Craig Circosta of Holland & Knight.

Holland & Knight continues to add to its Philadelphia presence, now bringing on the former leader of Ballard Spahr's mergers and acquisitions practice.

Craig Circosta joined Holland & Knight on May 27, and the firm announced his arrival Wednesday. Circosta was “almost a lifer” at Ballard, he said, having practiced there more than 18 years. He led the Philadelphia-based firm's M&A practice for the last four years.

His corporate and M&A practice encompasses a range of industries, he said, but given his location in the Philadelphia area, is life sciences-heavy. His clients include medical device maker Teleflex Inc., casino REIT Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc., and oil and gas company Buckeye Partners, he said. In addition to strategic M&A, he does some private equity deals as well, he said.

At Holland & Knight, “I thought that I could serve my clients in a more complete way,” Circosta said. Specifically, he noted that Holland & Knight's pipeline practice will be helpful in serving Buckeye Partners. And another practice area that has become increasingly important is franchise law, Circosta said, which his new firm offers.

“It's exciting to be able to tell existing clients and prospective clients what the platform has to offer,” he said.

Circosta said he was in talks with Holland & Knight for about a year—about as long as the firm has officially been open for business in Philadelphia. Part of the draw, he said, was his friendship with Holland & Knight M&A partners Paul Jaskot and Brian Miner, who were part of the initial group of lawyers in the firm's Philadelphia office, as well as John Martini, executive partner of the Philadelphia office.

“Craig is extremely well-known in the Philadelphia community and will be a great asset to our office and the firm,” Martini said. “His arrival strengthens our office's corporate bench and builds on our collective health care and life sciences industry experience.”

Asked for comment on Circosta's departure, Ballard Spahr chairman Mark Stewart said in an emailed statement: “Craig has worked closely with members of our deal team, and we wish him well at his new firm. We're going to continue to focus on the things that define Ballard: superior legal work, personalized service, and helping clients solve their problems in a cost-effective way.”

Holland & Knight also saw a lawyer depart recently, as the co-chairman of its cybersecurity, data breach and privacy team, Scott Lashway, left to help Los Angeles-based Manatt, Phelps & Phillips launch its new Boston office.

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