Barclay Damon Combines With Shapiro, Lifschitz & Schram

January 10, 2024—Barclay Damon and Washington DC–based Shapiro, Lifschitz & Schram (SLS) announce their combination, effective January 1, 2024. Last month, the leadership of both firms unanimously voted to approve the deal, citing a strong belief in the benefits of the combination, which brings the best in legal service together to accelerate growth in each firm’s respective practice areas.

The deal brings together two talented teams, allowing both firms to expand their footprints and client service offerings. The 10 lawyers, three paralegals, and four administrative staff of SLS will join Barclay Damon while maintaining operations in their current 11,500 square foot office space located in the heart of Washington DC’s central business district, a few blocks from Dupont Circle and the White House.

Connie Cahill, Barclay Damon’s managing partner, said, “Our firm has been serving clients in the DC Metro Region for many years, while our long-term strategy has been to develop a fully staffed, established presence in that market. After evaluating many opportunities, SLS was the right fit in terms of top attorneys, complementary practices, and energy industry experience that overlaps with Barclay Damon’s leading practices. We hope to continue growing in the DC Metro Region and are always interested in meeting with talented attorneys looking to expand their breadth of services in a shared culture of collaboration, innovation, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

“This is a beneficial move for SLS, as this combination meets the long-term strategic goals of the firm and allows our people and clients to immediately have access to a multidisciplinary approach to legal services as well as a full-service law firm,” said Judah Lifschitz, principal and co-president of SLS. “Detailed and thorough consideration was given to every aspect of this combination. Our firm’s primary commitment has been and will remain to provide the best client service and growth for our team. Both organizations have a strong record in this regard, and we are confident that the combination will allow us to offer our clients an even more comprehensive set of services.”

Barclay Damon’s chief marketing officer and chair of the firm’s Energy Practice Area, Rick Capozza, added, “Landing an integrated team of attorneys with corporate, real estate, finance, commercial litigation, and large construction litigation experience with a national profile in the power and energy industry was simply a home run. That the SLS team is located in a strategically significant part of our platform, Washington DC, advances a key strategy of expanding our strong regulatory experience at the federal level.”

Together, the combined firm will have nearly 300 lawyers in nine offices located in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, New Haven, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse, Washington DC, and Toronto. SLS will serve as the Washington DC office for the firm, which will initially have 10 lawyers. Lifschitz, Steve Schram, and Christopher Mahoney will continue to lead the DC office and work alongside Barclay Damon’s managing director for major market offices, Lizz Acee, and Cahill to ensure continuity of best-in-class service to the firm’s clients.

The transition will be seamless, as the normal day-to-day operations of both firms will be unchanged.

About Barclay Damon

For over two decades, Barclay Damon has been successfully pursuing a disciplined expansion strategy throughout its platform of offices in major and smaller markets. In addition to the SLS combination, the firm’s recent deal history includes the addition of 20 lawyers from LeClairRyan, the addition of seven wealth management planning and elder law attorneys from Lacy Katzen LLP, a combination with the 14-attorney bankruptcy firm Menter, Rudin & Trivelpiece, PC, and the addition of the 11-attorney energy-environmental firm Gilberti Stinziano Heintz & Smith, PC. The 65-lawyer Damon Morey LLP combined with the 210-lawyer Hiscock & Barclay in 2015, resulting in the name change to Barclay Damon LLP. The firm’s signature lateral recruitment and integration program has increased the firm from 50 to nearly 300 attorneys. For more information, please visit the firm’s website at Homepage | Barclay Damon.

About Shapiro, Lifschitz & Schram

Shapiro, Lifschitz & Schram is a Washington DC–based law firm delivering solutions for clients in the areas of business, construction, power and energy, real estate, and commercial litigation. The firm has a proven track record of success representing clients in sophisticated deals and big-ticket, complex litigation at both the trial and appellate levels. With state-of-the-art document management and electronic discovery techniques, sophisticated graphics capabilities, and seasoned lawyers, Shapiro, Lifschitz & Schram creates client-centered solutions to close deals and win cases. For more information, please visit the firm’s website at Shapiro, Lifschitz & Schram | | Homepage (slslaw.com).