Columbus law firm's Perez Morris expansion into Cleveland makes it largest women-owned firm in Ohio - Columbus Business First - The Business Journals
Columbus law firm Perez Morris is expanding into Cleveland via a new partnership, a deal the firm's leader says makes it Ohio's largest certified women-owned law firm.
Perez Morris is teaming up with Cleveland's Giffen & Kaminski LCC. The Columbus firm is has hired the Cleveland firm's entire team of six lawyers and administrative staff, including Karen Giffen and Kerin Kaminski, its managing partners. Perez Morris will open an office in Cleveland in April.
The deal is "neither a merger nor an acquisition," Perez Morris Managing Partner Sarah Perez said.
"We're joining forces," Perez said. "We've hired their entire team. We'll be hitting that 30-lawyer mark with the expansion. We know that we will be the largest certified women-owned law firm in Ohio."
Perez Morris was founded in 1997 by attorneys John Perez and Troy Morris. Sarah Perez, John Perez's daughter-in-law, began transitioning to the top job in 2019. The firm is about 75% women-owned now and certified by National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms.
Sarah Perez said her team and Giffen & Kaminski have "grown alongside each other in the state and had very similar client bases." They've been discussing such a partnership on and off for the last decade, she said.
"What it comes down to is they're doing excellent legal work and have a long legacy of community impact in Cleveland," Perez said. "There are so many synergies in terms of our practice areas, client base, and the way we work with clients. At the same time, culturally, both being women-owned firms, there were also lots of synergies there."
Perez said bringing on the Giffen & Kaminski team means the firm can "offer a lot more depth in business litigation, labor and employment, real estate and financial services" areas.
The expansion into Cleveland is a further continuation of the Columbus firm's recent growth.
Largest Central Ohio Law Firms
Ranked by Central Ohio attorneys
| Rank | Firm name | Central Ohio attorneys |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vorys Sater Seymour and Pease LLP | 175 |
| 2 | Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP | 110 |
| 3 | Dinsmore & Shohl LLP | 95 |
| View This List | ||
It's had an office in New York since 2012, but in 2019 also brought on a practice in Philadelphia. That year it also expanded its New York footprint and expanded into suburban Philadelphia. The firm also has a presence in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Opening an office in Cleveland is a "natural stepping stone" between Columbus and the Northeast, Perez said.
"We've always had a national practice, but it's been great to see us get some physical offices in these other states as well," she said.
Further growth is also potentially on the horizon.
"It's not so much that we have our sights set on growth for the sake of growth, but we're very much open to opportunities in other cities, particularly in the Great Lakes region," Perez said.
source: https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2022/03/07/perez-morris-growth-2022.html
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