Four partners from Philadelphia IP boutique Condo Roccia have made a move to Flaster Greenberg, where two of them will take on leadership roles.

Ross Alexander, Michael Bonella, Joseph Klinicki and Michael Piscitelli all joined Flaster Greenberg this week as shareholders. Klinicki will serve as chair of Flaster's patent practice, as part of the intellectual property department, and Bonella will be on the firm's board of directors.

Their move comes on the heels of a significant defection from Flaster Greenberg. A group of seven Flaster lawyers, including former managing shareholder Peter Spirgel and five other shareholders, announced Thursday that they left to start a new law firm focused on high-end corporate law.

Bonella said his group is ambitious to grow, and was seeking to become part of a firm with a broader base.

"Being at a firm that understands growth was a big driver [for the move], and having the flexibility to drive our business and being able to adapt to clients," he said. "We wanted to be able to be in a situation where we felt we had the ability to meet the clients' demands."

Jordan LaVine, who chairs the IP department and the lateral hiring committee at Flaster Greenberg, said in a statement Friday that the new group "adds a highly sought-after specialty" and "will add many blue chip clients."

Bonella, Alexander, Klinicki and Piscitelli all worked together at Woodcock Washburn earlier in their careers. Bonella separated from the group when he left that firm for Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check in 2010, he said. But they were reunited in 2014 when Bonella moved to Condo Roccia, which Klinicki had joined in 2011, followed by Alexander and Piscitelli in 2012.

Flaster Greenberg managing shareholder Alan Zuckerman said in a statement Friday that the new group and his firm share similar strategies. Name partner Steve Greenberg also said in an interview that the group's addition was part of a larger growth plan for Flaster Greenberg, focused on strategic practices.

"This IP practice group is a very, very exciting addition for us. They have a combined over 60 years of legal experience," Greenberg said. "We are just thrilled to death about it."

Joseph Condo of Condo Roccia did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday on the group's departure.

|

Read More

Six Flaster Greenberg Partners, Including Ex-Chair, Leave to Form New Firm