ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A law firm with offices in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and White Plains in Westchester County is combining with Rochester–based Harris Beach PLLC, which has offices in Syracuse, Ithaca, and other locations in New York. The new combined firm with Murtha Cullina LLP — “which will be a powerhouse in the region’s legal industry” […]
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A law firm with offices in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and White Plains in Westchester County is combining with Rochester–based Harris Beach PLLC, which has offices in Syracuse, Ithaca, and other locations in New York. The new combined firm with Murtha Cullina LLP — “which will be a powerhouse in the region’s legal industry” — will be known as Harris Beach Murtha, per Tuesday’s joint announcement.
In the announcement, the firms say, “Together, Harris Beach Murtha will offer greater strength and reach throughout an expanded geographical footprint on the Northeast Corridor and throughout upstate and Western New York, accelerating the growth strategy of both firms.”
Harris Beach and Murtha Cullina will continue to operate as separate, independent entities until the combination has been completed on Jan. 1, 2025. During this period, Chris Jagel, CEO of Harris Beach, and Andy Corea, managing partner of Murtha Cullina, will co-lead an interim advisory committee.
In their announcement, they say “the synergies between the two law firms will benefit clients of both firms through a significantly increased knowledge base and expanded service areas.” Together, Harris Beach Murtha will have more than 250 attorneys across 15 offices in several states, and more than 250 years of combined legal experience.
Separately, Harris Beach has 183 attorneys, while Murtha Cullina has 72, Joli Plucknette-Farmen, manager of communications at Harris Beach, told CNYBJ in an email.
The proposed combination is subject to customary conditions, the firms said. Those conditions include a vote of the partners of each firm to approve the operating agreement for the combined entity. The vote is expected to take place in the next several months, with the operating agreement effective Jan. 1, 2025, pending completion of all necessary reviews and closing conditions.