Woody Vaughan, executive partner, Holland & Knight, Atlanta. (Courtesy photo)

Holland & Knight has named Woody Vaughan as the new leader for its Atlanta office, succeeding Allen Maines, who held the role for six years.

The Am Law 50 firm's Atlanta office grew to 50 lawyers under Maines' leadership. Vaughn said in an interview that he wants to build on that. "Holland & Knight has been under the radar and a secret in Atlanta—and we don't think we need to be a secret anymore," he said. 

The office has "undergone a transformation" over the past decade, Vaughan said. "We have grown significantly, diversified our practice areas and earned multiple new clients."

"We have a very good core group right now, and I want us to grow so we are more impactful in the Atlanta market," he said.

Asked what practice areas Holland & Knight is most interested in for Atlanta, Vaughan replied, "We're not closing the doors on any practice groups, but our primary focus is business litigation, corporate M&A and real estate development." 

He said the firm has a strong real estate finance practice locally and "two or three people doing more dirt law, or real estate development. I'd like to grow that."

"Atlanta is still a real estate town, as evidenced by all the cranes around the skyline," Vaughan added. "It's a practice we think is important." 

Vaughan, 52, joined Holland & Knight as a partner from King & Spalding in 2014. A bond lawyer, Vaughan said his practice has broadened beyond public finance since then to include public-private partnerships and project finance.

Holland & Knight's managing partner, Steven Sonberg, named Vaughan as the Atlanta executive partner, saying he is "well-known throughout Georgia for his work on significant economic development projects."

"He will bring great energy and thoughtfulness to the role of executive partner," Sonberg added in a statement.

Vaughan will continue practicing while serving as the Atlanta executive partner, as did Maines, a business litigator, who has returned to practicing full-time. The firm does not have set terms for office leaders, he said.

Holland & Knight has been successful in recruiting partners from other big firms in Atlanta, Vaughan said, which he attributed to its overall financial performance and culture.

In the last three years, Holland & Knight has added partners from King & Spalding, Jones Day, Kilpatrick Stockton & Townsend, Hunton Andrews Kurth and McGuireWoods.

The Atlanta office's growth, Vaughan said, "is a reflection of Holland & Knight's increasing competitiveness at the national level, where we have experienced significant increases in revenue and profits each year for an entire decade."

Holland & Knight has doubled its revenue in the past decade, breaking the $1 billion mark last year with a 12.2% jump in revenue, as the Florida-based firm has aggressively expanded nationally. During that time, profit per equity partner has increased by 125% to $1.567 million for the firm, which now has 1,200 lawyers. 

"When we are able to sit down at the table with [prospective] laterals, they quickly realize the culture we have here," Vaughan said. "It's a great place to work and very fair from a compensation perspective. For lawyers in Atlanta, those are things that are near and dear to a lot of our hearts." 

"We know what we really loved about our old firms and what, maybe, we didn't like," Vaughan added. "We're trying to take those best practices and create a very collegial work environment of very high-energy performers."