Law firms in Orange County held attorney counts steady over the past year for the second year in a row after two years of modest gains.
This week’s Business Journal list features 88 firms with headquarters or significant operations in Orange County, ranking them by the number of local attorneys as of Feb. 28. It includes other data, such as firmwide attorney totals and the overall number of local employees, accounting for paralegals and administrative staff, though those figures don’t affect the rankings.
This year’s list is the longest yet, thanks to increased research capacity and growth in the number of firms to make the cut of a minimum 10 lawyers.
OC attorneys at ranked firms numbered 2,681, flat year-over-year. There were 1,236 partners among them, up 1.5%. Overall employment was at 5,275, a 1% increase.
The top three firms kept their ranks:
• Irvine-based Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP, which tops the list, has 164 locally based lawyers, the same as a year ago. It added one partner over the year and had 470 total employees in Orange County, down 1.5%.
• No. 2, Costa Mesa-based Rutan & Tucker LLP, had 133 lawyers here, down by two. The firm cut three partners and had 265 OC employees overall, up by 3.5%.
• Newport Beach-based Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth P.C., No. 3, with 86 attorneys based here, was down by one. It dropped one partner and two employees overall.
• The Costa Mesa office of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP and Irvine-based Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP switched positions on the list, Sheppard Mullin taking the No. 4 spot as it held steady with 72 attorneys. Gibson Dunn’s attorney count dropped by five, or 7%.
• The top 10 firm with the biggest attorney growth was Newport Beach-based Bremer Whyte Brown & O’Meara, which added eight local attorneys, or more than 17%. It lost one partner but added 11 employees overall, moving up from No. 12 to No. 9.
Co-founding Partner Nicole Whyte attributes the growth to the vision of the founding and managing partners in the firm’s early years. She and Keith Bremer created it 20 years ago with an early focus on construction defects cases.
“We saw the writing on the wall early on and predicted this area of practice would slow down in the future,” she said via email. “We made a strategic decision early on to diversify the practice areas of the firm, diversify the client base, and focus on organic growth from within—by hiring young lawyers, mentoring them, and bringing them up in the firm to become leaders. Today we are a full-service law firm with multiple areas of practice and a strong and diverse client base.”
• Costa Mesa-based Snell & Wilmer LLP dropped in the rankings from No. 7 to No. 11 based on a decline of nine attorneys for a 16% decrease. It also shed two partners and 14 employees.
Ketan Vakil, who took over for Bill O’Hare as head of Snell’s Orange County office in January, said that attorney turnover is a “very common occurrence across the legal landscape and [its] rate is actually in line with the national average,” adding that turnover can be attributed to many factors, including operating in “a very competitive marketplace, evolving shifts in legal trends, and varying workplace preferences.
“As always, our focus as an office is on driving strategic growth, enhancing efficiencies, and continuing to provide our clients with outstanding legal services,” Vakil said via email.
• The Irvine office of West Harrison, N.Y.-based Jackson Lewis P.C., which debuts on the list at No. 31, experienced the most growth on the list—50%—adding 10 attorneys, to end the time period with 30. It added three partners and 12 employees overall.
Orange County office Managing Principal Samantha Hoffman credits its growth to her team.
“We have a great and diverse group of attorneys and staff in Orange County who understand how important teamwork and camaraderie are, which in turn ensures quality lawyering, responsiveness, and our ability to bring the best team to bear on a particular matter or client,” she said via email. “This, in turn, leads to a great deal of work from external clients, as well as our colleagues throughout the firm.”
• The Irvine office of Pittsburgh, Pa.-based K&L Gates LLP, No. 38, had the least growth, 10 attorneys—or 27%. There were two partners among them, and it lost 13 employees overall.
• Other list newcomers based on a variety of factors include Irvine-based Wesierski & Zurek LLP, which debuts in a tie at No. 31, with 30 attorneys, flat from last year; Keller/Anderle LLP, which tied at No. 61 with 17 attorneys, up three; and David Hirson & Partners LLP, which debuts at No. 83 with 10 attorneys, up three.
