January 20, 2012

THE DAILY JOURNAL

By Casey Sullivan

SAN DIEGO – After losing key partners within its white-collar criminal defense and intellectual property practices shortly before announcing its merger with McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps LLP has sustained another loss, this time to its corporate department.

The three-partner group leaving Luce Forward in Carmel Valley consists of Dennis Doucette, former managing partner of the Carmel Valley office, Jason Femrite, co-chair of the firm’s mergers and acquisitions group, and transactions partner Eli Mansour. The trio will stay regional instead of becoming part of the national platform of McKenna Long, heading to Procopio, Cary, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP, which employs roughly 110 lawyers in two offices in San Diego and Carlsbad.

“The move was probably triggered by the discussions and the pending transaction with McKenna Long & Aldridge that Luce is going through,” said Procopio managing partner Thomas Turner Jr. “The group of corporate lawyers very much wanted to remain in Carmel Valley.”

“The group of corporate lawyers very much wanted to remain in Carmel Valley.” – Thomas Turner Jr.
Turner said the three partners represent technology, emerging growth and action sports companies in mergers and acquisitions and corporate transactions, which would provide good cross-selling opportunities since that’s where much of Procopio’s work is rooted. He said their clients were mostly local, which fit with Procopio’s platform.

None of the departing lawyers responded to requests for comment as the parties are working out details for their start date at Procopio.

Turnerspoke about what the transaction would mean for his firm, which extended its reach 10 years ago when it opened an office in Carlsbad, and will now open a third office in Carmel Valley with the recent pickups.

Turner said he expected Procopio would likely take over Luce Forward’s Carmel Valley office since the firm’s lease is expired. The departures chop in half the number of partners stationed there from six to three and brings to five the outpost’s total headcount.

“There’s really nothing left for Luce to hang onto there, but if they’d like to start something fresh, they’re welcome,” Turner said.

Contacted Thursday, managing partner Kurt Kicklighter said Luce Forward had planned to consolidate the Carmel Valley office with the Rancho Santa Fe office “regardless of the merger.”

Of the departures, Kicklighter said, “We just don’t talk about people who are leaving before they’re gone.”

The Carmel Valley office addition would continue Procopio’s effort to expand its resources on a regional scale. Its Carlsbad office, which started with four lawyers, now staffs roughly 12, according to Turner.

Recruiter Larry Watanabe of Watanabe & Nason LLC brokered the deal.