On August 21, 2018, the news about Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto joining Venable was featured in several publications, including American Lawyer, Law360, and Bloomberg Law. The combination, which is expected to close November 1, will more than double the size of Venable’s intellectual property team to 175, making it one of the largest IP groups in the country, and will double the size of Venable's New York office to more than 170 lawyers, placing it among the largest firms in the city.
According to the American Lawyer, the firm will now boast approximately 800 total attorneys, which would make it one of the 50 largest firms in the country in terms of total lawyer head count as measured by ALM.
Commenting on the combined firms, Stu Ingis, chairman of Venable, told Law360, "We're particularly excited about it because it's a first-tier quality group of lawyers and people, and we think it immediately improves our firm."
Mr. Ingis added in Bloomberg Law, "We will have a powerhouse IP practice when you combine the lawyers both in quality and number."