Updated at 10:37 p.m.
Pillsbury Winthrop is losing nine real estate lawyers in Washington – including the managing partner of its 190-lawyer D.C. office – to Goulston & Storrs in Washington.
Maureen Dwyer, who has been head of Pillsbury's D.C. office since the firm's merger with Shaw Pittman in 2005, called the move "such a good opportunity we couldn’t say no."
The other partners making the move are Phil Feola, John Epting, Allison Prince, and Paul Tummonds Jr., along with four associates, an architectural historian, and a legal assistant.
Boston-based Goulston, which has 175 lawyers, is known for its real estate expertise. The firm’s Washington office, opened in 2001, had already grown to 14 lawyers specializing in real estate.
“Our goal has always been to become the pre-eminent real estate firm in the District,” said Goulston co-managing partner Douglas Husid. “Although we’ve been very pleased with how successful we’ve been in the D.C. market until now, this is another major step forward to meeting our goal.”
The Pillsbury group has been practicing together for 20 years, Dwyer said - originally at Wilkes Artis, then Shaw Pittman, then Pillsbury. “We’ve always worked together as a team,” said Dwyer, who was named one of 13 “Leading Lawyers in Real Estate” by Legal Times in 2003. She is widely regarded as a zoning expert, representing universities including Georgetown, George Washington, American, Trinity and Catholic.
“We thought the platform at Goulston is perfect for us,” she continued. “We’ve worked across the table with many lawyers in their D.C. office, and we know the quality of their work.”
Christine Kearns will serve as the new managing partner of Pillsbury’s Washington office.
"We wish our colleagues good fortune at Goulston,” said Pillsbury Chairman James Rishwain Jr. in a statement. “I am confident that we will continue to work with Maureen, Allison, John, Phil and Paul on joint projects and opportunities as we continue to serve our clients at the highest level.”
It’s good to hear that Pillsbury maintains good relations with Goulston, despite the move of its employees to the latter firm. Two years have already passed, and I assume Pillsbury has also found new lawyers that will continue its legacy of providing quality services to its clients.
Posted by: Mike Clark | December 05, 2012 at 01:20 PM
I think there will be many more occurances of this kind in the future, interesting post!
Posted by: conveyancing cheshire | May 28, 2010 at 04:36 AM