WolfBlock

WolfBlock LLP (formerly Wolf, Block, Schorr & Solis-Cohen[3]) was a large U.S. law firm and lobbying group based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The National Law Journal ranked WolfBlock the 149th-largest firm in the United States, and the 10th-largest in Philadelphia, by number of attorneys. The firm was known for being one of the oldest law firms in Philadelphia.

WolfBlock LLP
WolfBlock
HeadquartersPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
No. of offices8
No. of attorneysapproximately 317
Major practice areasGeneral practice, including lobbying
Key peopleMark L. Alderman
(Executive Committee Chair)[1]
Revenue$159.5M (2008)[2]
Date founded1903
FounderHorace Stern
Morris Wolf
Company typeLimited liability partnership
DissolvedAnnounced dissolution 23 March 2009, by vote of partners[2]
WebsiteWolfBlock.com

History

WolfBlock was founded in 1903 by Horace Stern and Morris Wolf. Stern would go on to work for the United States Department of War, and would go on to serve as Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. One of the firm's first major clients was the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company, one of the predecessors of SEPTA. The firm gradually expanded, and after World War II, acquired several smaller firms, becoming a sizable regional firm.[3] Bernard Wolfman, later Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, was the managing partner of the firm from 1961 to 1963.

In 2002, the firm established a lobbying subsidiary, WolfBlock Government Relations L.P., in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The subsidiary was expanded into Washington D.C. the following year.[3]

Collapse

Failed merger attempt

WolfBlock's management had planned a merger with the 500+ lawyer Miami, Florida-based law firm of Akerman Senterfitt, which would have created a single 800-lawyer firm.[4] But on August 7, 2008, the two firms released a joint statement explaining that the merger had been put on hold due to "a client conflict that cannot be discussed publicly".[5]

Dissolution

On March 23, 2009, the firm's partners voted for an orderly unwinding and dissolution of the firm, due in part to difficulties the firm was having in continuing its line of credit with Wachovia.[6] In a press release, the firm announced:

WolfBlock will remain in the practice of law for several months to protect the interests of its clients, employees and creditors. The decision to unwind was reached in view of a confluence of unfavorable factors: the economic recession, especially in the firm's core real estate practice; the constriction of credit occasioned by the financial crisis of 2007–2008; and the intended and anticipated departure of significant partners and practices.[2]

Practice areas

In addition to its lobbying practice, the firm had practice groups in corporate & securities law, health law, labor and employment, employee benefits, family law, real estate & land use, environmental law, structured finance, bankruptcy and creditors' rights, tax law, estate planning, energy law, intellectual property, and construction law.

Notable lawyers and alumni

References
  1. Mark Alderman's firm bio
  2. Passarella, Gina (2009-03-23). "Wolf Block to Close Its Doors". The Legal Intelligencer. Incisive Media. Retrieved 2009-03-23.
  3. Firm history
  4. WolfBlock & Akerman Senterfitt to Form 800-Lawyer Firm ABA Journal, 21 July 2008.
  5. Akerman merger with Philadelphia law firm on hold Tampa Bay Business Journal, 7 August 2008.
  6. Fagone, Jason (June 2009). "Wrongful Death". Philadelphia. Metrocorp. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
  7. Gerber's firm bio
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