Seyfarth Shaw has opened a Charlotte office with two veteran Seyfarth partners who live in the city.

Frederick “Fritz” Smith and Eric Sidman will be co-managing partners of the North Carolina office.

The Chicago-based firm said the Charlotte office will initially be made up of eight to 10 lawyers from Seyfarth's labor and employment and real estate departments. The firm said it aims to grow the outpost into a full-service office.

Smith is a former chair of the firm's employment litigation practice, and Sidman has a commercial real estate practice.

The new location is client-driven, Seyfarth said. “We were drawn to Charlotte by our clients, who we have served in this market for many years, as they encouraged us to join them,” said Seyfarth's chair, Pete Miller, in a statement. “We are excited to expand on these efforts today with a strong local presence on the ground in Charlotte that complements our growing platform,” Miller said.

Seyfarth has more than 25 clients in the Charlotte market, including Compass Group, Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America and Wells Fargo, according to the firm.

The Charlotte outpost is Seyfarth's 16th office and its second in the Southeast, where it has an Atlanta office with almost 100 lawyers.

“This is the first step toward establishing a significant footprint in Charlotte, and we already have the privilege of working with a wide range of clients here,” said Smith, a Wake Forest alumnus, in a statement.

“We're excited to build a diverse and talented team to serve clients old and new,” said Sidman, who is a native of Winston-Salem, in a statement. “This is a dynamic market for our clients, and we look forward to strengthening our relationships here as we grow together,” Sidman said, adding that Charlotte is the second-largest U.S. banking center.

Seyfarth's office will be located at 121 West Trade in Uptown.

Seyfarth has plenty of company in the city: Among the Am Law 200, 28 firms have Charlotte offices, according to ALM data.