Midsize firm Foran Glennon Palandech Ponzi & Rudloff launched two California offices with a seven-attorney lateral group, highlighting a common strategy for replenishing expertise as partner retirements rise.

Retirements have motivated firms to prioritize succession planning and seek out lateral groups to fill a specific need. Often, firms have achieved geographic expansion in the process. And by replicating that growth formula, some firms have realized significant scale.