Locke Lord has shuttered its Sacramento office after a five-lawyer corporate team led by partner Scott Bartel departed for Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith.

In addition to Bartel, the group leaving Locke Lord consists of partners Deborah Seo, Eric Stiff and John Yung, as well as associate Yawen “Alice” Du. All helped open Locke Lord's Sacramento base in 2011 after joining the firm from Bullivant Houser Bailey, which subsequently closed its outpost in the Golden State capital, one that it opened in 2005 after acquiring Bartel's corporate boutique Bartel Eng & Schroder.

Bartel said that due to attrition and retirement, Locke Lord's Sacramento office had shrunk to just his core team, and his group reached a “mutual understanding” with firm leadership that it would be best to close up shop in that city. Bartel said his group, which has practiced together for close to three decades, had enjoyed its time at Locke Lord and appreciated the individual support the firm had offered them.