This week, Venable announced it had added seven new attorneys to its Los Angeles office by acquiring Los Angeles-based boutique Weingarten Brown LLP. The acquisition brings one partner, six associates and a paralegal to the firm’s commercial litigation practice. The group includes founding partner Alex Weingarten who joins Venable as partner along with associates Eric Bakewell, Varty Defterderian, Leslie Eggers, Logan Elliott, Jeffrey Logan and Micol Sordina. With substantial litigation experience in the fields of entertainment, intellectual property and business litigation, Weingarten and his team have handled matters of significant depth and sophistication in the areas of media, corporate, real estate, finance, probate and bankruptcy litigation across the nation.
“Over the years I have received countless inquiries about merging my practice into a large firm. I always resisted but once I got to know Venable, it became an easy decision,” Weingarten told Law360 on July 8, 2014. “It was a great fit culturally and professionally. This is a case of 1+1 equals 3. Venable offers all the benefits of a large firm platform but with an entrepreneurial spirit. There are also tremendous opportunities based on the synergies that exist between my practice and the firm’s.”
Discussing his move with American Lawyer in a July 8 article, Weingarten said, “It was a difficult decision, as I’ve always considered myself a ‘free range lawyer… But [Venable’s Los Angeles office] had that small firm, entrepreneurial feel, and it was just a tremendous opportunity.” Doug Emhoff, Partner-in-Charge of Venable’s Los Angeles office and the firm’s Managing Director for Expansion, added, “I’ve known Alex for over a decade and he’s a first-rate lawyer who perfectly complements what we’ve built in L.A.”
“We were becoming too big to handle small cases but still too small to handle big cases,” Weingarten explained to the Daily Journal on July 8. “Alex is a very accomplished trial attorney,” added Emhoff. “Adding him and his team to our firm builds on our already strong litigation group on the West Coast.”
The Los Angeles Business Journal also noted the new additions on July 8.
“Over the years I have received countless inquiries about merging my practice into a large firm. I always resisted but once I got to know Venable, it became an easy decision,” Weingarten told Law360 on July 8, 2014. “It was a great fit culturally and professionally. This is a case of 1+1 equals 3. Venable offers all the benefits of a large firm platform but with an entrepreneurial spirit. There are also tremendous opportunities based on the synergies that exist between my practice and the firm’s.”
Discussing his move with American Lawyer in a July 8 article, Weingarten said, “It was a difficult decision, as I’ve always considered myself a ‘free range lawyer… But [Venable’s Los Angeles office] had that small firm, entrepreneurial feel, and it was just a tremendous opportunity.” Doug Emhoff, Partner-in-Charge of Venable’s Los Angeles office and the firm’s Managing Director for Expansion, added, “I’ve known Alex for over a decade and he’s a first-rate lawyer who perfectly complements what we’ve built in L.A.”
“We were becoming too big to handle small cases but still too small to handle big cases,” Weingarten explained to the Daily Journal on July 8. “Alex is a very accomplished trial attorney,” added Emhoff. “Adding him and his team to our firm builds on our already strong litigation group on the West Coast.”
The Los Angeles Business Journal also noted the new additions on July 8.