Three Lovells lawyers have quit the firm to launch a New York office for Minneapolis-based firm Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi, reports The Am Law Daily.

The trio – partners David Leichtman (pictured) and Hillel Parness and of counsel Bryan Vogel, who will join Robins Kaplan as a partner – are based in New York and focus on intellectual property (IP) and the pursuit of claims on behalf of artists against corporations that appropriate the works of those artists.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is a major client of the Lovells group, and Leichtman and Parness have represented them in high-profile cases against Verizon and other companies over royalties from songs used as mobile phone ringtones.

Robins Kaplan chair Martin Lueck confirmed the news, saying that the litigation-heavy firm had been looking to move into New York after building up strong relationships with New York-based corporate clients.

Lueck said that Robins Kaplan began looking for laterals last year with an eye toward opening a New York office that the firm eventually hopes to staff with 25 to 30 lawyers.

A source familiar with the matter told The Am Law Daily that the pending merger between Lovells and Hogan & Hartson – set to become official on 1 May – provided a push for Leichtman's group to leave. The source said that the merger would have created difficult client conflicts for Leichtman, since much of his practice involves IP claims against major companies.

Leichtman commented: "There were a lot of reasons to stay but there were more reasons to leave and go to Robins Kaplan. The reason you pick up the phone initially is often not the same reason you continue down the process. At Robins Kaplan, we can continue to build our practice but also build an entire office. It's a fantastic opportunity."

The new arrivals will officially join Robins Kaplan on Friday (29 January). Leichtman added that an unspecified number of other lawyers will eventually join the group in the new office.

The Am Law Daily is the website of The American Lawyer, Legal Week's US sister title.