The law firms of Carlton Fields, PA and Jorden Burt, LLP are pleased to announce that, on October 7, 2013, they entered into a definitive agreement to merge the firms. For a transition period after the merger, the name of the combined firm will be Carlton Fields Jorden Burt. The new firm will include more than 370 lawyers and government consultants in 10 offices. Closing of the merger and full operational integration is expected at the beginning of 2014.
“The fit between our law firms is natural and powerful,” says Carlton Fields CEO, Gary Sasso, who will serve as CEO of the combined firm. “Both firms have strong national practices in class action defense and high-stakes litigation. We see an opportunity to match strength with strength, putting together highly capable professionals who like and respect each other.”
Carlton Fields has approximately 300 attorneys and government consultants with offices located in major cities in Florida and in Atlanta and New York City. Its core practices include national class action defense; national and international trial and appellate litigation; health care; white collar defense and government investigations; domestic and international corporate, securities, and tax; construction; real estate and finance; insurance; energy; and telecommunications. Jorden Burt has more than 70 lawyers with offices in Washington, DC, Miami and Hartford. It focuses on national class action defense; national trial practice; corporate and regulatory representation of the financial services industry, including insurance, banking, and securities; and health care. Jorden Burt is ranked among the top 10% of class action defense firms in the country according to the 2013 BTI Survey of Fortune 1000 companies.
Jorden Burt’s Managing Partner, Jim Jorden, says, “Over the past 25 years, we have built a strong national practice in class action defense, trial work, and representation of the financial services industry. In weighing alternatives about how best to grow our practices in the years to come, we concluded that Carlton Fields offers a unique combination of talent, platform, practices, values, and philosophy. We are like-minded in every important way. By joining together, both our firms gain a great deal.” Jorden will serve on the combined firm’s Executive Committee.
Sasso adds, “This is a strategic decision consolidating the talent and great client relationships of both firms to grow the strength, depth, and quality of our respective practices. We share a commitment to highly personalized client service, a lean and efficient business model suited to the evolving market for legal services, and a professional environment where our colleagues know and trust each other.”
