Lizz Acee, managing director of major markets, was featured in the American Lawyer article “As Midsize Firms Seek Scale to Compete, Should They Choose Mergers or Grow With What They Have?” The article addresses strategies for midsize law firms considering growth amidst increasing demands for scale, technology, and geographic presence. With mergers becoming a common route, some firms, like Barclay Damon, choose this approach, while others favor organic growth through targeted hiring. Both strategies have unique challenges and advantages in meeting client needs, expanding services, and competing in saturated markets.
Barclay Damon advocates for mergers as an efficient way to scale, drawing on the firm’s history of integrating acquired firms, and the article cites Barclay Damon’s recent combination with the 10-lawyer Washington DC-based boutique firm Shapiro, Lifschitz & Schram. Lizz emphasized Barclay Damon’s structured integration plan. She said, “We actually prepare a written integration plan, and we execute on that integration plan. We did that in cooperation with the legacy Shapiro Lifschitz team because they have to have buy-in too, so that we’re all on the same page in making the engine run.”
This integration plan is also applied to all laterals joining the firm so that everyone feels supported and welcomed. In addition, Lizz noted the importance of being adaptable. “You can’t do this successfully and be rigid. It just doesn’t work that way. It’s a constant dialogue. In fact, we have a small leadership group from both sides of the firm that meet weekly to talk about any challenges.”
Barclay Damon remains focused on expanding its existing offices to continue being a leading regional law firm.
American Lawyer subscribers can read the full article here.