Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connaughton Joins Forces with Quarles & Brady

A message from Sandy McDonough, Managing Partner of Paul, Plevin:

We are excited to share that after almost 25 years as an independent California labor and employment boutique, Paul, Plevin is combining with Quarles & Brady – a full-service, AmLaw 200 law firm with a 130-year history of providing clients with extraordinary legal services on a national stage.

Effective January 1, the combination will give us a national platform from which to offer our clients a broad array of resources and services. Quarles has approximately 480 attorneys across 10 U.S. offices – Chicago, Indianapolis, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Naples, Phoenix, Tampa, Tucson and Washington, D.C. – and practices ranging from intellectual property and mergers and acquisitions to immigration and data privacy. Quarles also has deep experience in industries that are strengths of Paul, Plevin – life sciences, technology, research institutions, health care and higher education. As labor and employment work continues to accelerate in the wake of the pandemic, this move will enhance our ability to deliver both premium services (e.g., national class actions, high-profile litigation) and the trusted day-to-day advice our clients have come to expect.

We were not in search of a merger opportunity, but the combination with Quarles is a win-win for everyone. The decision came only after an intentional and methodical assessment of the benefits to our clients and our incredible team. In Quarles, we found a partner that will enable us to offer a broader array of services with an expanded geographic reach, and that shares our passion for delivering superior legal work and client service at a great value. Quarles is also widely recognized as a leading law firm for diversity, equity and inclusion. Its robust DEI initiatives and insights will enhance our efforts to recruit top legal talent and promote diversity of thought, perspectives and experiences to deliver better results for clients.

All of our attorneys and staff are continuing with the combined firm. Moving forward, our attorneys will also play a critical role in the combined firm’s leadership. I will be the national co-chair of the Labor and Employment Practice Group. Our two former managing partners, Joe Connaughton and Fred Plevin, will have key roles as well. Joe will serve on the firm’s governing executive committee, and Fred will be office managing partner in San Diego. The combined firm’s L&E team will now boast more than 70 labor and employment specialists across the country, including robust immigration and employee benefits practices. In California, we will operate under the name Paul Plevin Quarles through 2024.

We are grateful for this opportunity to better serve our clients with the experience, value, creativity, practicality and sense of humor that has driven our growth from six lawyers back in 1998 to the 30 incredibly distinguished lawyers we are today. We want to thank our attorneys and staff, and all of our clients, including those with whom we have been honored to have long-term relationships. We look forward to continuing our client relationships, and forming new ones, as we begin our new adventure as Paul Plevin Quarles in 2023.

We wish all of our clients, colleagues and friends, and their families, a happy and healthy holiday season and new year.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

Sandy McDonough sandy.mcdonough@quarles.com

Joe Connaughton joe.connaughton@quarles.com

Fred Plevin fred.plevin@quarles.com