Turbulence in the battered US legal market last month claimed two more victims as Chicago’s Peterson & Ross and San Jose IP boutique Skjerven Morrill both announced they are to formally dissolve.

The 50-lawyer insurance specialist Peterson & Ross, which has five offices, voted on 4 February to dissolve, citing the economy and the loss of its life and health practice. The news came just one day after 62-lawyer Skjerven Morrill announced it was to close its doors.