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The top 10 list included important hires, but those weren't the only moves making waves. There were 10 more shifts that took place over the course of 2017 worth mentioning.

The runners-up list includes name partners making moves, along with a few firms combining with smaller, boutique firms to add to their head counts. The list includes one attorney leaving his long-time firm to go in-house, one returning to his firm after a short stint in the White House, as well as four who brought their labor and employment practice to a new shop.

Many of these attorneys made these moves to help grow their practices in both size and geographically. Some of those practice areas included real estate, construction, government and corporate, and cybersecurity.

Eckert Seamans Grabs Boutique Firm

In February, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott combined with a small trusts and estates law firm in Pittsburgh, Tener, Van Kirk, Wolf and Moore, gaining three top trusts and estates attorneys.

The combination with Eckert Seamans came less than two months after Tener Van Kirk's managing partner, Robert Wolf, died of cancer. The firm brought Nancy Rackoff, Timothy Burke Jr. and Todd Jordan to Eckert Seamans. Rackoff joined Eckert Seamans as a member, and the other two as special counsel. They also brought some administrative staff with them.

Eckert Seamans CEO Tim Ryan said his firm became interested in combining with Tener Van Kirk because of its reputation and his own firm's interest in growing estate planning as a core practice. Some of Eckert Seamans' partners were familiar with Tener Van Kirk and knew its lawyers personally, he said.

Ryan said Rackoff and her team also helped to serve the private client base, which was a growth area for the firm. Ryan said adding the Tener Van Kirk lawyers fit in with Eckert Seamans' strategy of “aggressively recruiting” lawyers who fit into the firm's core practice areas and regional footprint.

After joining with Eckert Seamans, the trusts and estates practice grew to 12 lawyers, according to the firm's website, eight of whom were based in Pittsburgh.

Kevin Greenberg

Government and corporate lawyer Kevin Greenberg left Flaster Greenberg in February, taking his practice to 1,800-lawyer Greenberg Traurig.

Greenberg said the move presented him the opportunity to grow his practice outside the Pennsylvania region with certain clients, particularly on the transactional side. He also said he expected to benefit from the large number of lawyers at his new firm and their unique niches.

Greenberg Traurig opened its Philadelphia office in 1997 with three lawyers with no “compulsion” to grow, but Greenberg represented a chance to add “another top-notch attorney.”

Barley Snyder Acquires Hanover Firm

As of April 1, central Pennsylvania-based Barley Snyder merged with three-lawyer firm Stonesifer and Kelley. The combination brought Barley Snyder's total head count to 78. In addition to the three lawyers, Barley Snyder brought on all of Stonesifer and Kelley's staff.

The two firms had collaborated on cases and referred clients to one another for a number of years, according to Barley Snyder managing partner Jeffrey Lobach. That relationship eventually led to merger discussions, said Stonesifer and Kelley partner Scott Kelley.

Kelley's practice focuses on estate planning, business and agriculture. Also to join Barley Snyder were Joseph Erb Jr., who works in criminal defense, municipal law, real estate and estate law, and Jennifer McKenrick Stetter, whose practice includes family law and general civil law.

The combination allowed Stonesifer and Kelley to expand its business and provide more services to clients. They brought all of their clients to Barley Snyder.

The combination also allowed Barley Snyder to open a Gettysburg office in April, where they expected to grow the firm's food and agricultural group.

Jeffrey Mills

In July, Jeffrey Mills became the newest partner in Cozen O'Connor's Pittsburgh office. The firm also added labor and employment associate Zachary Mueller and commercial litigation associate Sean Donoghue, bringing its lawyer head count in Pittsburgh to 18.

“Cozen has probably one of the strongest national real estate groups in the country,” Mills said. “To bolster and become the Pittsburgh arm of that was exciting to me.”

Mills spent seven years at Reed Smith. He said Cozen O'Connor reached out to him about helping to round out the Pittsburgh office as a full-service location. Mills' clients include national and regional developers and banks involved in development. He also acts as bond counsel to state and local governments, hospitals and universities, and has a significant national practice focused on economic incentives. All of his clients he planned to bring to Cozen O'Connor.

Ogletree Grabs Four From Montgomery McCracken

A group from Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads' employment practice joined Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart's Philadelphia office in September.

Joining the firm as shareholders were Daniel O'Meara and Janice Dubler along with associates Amanda Crawford and Katheryn Eisenmann.

O'Meara, who had been the chair of Montgomery McCracken's employment group, focuses on employment litigation, labor relations and preventative human resources practices. Dubler, who was vice chair of the practice group at Montgomery McCracken, concentrates on litigation and counseling on matters including discrimination and harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, trade secrets and restrictive covenants.

The larger platform that Ogletree could provide the four lawyers was a benefit. Ogletree's Philadelphia managing shareholder, Donald Gamburg, said the new group's practice will be helpful not only to Philadelphia clients, but to those in Pennsylvania and South Jersey. The new group brings Ogletree's Philadelphia head count to 12.

Paul Schmidt

Paul Schmidt, who chaired the environmental and energy practice at Zarwin Baum DeVito Kaplan Schaer Toddy, became Post & Schell's newest Philadelphia partner in November.

Schmidt works with clients in the real estate development, private equity, commercial construction, manufacturing and energy industries. Motivated by the growth in Post & Schell's practice, the move allowed him to offer his clients more services on the energy side, as well as greater depth in his existing capabilities. The firm's existing clients will benefit from his regulatory and litigation experience, Schmidt said.

Post & Schell CEO A. James Johnston said in a statement that the environmental practice group has been growing for several years. He said Schmidt deepens the firm's environmental litigation, regulatory and transactional abilities.

Schultz Returns to Cozen

James Schultz returned to Cozen O'Connor to chair the firm's government and regulatory practice group after nearly a year of serving the Trump administration.

As associate White House counsel and special assistant to the president, he worked on ethics and compliance issues, particularly with regard to staff and senior officials. Most of his work was focused on making sure White House staff and nominees followed financial disclosure and conflict of interest requirements, Schultz said, but that did not include the Trump family.

“As we continue to expand our services in Washington, D.C., and across the country, Jim's experience and expertise will be invaluable to our clients,” said Cozen O'Connor CEO Michael Heller.

Back at Cozen O'Connor, where he will be based in both D.C. and Philadelphia, Schultz said he will likely expand his practice to include federal government issues.

Michael Winfield

In November, Post & Schell added Michael Winfield of the Rhoads & Sinon construction group. Winfield was attracted to Post & Schell's geographic reach and greater breadth of practices, including public contracting and insurance, and said his move was unrelated to other departures from Rhoads & Sinon.

Post & Schell CEO A. James Johnston said that Winfield has a very strong client following and a broad base of clients in the construction field which will expand the scope of the construction practice.

Winfield had worked alongside lawyers in Post & Schell's construction practice for years, leading to his opportunity to join the firm.

Sam Israel Goes In-House

Generic pharmaceutical manufacturer Lannett Co. Inc. appointed its longtime outside lawyer, Samuel Israel, to serve as chief legal officer and general counsel. Israel was a commercial litigation partner at Fox Rothschild and chairman of the firm's pharmaceutical and biotechnology practice.

The firm's relationship with Lannett began when the company worked with Israel on a few pieces of litigation, then gradually became a full-service client of the firm, said Fox Rothschild managing partner Mark Morris.

Bringing Israel in-house was not necessarily a sign of the company consolidating outside legal work. Israel said that the company would eventually need general counsel in-house as it grew.

Roberta Anderson

Robert Anderson, a top insurance recovery and cybersecurity attorney who co-founded the cyber law and cybersecurity practice group at K&L Gates, moved to Cohen & Grigsby in March.

Anderson had established an extensive record of representing Fortune 50 companies, financial, health care, and educational institutions, early-stage technology companies, and other entities, in addressing a wide range of cybersecurity, data privacy, and insurance recovery matters during her career.

She was also a member of K&L Gates' insurance coverage practice group.

“Roberta is a valuable addition to the firm and will enhance our client service capabilities,” said Barbara Scheib, commercial litigation service group chair, in a press release. “Her accomplishments, both academically and professionally, will serve her well here. She brings an additional aspect to our strong insurance coverage and data privacy practices, and adds significant depth in an area of the law that is both rapidly developing and growing in importance.”

Anderson graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1994 and received her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1998.

Catherine Dodds can be reached at [email protected].