Squire Patton Boggs is opening an Atlanta office after luring three top partners from Dentons.

Ann-Marie McGaughey

Ann-Marie McGaughey, who co-chairs Dentons' cross-border transactions group, is heading the new Atlanta beachhead for Squire Patton Boggs, according to an announcement from the firm.

Two additional Dentons partners, Wayne Bradley, who has a transactional practice, and Petrina McDaniel, a litigator with a cybersecurity practice, also are making the move.

The new Atlanta office—which will be Squire Patton Boggs' 18th U.S. office and its 47th worldwide—is still shaping up. McGaughey, Bradley and McDaniel have not yet formally left Dentons and did not respond to requests for comment.

All three are longtime members of the Atlanta legal community who started out as associates at Dentons' predecessor firm, McKenna Long & Aldridge, which merged with the global megafirm in July 2015. Bradley had chaired McKenna's corporate practice before the Dentons union.

With almost 1,600 lawyers, Squire Patton Boggs is smaller than Dentons but still a giant global law firm. It was formed from the 2014 combination of Squire Sanders, which had roots in the U.K. and Ohio, and Washington, D.C.-based Patton Boggs.

The firm's 2016 revenue approached the $1 billion mark at $963 million—a six percent increase—and it reported profit per equity partner of $975,000.

Squire Patton Boggs leaders said in prepared statements that they've had their eye on Atlanta and wanted to launch an office here with locally established lawyers.

“Atlanta is home to a vibrant and growing business community where we already have clients and contacts,” said Steve Mahon, the global managing partner for clients and strategy. “Planting our flag now with a seasoned and diverse team with both deep local connections and premier international relationships presents an exciting opportunity for us to hit the ground running.”

The firm's chairman and global CEO, Mark Ruehlmann, added that they wanted to build “upon our existing ties in Atlanta, and the addition of this dynamic group gives us a natural entry point into one of the country's largest and most exciting markets.”