Litigator John Stapleton has left Philadelphia midsize firm Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller after 14 years to open his own shop, Stapleton Law, in South Jersey.

Stapleton said his practice will continue to focus on business litigation, and his new firm will also have a substantial public service and pro bono practice. He noted that he is currently handling two pro bono cases in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit that he will continue to work on, one on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union and another involving a criminal defendant in a habeas corpus issue.

“I couldn't have made this sort of move and started my own firm if Hangley hadn't cultivated my entrepreneurial streak as well as really provided me the financial foundation to be able to pull this off,” Stapleton said. “The desire to do something new and implement my own vision for a firm was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.”

Stapleton said he will co-counsel with other firms, including Hangley Aronchick, when a matter is too large to handle on his own. But generally, being a smaller firm will give him more flexibility.

“While the legal market moves toward specialization, I founded this firm to provide very versatile and dynamic litigation counsel to not only meet clients' immediate litigation needs, but also their long-term business goals,” Stapleton said.

His commute will also be significantly shorter. Stapleton lives in South Jersey, and his new firm is located in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Previously, he worked out of Hangley Aronchick's Philadelphia office.

He said some work from his practice at Hangley Aronchick is coming with him, but not the full business, given that his practice offerings are more limited than that of his former firm. New business has already come in the door since he opened earlier this month, he noted.

Still, he said, “I don't anticipate that this will be a solo shop for the long run.” Whether any lawyers he brings on will be associates or partner-level is not yet decided, he said, but “it's going to be a very deliberate decision.”

David Pudlin, president and CEO of Hangley Aronchick, said he was disappointed but not surprised by Stapleton's decision to open a firm. He said the firm will likely refer work to him when it is conflicted out of a matter or needs support in South Jersey, and also acknowledged that Stapleton will co-counsel some ongoing matters with the firm.

“John is very entrepreneurial,” Pudlin said, noting his role as head of the firm's marketing committee. The new firm “is a perfect platform for him to be successful.”

Pudlin acknowledged that Hangley Aronchick itself was born out of an entrepreneurial mindset when its founders departed established firms almost 25 years ago.

“Twenty-five years later, John is doing the same thing, so I would say it's in the spirit of our firm,” Pudlin said.