A Miami presence will enhance Clyde & Co’s growing national footprint in the US and further strengthen our Latin American practices.
Thornton Davis Fein has a standout reputation for handling complex litigation and trials for corporations and insurers. It has particular strength in product liability and construction, as well as in the traditional Clyde & Co industry sectors of aviation, insurance and marine.
The firm comprises five equity partners and 35 other lawyers and staff, all of whom will be joining Clyde & Co.
Senior Partner Barry Davis, who led negotiations for Thornton Davis Fein, commented: “The landscape of law in the US is changing. Law firms are consolidating in order to provide greater national and international bench strength to their clients. With our shared approach to sectors and its commitment to building a sizeable US presence, joining Clyde & Co has been a very natural decision. We now have huge potential to further expand in Florida and to play a part in Clyde & Co’s US growth story.”
Growing our presence in the US is a key strategic priority for Clyde & Co and we’re delighted to be adding a sixth office in Miami. Being able to combine a practice of the calibre of Thornton Davis Fein with the expansion of our market leading Latin American disputes practice to Miami is a powerful step forward for two crucially important parts of our business.”
The other equity partners are: Tom Thornton, who has worked with Clyde & Co on major aviation matters for 25 years; Fred Fein and Doug Horelick, who are leading trial counsel for product liability matters; and Holly Harvey, whose insurance coverage expertise is recognized in numerous reported appellate decisions.
With Miami, Clyde & Co will have 250 legal professionals and ten offices in the Americas, including more than 160 legal professionals and six offices in the US.
Michael (Mike) Knoerzer, a member of Clyde & Co’s US Management Board, added: “Our ambition in the United States is to be the pre-eminent insurance coverage law firm for global insurance carriers and the London Market and to build a network of trial and defense capability across the country. Florida’s supply chain of bad faith litigation and property claims fits squarely within the strengths of our firm. Our ability to expand into Miami with an experienced team of trial, coverage and litigation counsel as strong as that at Thornton Davis Fein will be of great value to our clients.”
In addition to the joining team, Clyde & Co Partner Ricardo Lewandowski will also relocate from London to launch a Latin American liaison service in Miami. He will continue to service clients from Europe, Latin America and the USA. Ricardo is dual-qualified in both England and Brazil and is part of our International Dispute Resolution Group.
The deal is expected to close by 1 July 2016.
About Clyde & Co in the Americas
Clyde & Co opened its first US office in New York in June 2006, followed by San Francisco in 2008, New Jersey 2010, Atlanta 2013 and Newport Beach 2014. We also have offices in Toronto, Montréal, Caracas and Sao Paolo. Our team of dual-qualified lawyers focused on Latin America dates back more than 25 years and has been described by the Latin Lawyer 250 as “a pioneer” in Latin America.
About Thornton Davis Fein
TDF was founded in 1981 by experienced and well-regarded lawyers with an established reputation for handling litigation and trials for corporations, insurers and individuals. TDF handles cases involving aviation, product liability, insurance coverage and bad faith, toxic torts, construction and other commercial and civil litigation matters.