Bryan Cave Taps New Atlanta Leader
Two years after the firm's trans-Atlantic merger, Eric Schroeder said, one of his key focuses is continuing to develop client connections between Atlanta lawyers and international offices.
January 15, 2020 at 04:06 PM
3 minute read
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner has named Eric Schroeder as its new Atlanta leader, succeeding Patrick Watson, who'd been the local managing partner since 2014.
Two years after the firm's trans-Atlantic merger, Schroeder said, one key focus for him will be continuing to develop client connections between the Atlanta lawyers and those in the firm's international offices.
Schroeder has been with the firm through several iterations after starting his legal career in 1995 at Atlanta's Powell Goldstein, which was acquired by St. Louis-based Bryan Cave in 2009. Bryan Cave merged with the U.K.'s Berwin Leighton Paisner, forming Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, in April 2018.
The Atlanta office, with about 90 lawyers, is Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner's fourth-largest office, after London, St. Louis and New York. The firm has about 1,400 lawyers in 30 offices globally.
In an interview, Schroeder said the merger has created opportunities to share work between Atlanta and the firm's London and other European offices. Revenue from work both imported to or exported from the Atlanta office has increased since the merger, he said, so that inbound Atlanta work from the firm's U.S. and international offices makes up about one-third of the office's total work.
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner announced the Atlanta leadership change as part of broader firmwide changes, all effective Jan. 1. The previous Atlanta leader, Watson, has been elected to the firm's governing board for a three-year term, while another Atlanta partner, Greg Worthy, has rotated off the board.
For the Atlanta office, Schroeder said, the bulk of the integration work from the trans-Atlantic merger is done, almost two years in, and the focus now is "to take advantage of the synergy."
With the merger, the Atlanta lawyers have gained the ability to service their clients around the world, said Schroeder, who has an intellectual property practice focused on protecting clients' content and brands.
He said he's seen that in his own practice, representing media and tech companies, sports teams, manufacturers and retailers.
"We are an Atlanta office with a hometown Atlanta feel but the reach of a powerhouse global firm," Schroeder said, just before departing for a visit this week to the firm's London office along with the representative for a local client, Neenah Paper and Packaging, and corporate and M&A partner Terry Childers.
With the merger, Schroeder said, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner is now handling the international IP portfolio for Neenah, a purveyor of high-end paper products headquartered in Alpharetta.
On the London visit, Schroeder will introduce the Neenah representatives to the firm's London partners to familiarize the client with specialty areas of law that fit with what it does globally. The London lawyers also have set up meetings for Neenah with investment bankers, he said.
"We're helping the world be smaller for our clients," Schroeder said.
Schroeder said he'd like to further grow the Atlanta office, particularly in real estate, finance and health care, which are some of its busy practices. "It just depends on finding good people. That is always the key," he said.
"I'm very passionate about this office," he added. "I've been here over two decades so it's like my family."
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllBig Law Practice Leaders 'Bullish' That Second Trump Presidency Will Be Good for Business
3 minute readBig Law Lawyers Fan Out for Election Day Volunteering in Call Centers and Litigation
7 minute readLaw Firms Mentioned
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250