SYRACUSE — Mackenzie Hughes LLP is using a new practice group to try to make it easier for clients to plan for and address legal issues — including those arising in a growing business. The group, called the Employment and Public Sector Law Group, brings together attorneys in the employment, environmental, grants, labor, land-use, municipal, […]
SYRACUSE — Mackenzie Hughes LLP is using a new practice group to try to make it easier for clients to plan for and address legal issues — including those arising in a growing business.
The group, called the Employment and Public Sector Law Group, brings together attorneys in the employment, environmental, grants, labor, land-use, municipal, public-finance, and public-officers practice areas. Its goal is to deliver a range of services to clients more efficiently, the firm contends.
It could allow clients to avoid multiple meetings with different attorneys, according to Mark Harrington, a partner at Mackenzie Hughes who is a member of its executive committee and chair of its business department.
“The group works well together and can provide more comprehensive services instead of focusing on one single practice area,” Hughes says. “This way, it’s more efficient and more cost-effective for the clients.”
Clients to which the group will cater include small businesses, large businesses with thousands of employees, and municipalities. Harrington says those clients often encounter similar concerns as they work to streamline or expand. He cited common problems such as tax, labor, and land-use issues.
About six attorneys currently make up the group, although it may grow to include a few more, Harrington says. Mackenzie Hughes does not have a target number of group members. However, Harrington emphasizes that the group needs to stay small enough for its members to be able to meet frequently without encountering too many scheduling hurdles.
Mackenzie Hughes has other practice groups that are not as formal, Harrington says. But the firm decided that giving the Employment and Public Sector Law Group additional structure would help it deliver services to clients, he adds.
“This way they can develop a particular plan with our guidance and our expertise to handle the issues that are always coming out of left field,” Harrington says. “It varies from client to client, but they all have issues with a change in regulations, a change in law, or just a change in economic climate.”
The Employment and Public Sector Law Group isn’t just about efficiently addressing problems as they pop up, says Jeffrey Brown, a partner at Mackenzie Hughes who is the new group’s chair. He wants it to keep businesses and municipalities informed about potential issues and topics with which they may not be familiar.
“One of the main focuses of the practice group is to identify issues that may be of interest to our clients and get them out to our clients,” Brown says. “It’s not just about the current issue du jour, but what we can do to help them avoid issues in the future to make their businesses or municipalities as effective as possible.”
Mackenzie Hughes LLP is headquartered in suite 600 of the M&T Bank Building at 101 S. Salina St. in Syracuse. It leases 23,000 square feet there.
The law firm’s clients include M&T Bank, the Oneida Indian Nation, Turning Stone Resort and Casino, KeyBank, Alliance Bank, O’Brien & Gere, C&S Cos., GHD Inc., Cazenovia College, Fayetteville-Manlius School District, the village of Manlius, the village of Cleveland, and the town of Van Buren. It has 33 attorneys, including 25 partners and eight associates, and about 80 total employees. Harrington and Brown declined to discuss the firm’s revenue.
Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com