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Alston & Bird Chief Mum on Merger With Calif. Firm
Fulton County Daily Report
July 15, 2008
Richard R. Hays, the managing partner at Alston & Bird, on Monday declined to comment on a published report that his firm was in talks with an 80-lawyer Los Angeles firm, Weston Benshoof Rochefort Rubalcava & MacCuish.
"I have earlier said that we have a lot of existing demand from our clients in California, and we've been actively pursuing opportunities there, but I don't have anything to add at this time," Hays told the Daily Report.
The AmLaw Daily, a Daily Report affiliate, cited two unnamed sources Monday in a story saying Alston was working on a deal with Weston Benshoof.
If a deal between the firms is finalized, the combination would give 800-attorney Alston, which has six domestic offices, an outpost in California.
King & Spalding opened offices in Silicon Valley and San Francisco earlier this year, with 22 lawyers in its two California offices in Orange County and San Diego.
Also, Troutman Sanders last month announced that it is merging with Ross, Dixon & Bell, which has two offices in California.
AmLaw Daily said Alston's potential merger with Weston Benshoof would instantly give it 80 California attorneys specializing in litigation, real estate development and environmental law. Clients of Weston Benshoof, which was founded in 1984, include the Boeing Co.
Alston's work for clients such as UPS, Wachovia and Aflac covers a wide range of practice areas including general commercial litigation, tax and intellectual property. The firm's 2007 revenues totaled $518 million, a 12.1 percent increase from the previous year.
In addition to its Los Angeles office, Weston Benshoof has a small office in Westlake Village, Calif. AmLaw Daily said Weston's managing partner, Edward J. Casey, could not be reached for comment.
