Brian Farmer, left, and Ed Klees lead a team of investment management attorneys who left the Hirschler law firm for competitor Reed Smith. (BizSense file photos)
A team of downtown lawyers is on the move after a larger firm lured them in.
The group of five led by Brian Farmer and Ed Klees earlier this month left the Hirschler law firm for competitor Reed Smith.
Also making the move were Guy Morley, Sherherezade “Zee” Malik and Aleks Johnson.
The quintet brings with them an investment management practice representing institutional investors, universities, pension funds, hospitals and other groups.
Klees and Farmer said the move to the much larger Reed Smith gives them access to more firepower in representing their clients. Reed Smith has 1,700 attorneys firmwide across 32 offices worldwide. Shockoe Bottom-based Hirschler has around 85 attorneys.
“(Hirschler) is a great firm. We both had wonderful experiences there,” Farmer said. “Our move was really to put our clients in the best position possible going forward with the kinds of services they need.
“It’s a big change for us but we’re excited.”
Reed Smith keeps its Richmond office at the Riverfront Plaza.
Farmer had been with Hirschler for more than 20 years and founded the firm’s investment management practice. Klees joined Hirschler nearly seven years ago after serving as general counsel of University of Virginia Investment Management Co. in Charlottesville. The two have worked together ever since.
Klees said Reed Smith’s global reach was attractive to the group’s clients.
“We have a very global practice because our clients invest globally,” Klees said. They cited a recent example of a client doing a transaction with a German counterpart and German tax issues arose. Reed Smith has two offices in Germany that could help with that, they said.
Farmer, Morley, Malik and Johnson are now working out of Reed Smith’s downtown Richmond office in Riverfront Plaza’s west tower. Klees, who lives in Charlottesville, will be based out of the firm’s office in the Washington, D.C. area.
Reed Smith’s Richmond office opened in 1999 and currently has 16 attorneys. The firm is headquartered in Pittsburgh.
Other recent moves in the local legal scene include the merger of the McGonigle law firm into larger competitor Davis Wright Tremaine, as well as the marriage of Woods Rogers and Vandeventer Black.
And earlier this year one of the namesakes of a Shockoe Slip law firm left for a larger firm downtown.
Brian Farmer, left, and Ed Klees lead a team of investment management attorneys who left the Hirschler law firm for competitor Reed Smith. (BizSense file photos)
A team of downtown lawyers is on the move after a larger firm lured them in.
The group of five led by Brian Farmer and Ed Klees earlier this month left the Hirschler law firm for competitor Reed Smith.
Also making the move were Guy Morley, Sherherezade “Zee” Malik and Aleks Johnson.
The quintet brings with them an investment management practice representing institutional investors, universities, pension funds, hospitals and other groups.
Klees and Farmer said the move to the much larger Reed Smith gives them access to more firepower in representing their clients. Reed Smith has 1,700 attorneys firmwide across 32 offices worldwide. Shockoe Bottom-based Hirschler has around 85 attorneys.
“(Hirschler) is a great firm. We both had wonderful experiences there,” Farmer said. “Our move was really to put our clients in the best position possible going forward with the kinds of services they need.
“It’s a big change for us but we’re excited.”
Reed Smith keeps its Richmond office at the Riverfront Plaza.
Farmer had been with Hirschler for more than 20 years and founded the firm’s investment management practice. Klees joined Hirschler nearly seven years ago after serving as general counsel of University of Virginia Investment Management Co. in Charlottesville. The two have worked together ever since.
Klees said Reed Smith’s global reach was attractive to the group’s clients.
“We have a very global practice because our clients invest globally,” Klees said. They cited a recent example of a client doing a transaction with a German counterpart and German tax issues arose. Reed Smith has two offices in Germany that could help with that, they said.
Farmer, Morley, Malik and Johnson are now working out of Reed Smith’s downtown Richmond office in Riverfront Plaza’s west tower. Klees, who lives in Charlottesville, will be based out of the firm’s office in the Washington, D.C. area.
Reed Smith’s Richmond office opened in 1999 and currently has 16 attorneys. The firm is headquartered in Pittsburgh.
Other recent moves in the local legal scene include the merger of the McGonigle law firm into larger competitor Davis Wright Tremaine, as well as the marriage of Woods Rogers and Vandeventer Black.
And earlier this year one of the namesakes of a Shockoe Slip law firm left for a larger firm downtown.