Atlanta-based Freeman Mathis & Gary has continued its national expansion push, opening an office in New Haven, Connecticut, with trial lawyer Fred Knopf.

Knopf, who handles all aspects of securities law, including litigation, mediation and regulatory matters, came from National Holdings Corp., where he was general counsel. Knopf, who is of counsel at the firm, still serves as primary general and trial counsel for the New York-based investment banking and asset management firm.

Freeman Mathis has morphed rapidly into a national litigation firm since opening its first office outside of Atlanta in 2013, when it acquired San Francisco litigation boutique Strazulo Fitzgerald. During that period, the 160-lawyer firm has tripled in size—with about 70 lawyers in California alone.

Freeman Mathis has recently been focused on expanding its Northeastern coverage, and the Connecticut office gives it 18 offices in nine states. The firm's managing partner, Ben Mathis, said in a statement that it “continues our goal to build out an elite team of attorneys throughout the Northeast.”

The firm opened a Boston office at the start of January with 18 lawyers from LeClairRyan, including 13 partners, and then a Pittsburgh outpost in late January. Freeman Mathis' other Northeastern offices are in New York, Philadelphia and Morristown, New Jersey.

Freeman Mathis has added more than 25 lateral attorneys to its Boston, New York and Philadelphia offices since the beginning of the year, Mathis said.

In a statement announcing the new office this week, Knopf said Freeman Mathis' “national footprint, deep bench of trial lawyers and entrepreneurial culture all were critical to my choosing to join the firm.”

He has handled more than 3,000 litigation matters over his career and acted as lead trial counsel for 100 cases. Knopf represents retail brokerages and investment advisers, investment banks, securities broker-dealers and insurance agents.

Freeman Mathis' New Haven office is located at 157 Church St.