Spillane Shaeffer Aronoff Bandlow, a Los Angeles litigation shop, has announced plans to merge with Lathrop & Gage on Jan. 1, 2009. The merger gives Lathrop & Gage, a Kansas City, Mo.-based law firm, an office in California.

Joel Voran, chief executive officer of Lathrop & Gage, said he was attracted to Spillane Shaeffer’s litigation and intellectual property group.