Bye Bye Blank Rome?

Mass defections at Blank Rome's Boca office:

At least half of Blank Rome's Boca Raton office is leaving for Greenberg Traurig, and sources say the rest are in negotiations to go. That could leave Philadelphia-based Blank Rome without a Florida office for the first time in 30 years.

Partner Bruce Rosetto and three associates have signed on with Greenberg, the Florida-based mega-firm, according to Michael Leeds, managing partner of the Boca Raton office of Blank Rome.

Blank Rome is a Philadelphia firm with 425 lawyers in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Florida.

Currently, there are four partners and four associates in Blank Rome's Florida office.

There are conflicting reports as to whether the entire practice group is departing for Greenberg, including partners Leeds, Howard Camerik and Steven Lessne.

Topper Ray, spokesman for Blank Rome, said that just four lawyers — half the office — are departing, but that the rest are staying. "It's not the whole office," he said.

But other sources say the rest are in negotiations with Greenberg or other law firms.

Leeds said in a e-mail, "I can only confirm that Bruce Rosetto and three associates are leaving but I do not believe that their new home has been decided for certain ... Mr. Rosetto can provide any more detail as he wishes." Rosetto did not return calls for comment. Greenberg Traurig also declined comment.

So here we have -- again -- the possible closing of a small South Florida office of a national firm. The South Florida landscape is littered with the bones of failed national efforts to penetrate our legal market. The business model is always the same -- lure some hotshot to "head" the local office, efforts are made to recruit and sustain the office, then resentment and inequalities between more prominent offices (where power is centralized) and the local office emerge, until finally the satellite office limps into the sunset. (BTW, I have no idea whether that is what happened here.) There are exceptions, of course, but once again we perhaps see the same pattern repeating itself.

Who's next, folks?