New York, NY - June 30, 2015 - Ten years ago today, Venable LLP officially opened an office in New York City with the acquisition of litigation firm Heard & O'Toole LLP. Over the past decade, the office has seen steady growth and expansion from the initial 12 attorneys who opened the office to 80 today.
Venable began developing a plan for expansion into New York in 2004 and identified Heard & O'Toole as the right team. Given the size of the firm and the national scope of its clients, a New York office promised to be a significant step in Venable's strategy to increase its geographic reach. From an initial emphasis on litigation, and corporate investigations, the office began building practices around labor & employment, M&A, real estate, advertising and marketing, intellectual property, complex business transactions, and bankruptcy, as it brought in high-profile laterals from leading firms and government.
"When we joined Venable, we realized the incomparable value of partnering with a prominent and well-established firm with attorneys who had worked in all phases of government and who were grounded in investigative and enforcement matters," said Edmund M. O’Toole, partner-in-charge of the New York office and one of the original twelve attorneys from Heard & O'Toole. "Our growth over the past decade has been impressive. We've recruited talented attorneys from all over – large firms, global corporations, and government – who are attracted to our collegial, entrepreneurial and service-oriented culture. Our growth has been a reflection of what's in the best interests of our clients and a testament to our client-focused culture." Added James L. Shea, Venable's chair, "We knew we should be in New York to secure our position as a national firm. Venable New York has steadily grown over 10 years, and we plan to keep building in many of our key areas."
In addition to Mr. O'Toole, several attorneys from the initial group that opened the New York office are still with Venable today, including Lawrence H. Cooke, Doreen S. Martin, and Matthew T. McLaughlin. Soon after opening, the office added Edward P. Boyle, Mark S. Vecchio, and Michael J. Volpe.
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Note: Venable LLP is an American Lawyer Global 100 law firm headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices in California, Delaware, Maryland, New York, and Virginia. Our lawyers and legislative advisors serve the needs of domestic and international clients in all areas of corporate and business law, complex litigation, intellectual property, regulatory, and government affairs. For more information, visit www.Venable.com.