There appears to be a surge of Biglaw firms setting up new offices in Boston. This trend was most notably exemplified over the past week, when three prominent Am Law 100 firms declared their intentions to open new Boston locations. As part of this move, one firm even orchestrated a large-scale lateral cohort shift to establish their legal team in Boston.
The firm of Simpson Thacher will be launching their Boston office towards the end of this year. Kenneth Burdon, a partner specializing in registered funds from Skadden, will be a key player in the firm’s new venture. Accompanying Burdon will be Nathan Somogie, an STB partner from New York. As highlighted by the American Lawyer, the firm will be advising clients on matters spanning from asset management and other financial institutions to health care, biotechnology, life sciences, and technology.
Alongside Simpson Thacher, Paul Hastings has also revealed plans to expand to Boston. The firm has enlisted the expertise of Sidley Austin private equity co-leader, Alexander Temel, who will be accompanied by Sidley private equity partner William Schwab.
In addition to those two, Blank Rome has recently established their presence in Boston with the recruitment of a 25-lawyer team of corporate and cannabis lawyers from Burns & Levinson. These newcomers launched the 16th office of Blank Rome, further underlining the firm’s continued growth.
The trend of Boston office expansions is consistent with developments from 2023 when Biglaw firms including Covington & Burling, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, and Akin Gump all set up operations in the city. With these recent announcements, three more Biglaw firms will join them in Boston.