Orange County’s biggest law firms continued to forge ahead in 2021, despite the uncertainty of the pandemic.
The 88 firms on this year’s list added 44 local attorneys, or 1.6%, to a total of 2,802.
The firms also added 38 new OC partners for a total of 1,290.
The highest grower on the list was the Costa Mesa office of Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith LLP, which boosted its headcount 45% to 80 attorneys. It jumped seven spots to No. 4 in the ranking. It also topped the list in two areas, adding 19 partners for a total of 47, a 68% biggest increase, and hiring 23 employees, a 24% rise.
“We have seen exceptional growth in our employment litigation and data privacy practice groups,” said Charlie Harris, the managing partner in its Costa Mesa office.
“Our construction and general liability groups are also very busy. We feel very fortunate to have weathered what we hope is the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“2021 was a very good year for our firm,” he added. “We attribute our success to our dedicated employees and staff and to our ability to adapt to practicing law in a new environment, which includes virtual and in-person work.”
The Business Journal’s annual list ranks the firms based on local attorneys, with a cutoff of 10 lawyers.
The list showed the largest firms employ 5,212 in Orange County, a 1% increase from a year ago. Last year, total employee count declined 2.9%.
Firmwide, they employed 36,087, a 2.7% increase from a year ago.
More than half of the firms, 48, list their offices in Irvine, followed by 17 in Costa Mesa and 15 in Newport Beach.
Highlights
• The two biggest firms retained their positions.
No. 1 Knobbe Martens of Irvine added one lawyer and now has 148 altogether.
No. 2 Rutan & Tucker LLP in Irvine shed eight attorneys and now has 129 lawyers.
• The Costa Mesa office of Sheppard Mullin, Richter & Hamptom LLP climbed 16% to 85 lawyers, jumping from No. 7 to No. 3 on the list. It also added two new partners for a total of 33, and another 17 employees for 145 altogether.
“We grew based on both opportunistic and strategic hiring, consistent with the firm’s strategic plan,” said Sean O’Connor, the office’s managing partner.
“We complemented our existing practice areas by adding tax expertise and added new expertise in the areas of digital media/tech transactions, trust and estate litigation and appellate work.
“2021 was a very strong year for the Orange County office in particular and the firm in general, which for the first time surpassed the $1 billion revenue threshold,” O’Connor said.
• Tying for the No. 5 spot with 79 attorneys each, were both Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP of Irvine and Lathan & Watkins LLP of Costa Mesa.
• Rounding out the biggest slots were
No. 7 Bremer, Whyte, Brown & O’Meara LLP of Newport Beach, with 77 attorneys; No. 8 Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth PC of Newport Beach with 74; and No. 9 Snell & Wilmer of Costa Mesa with 72 attorneys.
• No. 10 Buchalter of Irvine reported 71 attorneys, a 31% rise from a year ago. “The reason for our growth in the last year was strong and increased demand across every one of our practice groups, and the addition of a robust white collar and regulatory practice,” Michael Katz, a Buchalter shareholder, told the Business Journal.
• K&L; Gates LLP, a Pittsburgh-based firm with an Irvine office, jumped 17 slots to No. 24 by adding eight attorneys for a total of 34.
“It was an awesome year for us, driven by corporate transaction business,” Mike Hedge, managing partner at the Irvine office, told the Business Journal. “It was super busy across the board. Active M&A;, active public companies. Offering venture capital. All three of those were hitting on all cylinders. It was bit like the perfect storm.
“We put a record year both in the firm and the office. We increased revenue 81% year over year.”
