Stephen Baird (from left), Tiffany Blofield and Craig Krummen, shareholders with Greenberg Traurig. (Courtesy photos)

Greenberg Traurig is wasting no time staffing up its new Minneapolis office. Launched in February by three former DLA Piper partners, the firm's 30th office in the U.S. is now adding a trio of intellectual property specialists from a local firm.

Stephen Baird, Tiffany Blofield and Craig Krummen joined the South Florida-founded global firm as shareholders from 125-lawyer Winthrop & Weinstine, where they were longtime shareholders.

“We are thrilled to welcome this team to Greenberg Traurig and, in doing so, to continue to grow in Minneapolis for the benefit of clients,” said Michael Fisco, managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig's Minneapolis office.

Fisco said that the growth of the office is not part of a specific head count they are trying to reach there, but rather a mix of the “right people, right time, right culture”. He did say they will continue to focus on growth in two of Greenberg Traurig's traditionally strong areas, IP and real estate, but that other practice areas, for the right candidates, could spring up as well.

The current attorney count is now up to 10—four of whom are IP—from three in February. Additional staff from the Winthrop practice is expected to join the shareholders at Greenberg Traurig, but the firm would not confirm numbers as they have yet to be finalized.

Greenberg Traurig CEO Brian Duffy said in February that they were keen on building up their local presence in Minneapolis.

“No. 1, it's a great business community with one of the highest concentrations of corporate headquarters in the country. No. 2, we have a number of clients that are headquartered there, that we know well and that know the city well,” Duffy said. “And No. 3, we found a great group of people who we wanted to practice law with and they wanted to practice law with us.”

“We are thrilled to join Greenberg Traurig and its highly-regarded global IP and technology practice,” said Baird, Blofield and Krummen in a joint statement. “We look forward to collaborating with the firm's robust network of attorneys and participating in the growth of the practice and the Minneapolis office.”

Baird advises companies on trademark and branding strategies and IP portfolio management, and handles litigation and enforcement matters. He had stints at Dorsey & Whitney Arnold, White & Durkee and Fish & Richardson prior to joining Winthrop, where he chaired the firm's trade and brand management group.

Blofield joined Winthrop in 1995. Her practice includes trademark enforcement and infringement monitoring and prevention.

Krummen works with clients on complex commercial litigation and on intellectual property litigation involving patents, trademarks and copyrights. He was formerly a consultant at Accenture before joining Winthrop as a shareholder in 1995.

Baird stated that although he was proud of what his team had achieved at Winthrop, the opportunity to expand his practice at a national firm with greater reach was appealing enough for him to make a change. He declined to give names, but said his client response to the move was “overwhelmingly positive.”

Scott Dongoske, Winthrop & Weinstine's president and managing partner, said in a statement that the firm appreciated the lawyers' contributions to the firm. “Despite their departure, our firm is committed to maintaining a robust intellectual property practice and making smart, bold moves that support our clients' needs,” he said.

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