When the bulk of Scott Miller's midsize New York firm was acquired in 2014 by Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin, Miller said he was “lukewarm” about the deal, partly because he was entering a much larger firm with headquarters outside New York.

Miller, whose clients include large construction managers, property owners and crane companies, said he also had philosophical differences with the Philadelphia-based firm on how to manage a practice. “I'm a very hands-on” lawyer who wants stay involved in cases, he said.

This month, Miller and seven other attorneys at 500-attorney Marshall Dennehey jumped to 135-attorney Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck, based in Long Island.