September 20, 2018

Effective Nov. 1, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP will merge with Fox Rothschild LLP. This move, which adds 130 attorneys to Fox, signals the firm’s first foray into the Southeast. The addition of six offices in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina propels the combined firm to 27 locations nationwide with a headcount of more than 900 attorneys.

“Expanding our footprint in the Southeast through this merger is an important milestone for the firm,” said Mark L. Silow, Chair of Fox Rothschild. “We have explored opportunities in this region for many years and are delighted to have found in Smith Moore Leatherwood a firm with a superb roster of talented attorneys who share our values, our approach to client service and our entrepreneurial focus.” Silow said that the six added office locations “provide a base in some of the most rapidly developing markets in the country.”

Julie Theall Earp, Chair of the Management Committee of Smith Moore Leatherwood, agreed. “We are thrilled to join Fox Rothschild. For almost 100 years we have been proud to provide our clients with efficient, top level legal services. Combining resources with Fox allows us to expand our geographic reach and utilize an established nationwide network of resources for our clients,” she said. Earp added that Fox Rothschild was attractive because it shares values that are important to Smith Moore Leatherwood. “Fox Rothschild has remained dedicated to the principles of excellence, integrity and teamwork throughout its growth into an AmLaw 100 firm,” she said.

Smith Moore Leatherwood has served the Greenville area since 1945 when Leatherwood Walker Todd & Mann’s was founded by D.B. Leatherwood and Wesley M. Walker. In 2008, the firm combined with North Carolina based Smith Moore LLP to become Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP. The firm is known for its ability to deliver high-quality, industry-specific solutions to the challenges and issues facing clients. The merger adds to Smith Moore Leatherwood’s strengths in litigation, labor and employment, tax, trusts and estates, real estate, corporate law, health law and intellectual property, among others.

Mark L. Morris, Fox’s Firmwide Managing Partner, said, “We are pleased to join with a firm that seamlessly aligns with our entrepreneurial philosophy and enables us to create a significant presence in the Southeast. We are excited to embark upon this next chapter in Fox Rothschild’s story.”

For Fox, in addition to the expanded geographic reach, the merger also adds practitioners who focus on legal issues relating to manufacturing, clean energy, transportation, and infrastructure. Smith Moore Leatherwood also has a significant sports law practice that will supplement Fox’s existing entertainment practice.

Fox has grown its national presence considerably over the past several years, including the addition of offices in Chicago in 2015, Minneapolis in 2016 and Seattle in 2017. This year, 23 attorneys from Shaw Fishman Glantz & Towbin LLC joined the firm’s Chicago and Wilmington (Delaware) offices, and Fox merged with six-attorney, Denver-based firm of Rollin Braswell Fisher LLC.

About Fox Rothschild LLP

Fox Rothschild LLP (www.foxrothschild.com) is a full-service law firm built to serve businesses of all sizes as well as individuals. Over the past 100 years, we have grown to more than 800 lawyers in 21 offices coast to coast. Clients come to Fox because we understand their issues, their priorities and the way they think. At Fox, we care about your success as much as you do.

About Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP

Clients of Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP receive creative, cost-effective legal services. With six offices and more than 130 attorneys across North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, the firm’s core practice areas are focused on litigation, business law, health care, real estate, labor and employment, and infrastructure and development.

For more information about the Fox Rothschild LLP, visit www.foxrothschild.com. Information regarding Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP can be found at www.smithmoorelaw.com.