Legal Blog
A Year In Review: 19 of the Biggest Offit Kurman Stories of 2019
Record-breaking business transactions, firm expansions, news-making cases, attorney awards—the past year has brought numerous significant developments to Offit Kurman and the people and communities we serve.
As we look back on 2019, we feel honored and grateful to have experienced continual growth, expansion, and recognition for our firm’s success. More than anything, we are proud of the work we have done for our clients.
Here are 19 of our biggest stories from 2019:
Firm Growth and Expansion
#1
We Expanded Into North Carolina Through an Affiliation with Horack Talley
We Expanded Into North Carolina Through an Affiliation with Horack Talley
Offit Kurman strategically expanded into the Southeast by affiliating with one of Charlotte, North Carolina’s oldest and most respected law firms. On September 1st, the attorneys and staff of Horack Talley joined our team. The affiliation extended Offit Kurman’s geographic footprint to encompass roughly half of the East Coast, laying the foundation for further expansion.
At the same time, setting a trend for other firms expanding in the southeast. Learn more »
#2
We Grew in Bethesda by Affiliating with Jack Garson and Garson Law
We Grew in Bethesda by Affiliating with Jack Garson and Garson Law
Offit Kurman joined forces with nationally-recognized attorney Jack Garson and Garson Law. On November 1st, Mr. Garson, Mark Jewell, Brian Hundertmark, and Taylor Hicks joined our offices in Bethesda. The opportunity arose from a conversation between Mr. Garson and his long-time friend and colleague Ted Offit, co-founder and Chairman/CEO of Offit Kurman. Read more »
#3
We Welcomed Many New Attorneys Throughout Our Offices
We Welcomed Many New Attorneys Throughout Our Offices
From New York to North Carolina, Offit Kurman welcomed several dozen attorneys in 2019, swiftly exceeding our goal of 200 attorneys overall by 2020. It was one of the most active years for the firm to date in terms of recruitment, adding 74 lawyers to the firm more than doubling the amount added in 2018 and the pattern of growth is on track to continue next year.
#4
We Added Office Space in New York and Tysons Corner
We Added Office Space in New York and Tysons Corner
At the beginning of the year, we renovated and expanded our New York office to accommodate law firm affiliations of the previous year making the New York location one of our largest offices in the firm with almost 40 attorneys.
In November, Offit Kurman underwent a major expansion in Tysons Corner, with the addition of more than 4,000 sq. ft., including 14 new attorney offices, at our 8000 Towers Crescent Drive location. As we celebrate our tenth year in Northern Virginia, the additional space positions the firm for growth in the region and empowers Offit Kurman’s Virginia attorneys to better serve their clients. Read more »
Firm Recognition
#5
Our Firm Was Listed at #227 Among the 400 Largest Law Firms in the US
Our Firm Was Listed at #227 Among the 400 Largest Law Firms in the US
Offit Kurman was listed as the 227th largest law firm in the United States in the most recent Law360 400 ranking. Our firm stands out from other Law360 400 designees for our relative recency on the list, as well as our extraordinary rate of growth. Offit Kurman debuted on the Law360 400 in 2017, at number 311. Since then, the firm has moved 84 spots ahead.
#6
We Were Ranked Among the 50 Fastest-Growing Companies in Baltimore…
We Were Ranked Among the 50 Fastest-Growing Companies in Baltimore…
Offit Kurman is one of the 50 fastest-growing companies in Greater Baltimore, according to the Baltimore Business Journal’s most recent “Fast 50” list. We earned the ranking after growing by approximately 50% since 2017, through affiliations in Greater Baltimore and surrounding markets.
#7
…and the Largest Companies in Greater Baltimore…
…and the Largest Companies in Greater Baltimore…
In addition to recognizing the firm’s growth, the BBJ also designated Offit Kurman the 46th largest private company in Greater Baltimore. The annual list ranks the largest regional companies by their revenue in the preceding year.
#8
…and the Largest Law Firms in Virginia
…and the Largest Law Firms in Virginia
Offit Kurman is the 55th largest law firm in Virginia, according to Virginia Lawyers Weekly. In 2018, we grew our presence in Virginia by approximately 30%, and our regional offices have continued to expand since then.
Major Client Wins
#9
Our M&A Attorneys Continued to Close Major Transactions for Clients in 2019 including a $240M+ Deal.
Our M&A Attorneys Continued to Close Major Transactions for Clients in 2019 including a $240M+ Deal
On the heels of an explosive year for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity, the attorneys of Offit Kurman’s Business Transactions Practice Group closed two of their largest deals for a client to date. Joseph M. Armstrong and Herbert R. Fineburg represented the AVL Digital Group in two successful transactions valued at over $240 million.
Other deals our teams closed for 2019 included middle-market businesses privately held businesses in industries such as IT, cybersecurity, engineering, logistics, and healthcare. See our notable deals »
#10
We Helped Our Clients to Some Major Wins in Court
At Offit Kurman our proudest achievements are the results that we gain for our clients in court. 2019 has been especially successful for several clients who earned favorable judgments and recognition in the legal media.
Offit Kurman Attorney Stephen Forte, recently obtained a $75M verdict for their client Shangyu Sunfit Chemical Company Ltd in Greensboro, North Carolina. The final judgment entered in the case more than doubles the $35M amount awarded in the initial verdict in October. Read More »
Other successful results for clients include wins for radio talk show host Don Imus on an ageism suit a multi-state retail business real estate location approval and representing a business owner insurance policyholder in a $6M breach of contract suit among many others.
Read some of the most interesting cases below:
A New York appellate panel rejected Warner Wolf’s age discrimination claims against his former boss, Don Imus, finding they don’t jibe with state human rights laws because Wolf had moved to Florida several months before his termination.
Tile Shop Halts Stock Deregulation
In early November, two investment groups for Tile Shop filed and won derivative suits to deregister its stock, asserting that the company’s founder and former CEO, Robert A. Rucker, who sits on the company’s board, and certain other directors are engaged in a scheme to take control of the company by purchasing stock without paying a fair price.
Sheetz Wins Approval on New Real Estate Location
A new 6,077 square foot Sheetz store is slated to open on the corner of Spectrum Drive and Md. 85 near the Francis Scott Key Mall. The store will occupy the site of the current Sheetz location as well as the site of a vacant Bob Evans restaurant. The popular convenience store and eatery first opened at this location in 1982.
AIG faces $6M law suit over Ship Facility Collapse
Rhoads Industries Inc. has filed suit claiming that AIG unit, American Home Assurance Company Inc., had breached its contract by refusing to provide coverage after a warehouse Rhoades Industries was renovating in the Philadelphia Navy Yard partially collapsed in May 2015. The collapse set back work on renovating the facility which was contracted to be rented to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. The contract had the possibility of more than $100 million in revenue.
Firm Partnership Events
#11
We Connected Business Owners Together at Events
We Connected Business Owners Together at Events
In addition to great legal work, Offit Kurman provided value to clients by connecting them to new contacts and perhaps new business at several social events throughout 2019. Events with trademarked names such as Craftoberst, Distilerama, and Wineapaloza, as well as celebrity events like "robot fighting" with Hall of Famer, Ray Lewis, Offit Kurman has developed a robust business development, event planning, and management team that includes service provider partners in planning, coordinating, executing and managing events. Read more »
New Practice Areas Developed
#12
We Created a New Employee Mobility and Trade Secret Protection Practice Group…
We Created a New Employee Mobility and Trade Secret Protection Practice Group…
In February, we launched an Employee Mobility and Trade Secret Protection Practice Group, drawing on the skills of employment, commercial litigation, and intellectual property lawyers from across Offit Kurman’s geographic footprint. This hybrid team provides auditing services focused on the identification and protection of trade secrets, pre-litigation counseling on restrictive covenants and confidentiality agreements, enforcement of employment agreements, defense of restrictive covenant claims, the litigation of the complex business tort and intellectual property claims that often accompany employee mobility litigation.
#13
…as Well as a Title IX Practice Group
…as Well as a Title IX Practice Group
To protect the rights of all individuals involved in campus sexual misconduct proceedings, Offit Kurman launched a new Title IX Representation Practice Group. The team serves accused college and secondary students, students who have experienced sexual assault or harassment in schools, and school faculty members and administrators tasked with carrying out the law. Offit Kurman’s Title IX attorneys provide a range of services for clients, including representation and advisory services, investigations, due process litigation, and college and university Title IX compliance guidance.
Attorney Recognition
#14
Offit Kurman President and Managing Principal, Timothy Lynch, Was Named One of “America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators”
Offit Kurman President and Managing Principal, Timothy Lynch, Was Named One of “America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators”
Offit Kurman President and Managing Principal Timothy C. Lynch was selected among America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators® in Maryland for 2019. To qualify for consideration as a “High Stakes Litigator,” an attorney must have served as lead counsel (for either plaintiff or defendant) in a legal matter with at least $2 million in alleged damages at stake, or with the fate of a business worth at least $2 million at stake.
#15
Attorney, Cheryl Hepfer, Made the Cover of Maryland Super Lawyers Magazine
Attorney, Cheryl Hepfer, Made the Cover of Maryland Super Lawyers Magazine
Cheryl Hepfer, a Family Law attorney with Offit Kurman, was featured in the cover story of the most recent issue of Maryland Super Lawyers Magazine. The feature recognizes Ms. Hepfer for her distinguished career and contributions to the legal field.
#16
Attorney, Sandra Brooks, Was Selected for Admission into the AAML
Attorney ,Sandra Brooks, Was Selected for Admission into the AAML
Sandra Brooks, a Family Law attorney with Offit Kurman, was selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). Ms. Brooks is the 11th Offit Kurman attorney to achieve the prestigious distinction.
#17
Attorney, Pilar Nichols, Was Named to the Daily Record’s Leading Women for 2019
Attorney, Pilar Nichols, Was Named to the Daily Record’s Leading Women for 2019
The Maryland Daily Record named Offit Kurman Family Law attorney Pilar C. Nichols among its 2019 Leading Women winners. The Daily Record’s Leading Women awards honor 50 women aged 40 or younger for the career accomplishments they’ve made so far in terms of “professional experience, community involvement, and commitment to inspiring change.”
#18
Dozens of Our Attorneys Were Named to National Lists of the Top Lawyers in the US
Dozens of Our Attorneys Were Named to National Lists of the Top Lawyers in the US
In 2019, Offit Kurman’s attorneys continued to earn top ratings from their peers and clients. Many achieved distinction in lists such as Super Lawyers and the Best Lawyers in America, as well as in countless top lawyer polls by local and national publications. Read more about our 2019 Super Lawyers rankings here and our 2019 Best Lawyers rankings here.
Offit Kurman Chairtable Foundation Giving Back
#19
The Offit Kurman Charitable Foundation Contributed to the Eddison Hermond Scholarship Fund
The Offit Kurman Charitable Foundation Contributed to the Eddison Hermond Scholarship Fund
Together with a coalition of regional business partners, Offit Kurman raised and donated $7,000 to the Eddison Hermond Memorial Scholarship Fund through the Offit Kurman Charitable Foundation and the Players Philanthropy Fund. It was one of several recent donations by the Foundation. Other organizations and causes we have supported include Feeding America, the Salvation Army, breast cancer research and awareness efforts plus The Alzheimer’s Association Memory Ball Dancing Stars, a signature fundraising event featuring several prominent members of the Maryland community who are known for their leadership and commitment to the cause.
Offit Kurman’s attorneys also spend their time giving back and mentoring other legal professionals. Many members of our team serve on boards of local charitable organizations, occupy leadership positions in regional and national associations, or offer pro bono services to underserved members of their communities including Principal Real Estate attorney Theodora Stringham being named Northern Virginia Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year by the Northern Virginia Pro Bono Law Center.
Learn more about our pro bono work and the Offit Kurman Charitable Foundation.
The End of a Year—and the End of a Decade
For Offit Kurman, the conclusion of 2019 marks the end of not only a big year, but also signifies the end of the most eventful decade in our firm’s history.
Offit Kurman began the 2010s as a small group of attorneys clustered in a few Maryland offices. We started the decade by celebrating six new hires. We ended the decade, and 2019, with 161 additional new hires.
Clearly, things have changed.
Today, following the implementation of an aggressive growth strategy, our firm encompasses a diverse group of more than 250 legal practitioners in multiple office locations throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and North Carolina.
Here’s to an incredible decade—and an incredible year—and all that the future holds. We thank our clients, attorneys, staff, and partners for joining us on this journey and look forward to serving you, your business, and your family in 2020.
In the meantime, Offit Kurman wishes you a joyous holiday season. From all of us to you: Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
ABOUT OFFIT KURMAN
Offit Kurman, a full-service AmLaw 200 law firm with offices throughout the East Coast and in Southern California, serves dynamic businesses, individuals and families. Founded in 1987, the firm’s 280+ attorneys counsel clients across more than 30 areas of practice. Offit Kurman helps maximize and protect business value and personal wealth by providing innovative and entrepreneurial counsel that focuses on clients’ business objectives, interests and goals. The firm is distinguished by the quality, breadth and global reach of its legal services and a unique operational structure that encourages a culture of collaboration.
