Taft, which has more than 1,050 attorney and operates local offices in downtown Detroit and Southfield, today announced its expansion into Florida through a merger with the Mrachek Law firm, a litigation boutique based in West Palm Beach and Stuart.
The merger, effective June 30, marks Taft’s entrance into Florida and the Southeast with the 18-lawyer trial team from Mrachek, further strengthening Taft’s position as a middle-market firm nationwide.
Taft has its headquarters in Cincinnati, but operates in a non-headquarters model.
The combination with Mrachek is the latest move for Taft, which recently completed its merger with Sherman & Howard on Jan. 1, Denver’s oldest and third-largest law firm. Through a series of strategic mergers in recent years, Taft spans from the Mountain West region to Washington, D.C.
Mrachek, which just celebrated its 25th anniversary, has successfully handled a variety of high- profile and complex civil litigation and arbitration matters in the Florida trial and appellate courts.
From defending billion-dollar class actions to representing multiple Am Law 100 firms in various disputes, the firm’s reputation has been built on resolving at trial sophisticated matters and bet- the-company cases in Florida state and federal courts. Five of the firm’s shareholders are board certified, the highest honor of competency and experience in the state of Florida, which span the following categories: Appellate Practice, Business Litigation, Civil Trial, Construction Law, and Real Estate Law.
Together, Mrachek’s offices in West Palm Beach and Stuart will bring a total of 18 attorneys plus staff to Taft. This is Taft’s first merger of this size, primarily driven by 1) the highly attractive market dynamics of Palm Beach and West Palm Beach, and 2) the growing needs of Taft’s existing clients for Taft to create a strategic beachhead in Florida to handle disputes in state and federal courts, as well as to expand into other strategic practice areas.
Taft has typically focused on mergers of 100-plus lawyers that immediately establish critical mass in a new market.
“We’re delighted to welcome this highly talented team at Mrachek as we continue to grow our nationwide platform,” says Robert J. Hicks, chairman and managing partner of Taft. “Notably, this is a novel approach to a merger for us. This is a very targeted move that positions Taft in one of Florida’s most affluent markets so we can better serve our clients and corporate leaders who are spending more time and doing more business in the Sunshine State.”
Alan B. Rose, one of the founders and current managing shareholder at Mrachek, adds, “After 25 years as a boutique, and at a time when the firm was flourishing and growing, we saw an opportunity to further expand the breadth and scope of our practices by joining forces with Taft.
“This presents an exciting opportunity for our firm and our clients. Taft’s collaborative culture and reputation in high-profile litigation matters matches both our values and our focus. We look forward to leveraging Taft’s national platform to enhance how we’re serving clients in Florida. This will allow for expansion into key practice areas — real estate and corporate transactions; land use; trusts, estates and probate; technology and life sciences; private wealth management and preservation, among others.”
Along with Rose, the Mrachek team joining Taft includes shareholders Roy E. Fitzgerald III, Scott Konopka, Daniel Thomas, Gregory Weiss, Manuel Farach, and Erica Lester Sadowski, and approximately a dozen associate attorneys.
Mrachek Law is a boutique business litigation firm founded in 2000 by senior lawyers from one of West Palm Beach’s oldest and largest firms. Over the past 25 years, Mrachek has grown in size and reputation in its home counties — Palm Beach and Martin Counties — and throughout the state and federal courthouses of Florida.
The firm’s specialty is trying cases, both to judge and juries, and its lawyers handle a wide variety of business, commercial, probate, real estate and construction disputes.
For more information, visit mrachek-law.com.
Taft was founded in 1885 and is rooted in the historic Taft family that gave the country a U.S. President, Senator, and Supreme Court Chief Justice.
For more information, visit taftlaw.com.
