Pillsbury Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman's Washington, D.C., offices at 1200 17th St. NW. (Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM)

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman has brought on a pair of insolvency and restructuring lawyers in San Francisco from two other Am Law 100 firms. The hires are part of a growth plan that's been in the works for a year, but now join a string of recent Big Law lateral moves in that practice area.

Joshua Morse joined Pillsbury last week as a partner, coming from DLA Piper. And Jonathan Doolittle, coming from Reed Smith, joined Pillsbury on Monday as senior counsel.

Firms across the country have been beefing up their bankruptcy and restructuring practices as the coronavirus and the mandated business closures intended to limit its spread wreak havoc on their clients' finances.

But Leo Crowley, head of Pillsbury's insolvency and restructuring practice, said the firm started a "fairly aggressive lateral growth initiative" about a year ago, with a goal of rebuilding the practice to eight or 10 partners and 15 to 20 associates. He said the San Francisco additions help the firm meet that goal, and were not directly related to the COVID-19 crisis.

Crowley also noted that the practice lost some lawyers recently due to retirements and departures, and that the firm is currently talking to some other potential lateral hires.

Crowley said Morse brings deep experience in restructuring, while Doolittle is predominately a creditor's rights and financial institutions lawyer. He said they will work closely in San Francisco with senior partner David Minnick, and litigation partner Philip Warden, who does a lot of insolvency work.

Morse said Pillsbury is a good fit for his practice, in which he represents companies, bondholders, lenders and equity holders in various "distressed situations." He declined to identify clients, but according to Pillsbury, he works in sectors including technology, gaming, media, retail, aerospace, transportation, oil and gas, power generation, mining and manufacturing.

Doolittle said he made the move to Pillsbury because he wanted to help the firm grow its insolvency and restructuring practice, and he wanted to work with Morse. He said his clients include Wells Fargo, Bank of the West and Bank of America, and added that he has worked for most of the major financial institutions.

Reed Smith and DLA Piper did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the departures.

Pillsbury wasn't the only Am Law 100 firm to announce restructuring hires Monday. Latham & Watkins added O'Melveny & Myers' U.S. restructuring practice chief, Suzzanne Uhland, as a partner in New York.

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