Joshua Sohn, a seasoned New York litigator, along with nine other attorneys from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, have decided to move to Crowell & Moring. The transition arrives amid the abrupt dissolution of their former firm, a legal institution that stood for almost 150 years.
The announcement, made on Monday, is an addition to the numerous exits from Stroock, which earlier this month declared it would dissolve after facing an exodus of lawyers and failing to find a merger partner.
Sohn’s professional experience spans over 25 years across varied domains like real estate, regulatory, and other disputes. Presently, he is leading counsel in a class-action lawsuit against the New York City Board of Education, confronting allegations of bias in a teaching certificate exam. The case, as per Crowell, has led to an award of $2 billion in damages and benefits.
Keith Harrison, co-chair of Crowell’s litigation group, praised Sohn’s extensive first-chair trial experience in commercial and real estate litigation, stating it broadens their firm’s service offering and aligns with their strategy to enhance their commercial and financial services litigation capabilities in New York.
As it turns out, 28 former Stroock partners, including Jeff Keitelman, the former co-managing partner of the firm, are on their way to Hogan Lovells. Alan Klinger, the other co-managing partner, is slated to join Steptoe & Johnson. This law firm took on nearly 30 Stroock lawyers in July when the proposed merger plans fell through.
Sohn began his discussions with Crowell during the summer. The team joining Crowell includes a senior counsel, three counsels, and five associates, all of whom will be based at Crowell’s New York office.
In an interview, Sohn cited multiple reasons for his decision to move, chief among them being the approach and work culture at Crowell that closely aligns with his own work ethic.
Crowell, a firm founded in D.C., has been gradually expanding its footprint in the city over the years. According to the firm, it has doubled its lawyer count in New York to 98 over the last five years and plans to relocate to a new office space in Hudson Yards next January.
Sohn expressed his enthusiasm about being part of this growth trajectory and the positive outlook prevalent in the firm as opposed to what he labeled a ‘scarcity mindset’ he experienced in other law firms.
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