverage team”
