Seven government contracts lawyers have started work at Husch Blackwell Sanders in the past month. The new additions include a six-lawyer group from Akerman Senterfitt and one partner from Holland & Knight.
The team from Akerman Senterfitt includes Claude Goddard Jr., who previously chaired Akerman’s government contracts practice. Goddard brought partners Daniel Donohue, Michael Gatje, David Hendel, Hal Perloff, and Brian Waagner. Steven Weber joins from Holland & Knight as a partner. The group started work at the firm on Jan 25.
Goddard said that his group received a number of offers from firms looking to grow their government contracts practices, which have brought in work at a time when many other practices are struggling. (Check out a profile of government contracts practices from this week's National Law Journal here.)
Goddard said his group decided to join Husch Blackwell because the firm offered the opportunity to grow a government contracts practice from the ground up. “This seemed like a great opportunity for our clients,” Goddard said. “We talked about it and Husch Blackwell seemed like a better firm for us.”
Walter Wilson, who chairs Husch Blackwell’s government contracts practice, said the firm has seen government contracts as an area with “extreme growth potential” and has been looking for a team of lawyers to help build up the practice. With the addition of the seven new lawyers, the practice is now composed of nine lawyers.
Wilson said the deal came together because he has known several of the lawyers from Akerman and Weber for years and they have stayed in touch. “This was a natural synergy for our practices,” Wilson said.
Goddard’s group brings a book of business that includes Actus Lend Lease, URS Corp., Duke Realty, and Supreme Food Service.
In a statement, an Akerman spokesman said, “It is Akerman's policy not to comment on personnel matters.”
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