Reed Smith has made a bold move into the Atlanta legal scene, unveiling its new office and bolstering its team with 37 attorneys. The majority of these new hires come from Morris, Manning & Martin, a local firm that has seen a significant shakeup as nearly a fifth of its partners head to Reed Smith. Thirteen of the departing partners, including leaders in venture capital and private equity practices, are making the transition to the Pittsburgh-based firm.
In addition to these high-profile moves, Reed Smith also secured two partners from Greenberg Traurig, including Cindy Davis, a key figure in the firm’s banking and financial services practice. The changes mark the largest legal talent shift of the year so far, setting the stage for Reed Smith to establish a strong foothold in the rapidly expanding business hub of Atlanta.
Amie Singer, formerly a private equity partner at Morris Manning, will lead the new office, and Nick Foreste, co-leader of Morris Manning’s venture capital practice, will co-chair Reed Smith’s emerging company and venture capital group. With these additions, Reed Smith is poised to leverage its extensive roster of clients in the Southeast U.S., a region seeing continued growth in private equity activity.
While Morris Manning maintains its financial stability, the firm will need to rebound from this significant departure. Reed Smith’s strategic hiring move mirrors a similar effort last year by Polsinelli, which added 47 lawyers from Holland & Knight to open a new office in Philadelphia. As the legal landscape evolves, Reed Smith’s bold entry into Atlanta is making waves.
