Blank Rome Acquires D.C. Law Firm

Blank Rome has acquired Dickstein Shapiro and the deal will bring more than 100 attorneys into the Philly-based law firm.

Blank Rome was founded in 1946 and represents businesses dealing with all types of matters — from commercial and corporate litigation to mergers and acquisitions. The deal gives Blank Rome more than 90 Dickstein Shapiro lawyers in Washington, D.C. — tripling the firm’s presence there. Blank Rome also adds 13 lawyers in New York.

The deal bolsters Blank Rome’s roster to more than 620 attorneys in 14 offices.

“It is amazing to think that just 15 years ago, Blank Rome was primarily a Philadelphia law firm,” said Alan J. Hoffman, Blank Rome’s chairman and managing partner said in a statement. “In line with our current strategic plan, this is the latest in a robust series of targeted lateral hires, acquisitions, and combinations that our firm has successfully completed in recent years.”

Hoffman also offered some insight as to how the deal came together:

“Over the past several weeks, a number of us at Blank Rome have had the pleasure of spending time getting to know our new partners and colleagues on both a professional and personal level. Jim [Kelly, the new chairman of Blank Rome’s Washington, D.C., office] and I knew early on that this was an outstanding opportunity to bring our teams together. The partners in the group have an impressive average of more than 20 years with Dickstein Shapiro and represent the core team that formed the firm and made its Washington, D.C., office among the very best in the District. There was intense competition for this fine group of attorneys, for good reason. We are delighted to welcome the team to our firm and look forward to working with them.”