A group of 12 lawyers, including four partners, have joined Am Law 200 firm Robinson & Cole in New York and Miami in the latest round of defections from the reeling Sedgwick, which has lost more than 30 partners so far this year.

The team is led by New York-based partners Lawrence Klein, a highly regarded insurance coverage expert who is said by one source to have a “massive” practice representing clients like insurance giant American International Group Inc., and Michael Bernstein, who has a national practice handing litigation stemming from employee health care and benefits plans.

Robinson & Cole added 11,000 square feet of space to its office at New York's landmark Chrysler Building to accommodate its new Sedgwick lawyers. The mass hire puts the Hartford, Connecticut-based firm's total head count to roughly 225, with its contingent in New York now numbering 31 lawyers, said Robinson & Cole managing partner Stephen Goldman, adding that the additions help accomplish a number of strategic goals.