Armstrong Teasdale has once again expanded its footprint, this time with a new office in Edwardsville, Illinois, the firm announced Wednesday.

The firm, which has been steadily climbing the Am Law 200 and ranked 177th this year, said it has officially set up shop in Edwardsville, the seat of Madison County, known for large-scale asbestos litigation. The office also brings Armstrong Teasdale's physical presence closer to the Southern District of Illinois, located in Benton.

Edwardsville is the latest expansion for Armstrong Teasdale, which has bucked the legal industry's trend to decrease pay, lay off staff and take other cost-cutting measures in the midst of the coronavirus crisis. In the last month and a half, the firm has also set up shop in Boston and Salt Lake City, and since 2018 it has also opened offices in New York, Philadelphia and Princeton, New Jersey.

Firm managing partner David Braswell said the new office, which is less than 40 miles from the firm's St. Louis headquarters, will be a value add to many of the firm's clients, who are busy across the Missouri River with asbestos, medical malpractice and intellectual property litigation.

"We have been active in the Southern Illinois market for decades, and it's important if you're going to be active in that market, as well as with any kind of litigation we do, to have a physical presence in Southern Illinois," he said. "We have many clients with interests here, and we're now much better able to provide service to them."

Some Armstrong Teasdale lawyers will be based in the Edwardsville office full-time, including litigation partner and former Madison County judge Donald Flack and litigation partner Untress Quinn. Other lawyers will stay based in St. Louis but will now have an official home base when they cross the state line to deal with client matters.

Braswell added that the new office, located at 115 North Second St., has plenty of room for acquiring new talent (although the firm is sticking to remote work for now).

"We're always thinking about bringing on talented attorneys in all markets, and we're certainly interested in attracted talented Southern Illinois lawyers to the new office," he said. "Our recruiting efforts will be enhanced by having an actual physical presence there."

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