Seattle skyline. Photo: Fotolia

As Sedgwick breaks apart, one of its young spinoff firms, Newark litigation boutique Tanenbaum Keale, continues to pick up the pieces, now taking the opportunity to plant a flag on the West Coast.

A group of three lawyers and four staff, led by products liability and commercial litigation partner Chris Marks, is departing Sedgwick's Seattle office for Tanenbaum Keale, which is set to open in that city. Joining Marks in the move, effective Jan. 1, are associates Erin Fraser, who handles complex products liability defense, and Alice Serko, handling injury, contract, employment and other types of litigation matters.

The additions will push Tanenbaum Keale's attorney head count to 23, according to the firm.

It's a move that's in keeping with a strategy, as the firm's founder once put it, to look “only at people we know” in the lateral market.

“We have had the pleasure and honor of working with Chris and his colleagues on matters for common clients for years,” managing partner Michael Tanenbaum said in a statement announcing the hires. “Adding pre-eminent lawyers licensed in Washington, Oregon and California … allows us to enhance the scope and depth of the services we provide our clients who have entrusted us with their national and regional litigation.”

Tanenbaum, according to Marks, was “instrumental” in recruiting him to Sedgwick six years ago.

Sedgwick's Seattle office is presently made up of seven lawyers, including the trio bound for Tanenbaum, but had 11 attorneys at the beginning of 2017. Of the remaining four not moving to Tanenbaum Keale, one is retiring, while three others are moving to other firms, Marks said by phone.

“I am bringing a number of clients and cases,” Marks said. ”This made good sense for the clients.”

Marks, Fraser and Serko will head to new space in downtown Seattle, Marks said, though he declined to share the exact location of the new office.

There have been a stream of departures from San Francisco-based Sedgwick before and since the firm acknowledged its plans to close last month.

The announcement of the Seattle group's departure comes on the heels of a nine-lawyer maritime group leaving for Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani. Not long before, Sedgwick shed lawyers to Duane Morris in San Francisco, and to Clyde & Co., in various locations, according to American Lawyer reports.

One of the earlier departures was the Tanenbaum Keale contingent, which has grown piece-by-piece since opening in January 2017, initially with 18 lawyers. That group was led by Tanenbaum, who previously spent seven years as firmwide managing partner of Sedgwick. Also in January, another 23 lawyers left Sedgwick's Dallas office for Drinker Biddle & Reath.

Tanenbaum Keale has since bolstered its attorney ranks with a string of laterals: Robert Gilmartin Jr., previously counsel at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter in Morristown, who handles asbestos, construction and pharmaceutical litigation; Marina McGuire, an associate from Sedgwick, who handles pharmaceutical and medical device litigation; Pamela Kaplan, an associate from Porzio, Bromberg & Newman of Morristown, who handles asbestos, environmental and toxic tort litigation; and Arshia Hourizadeh, an associate from Mischel & Horn in New York.

Aside from its main office in One Newark Center, Tanenbaum Keale has satellites in lower Manhattan and Malvern, Pennsylvania.