The day Walfrido Martinez joined Hunton & Williams to open the firm’s Miami office in 1999, all he had to do was show up and start working. The firm had in place a receptionist, a head of office services and secretaries ready for him and the four colleagues who moved with him from Holland & Knight. A group of associates had already been flown in from other Hunton offices to work on their matters. The prep work paid off. In his first month Martinez billed 200 hours. “You can’t do that if you don’t have the resources in line,” says Martinez.
He hasn’t forgotten that early lesson. Now Hunton’s firmwide managing partner, Martinez has tried to continue — and extend — Hunton’s lateral integration program. So far, it seems to be working. Of the 28 lateral partners the firm hired in 2005, 25 are still there.
