Full-service law firm expands Midwestern footprint with opening of eighth office

Nationally recognized law firm, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP, announced today that effective February 1, 2019, it has entered into a merger with Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd LLP, a litigation law firm based in Chicago. This makes Porter Wright the first Columbus-based, full-service law firm to enter the Chicago market.

Porter Wright, one of Central Ohio’s oldest businesses and largest full-service law firms, has a well-known reputation of growth, demonstrated by a series of mergers throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Porter Wright’s expansion into Chicago and the 2017 opening of a Pittsburgh office are a part of the firm’s strategy to expand its Midwest footprint.

“Growth into the Chicago area is a very exciting step for Porter Wright,” said Bob Tannous, managing partner at Porter Wright. “Our partnership with a highly respected firm like Butler Rubin will enhance the quality and depth of service we provide to our clients in Chicago, Columbus and across the country.”

Established in 1980, Chicago-based Butler Rubin focuses on resolving complex disputes for clients operating in a range of industries, including financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, insurance and reinsurance. The firm will operate under Porter Wright’s name and its Chicago office will become Porter Wright’s eighth location.

“Porter Wright’s reputation and culture are an ideal fit for our team,” said Butler Rubin’s Bob Hermes, who will become the partner-in-charge of Porter Wright’s Chicago office. “I am looking forward to this next phase of our business, which will enable us to offer a wider range of services to our clients across the country.”

The merger will bolster Porter Wright’s nationally-recognized litigation practice, adding reinsurance to the firm’s more than 30 distinct practice areas. As the firm looks to the future, it will actively recruit additional attorneys in order to build an expanded service offering from the Chicago office.

Media features:

• "Porter Wright's acquisition of Chicago firm featured in Columbus Business First" published by Columbus Business First on January 31, 2019
• "Chicago expansion highlighted in the Columbus Dispatch" published by the Columbus Dispatch on January 31, 2019
• "Law firm with Dayton operations expanding to Chicago with acquisition of boutique firm" published by Dayton Business Journals on February 1, 2019
• "Ohio's Porter Wright enters Chicago via merger with 17-lawyer firm" published by The American Lawyer on February 1, 2019
• "Tannous and Hermes featured in Law360 about Butler Rubin merger" published by Law360 on February 1, 2019
• "Porter Wright merger featured in Gulfshore Business Daily" published by Gulfshore Business on February 4, 2019
• "Chicago Daily Law Bulletin covers Porter Wright's expansion in Chicago," published by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin on February 14, 2019
• "Report: Porter Wright's Post-Pittsburgh Expansion, K&L Gates' Asia Growth Among Q1's Biggest Moves," published by The Legal Intelligencer on March 29, 2019
• "Law Firm Mergers Off to Strong Start in 2019," published by Bloomberg Law on April 2, 2019
• "Small Firm Consolidations Continue At Rapid Clip," published by Law360 on April 2, 2019
• "Law firm mergers continue 'unabated,'" published by The Global Legal Post on April 3, 2019