In a burst of New York lateral activity involving two midsize firms, Los Angeles-based Michelman & Robinson announced it had hired a group of Manhattan partners from Phillips Nizer, which separately announced its own new hires and a lease signing this week.

Michelman, an 80-attorney firm that opened its New York office in 2009, said it added in the last several months IP litigator Jeremy Richardson; litigators Jon Brooks and David Pellegrino; and labor and employment lawyer Marc Zimmerman, all as partners, as well as litigator Kathryn Lundy as counsel. All five come from Phillips Nizer.

The Phillips Nizer group has about $3 million to $4 million in business, said Dana Kravetz, managing partner of Michelman, who added the firm is now talking with about 10 other attorneys in New York, including a small firm, for further hiring soon.