By Roberta M. Gubbins
Legal News
At a time when other law firms are cutting back, Dickinson Wright PLLC is expanding, most recently in Phoenix, Arizona, combining with Mariscal, Weeks, McIntyre & Friedlander, P.A.
The combined firms will operate under the name Dickinson Wright/Marsical Weeks. The combination was effective Jan. 1.
In 2011, the firm’s Ontario affiliate, Dickinson Wright LLP, grew through an association with Toronto-based Aylesworth LLP.
“In Toronto, as in Phoenix,” said William Burgess, CEO, Dickinson Wright, “we had already had a strong presence in each of those markets before the larger combinations.”
Burgess said the firm was operating in Toronto for a number of years before the “Aylesworth combination.
“We had affiliated with three lawyers in Toronto and we were looking to expand our practice areas there in addition to our initial presence.”
The situation was similar in arizona, he said.
The firm had opened an office with a few lawyers in real estate, litigation and intellectual property practice areas “and, once again, having been introduced in the business community, we were looking to expand our practice offerings,” he said.
The combination with Marsical Weeks will add more services. The Marsical Weeks firm specializes in real estate, construction law, condemnation, employment and family law.
“Those practice areas, among others, were very attractive to the way in which we thought clients could be served,” he said. “In addition, Dickinson Wright has strength in intellectual property, municipal finance, corporate and private equity and banking. While there is a significant degree of overlap, there are also strengths that both firms bring to the combination, which we think will ultimately offer greater client service.”
When considering a merger, Burgess said, attention must be paid to key attributes in terms of approach to client service, work ethics, financial compatibility, client compatibility, and practice area — whether it is complimentary or not.
“In the end,” he said. “you have to look at the characteristics and the professional attributes of the people involved in both firms. Not every situation will be a match and it’s important to find a match that you have confidence in.”
Longevity can be a factor also. Like Dickinson Wright, which was founded in Detroit in 1878, the Aylesworth firm in Toronto has an equally long history.
“I think,” Burgess, said, “it was founded about 145 years ago.”
The Phoenix firm, Marsical Weeks, is a slightly younger, having been established 40 years ago.
The firm also recently opened an office in Columbus, Ohio.
“We’ve been able to attract quality professionals who have an interest in our client service capabilities,” he said. “My point is that we have also been growing in the midwest.”
Burgess has been CEO of Dickinson Wright for three years.
He is a graduate of Yale Law with an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. After graduation from Yale, he served as a law clerk Michigan Supreme Court Justice Charles Levin before joining Dickinson Wright.
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