Barclay Damon adds Washington, D.C. office through combination

SYRACUSE — Barclay Damon LLP is now operating an office in Washington, D.C. after a law firm in the nation’s capital combined with the Syracuse–based firm. Shapiro, Lifschitz & Schram (SLS) joined Barclay Damon, effective Jan. 1, per the Jan. 10 announcement. The deal allows both law firms to expand their footprints and client-service offerings, Barclay Damon noted. The leadership of both firms in December unanimously voted to approve the deal, citing a “strong belief in the benefits of the combination, which brings the best in legal service together to accelerate growth in each firm’s respective practice areas.” At the time of the announcement on Jan. 10, Barclay Damon said the 10 lawyers, three paralegals, and four administrative staff of SLS would join the Syracuse–based firm while maintaining operations in their current 11,500-square-foot office space located in the heart of Washington, D.C.’s central business district, a few blocks from Dupont Circle and the White House. “Our firm has been serving clients in the DC Metro Region for many years, while our long-term strategy has been to develop a fully staffed, established presence in that market. After evaluating many opportunities, SLS was the right fit in terms of top attorneys, complementary practices, and energy industry experience that overlaps with Barclay Damon’s leading practices,” Connie Cahill, Barclay Damon’s managing partner, said in a statement. “We hope to continue growing in the DC Metro Region and are always interested in meeting with talented attorneys looking to expand their breadth of services in a shared culture of collaboration, innovation, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.” SLS will serve as Barclay Damon’s Washington, D.C. office. “This is a beneficial move for SLS, as this combination meets the long-term strategic goals of the firm and allows our people and clients to immediately have access to a multidisciplinary approach to legal services as well as a full-service law firm,” Judah Lifschitz, principal and co-president of SLS, said in the Barclay Damon release. Lifschitz, Steve Schram, and Christopher Mahoney will continue to lead the D.C. office. “Landing an integrated team of attorneys with corporate, real estate, finance, commercial litigation, and large construction litigation experience with a national profile in the power and energy industry was simply a home run,” Rick Capozza, chief marketing officer and chair of Barclay Damon’s energy practice area, said in the news release. “That the SLS team is located in a strategically significant part of our platform, Washington DC, advances a key strategy of expanding our strong regulatory experience at the federal level.” Together, the combined firm will have nearly 300 lawyers in nine offices. They include New York offices in Syracuse, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, and New York City, as well as offices in Boston, Massachusetts; New Haven, Connecticut; Washington, D.C.; and Toronto, Ontario.