Freeman Mathis & Gary has expanded into California, acquiring a seven-lawyer San Francisco litigation boutique, Strazulo Fitzgerald, with an office in Hermosa Beach, Calif.

Ben Mathis Jr., FMG’s managing partner, said the move was driven by its relationships with several national insurance carriers and the three founding partners’ desire to build a firm that outlasts its first generation. Mathis launched the business litigation firm in 1997 with Ted Freeman and T. Bart Gary.