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.