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CLEVELAND, OH – August 7, 2008 – Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP and Kahn Kleinman LPA announced today that Kahn Kleinman, a prominent Cleveland law firm established in 1962, will merge with and become part of Taft, effective September 1.

With the merger, Taft’s Cleveland office will have 70 attorneys providing a full complement of legal services to clients throughout Northeast Ohio.  Kahn Kleinman, which will transition to the Taft name, will move into Taft’s Cleveland office located in BP Tower over the next three months.

Following the merger, Taft estimates the firm will be in the top 175 firms (ranked by revenues) in the United States.

With this merger, the depth and breadth of both firms’ expertise has expanded to support the long-term success and growth of their clients in Northeast Ohio and throughout the region. Together, the attorneys in the combined Cleveland office will offer full-service legal support across every area of law important to our clients’ businesses. 

The merger will bring the number of attorneys and legal professionals at Taft to more than 400 with offices in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Dayton, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Northern Kentucky; Phoenix, Arizona; and Beijing, China.

In announcing the merger, Taft’s Partner-in-Charge of the Cleveland office, Stephen M. O’Bryan said, “This merger is a great strategic fit for both firms and gives us a bigger and better toolkit of legal services to offer our clients in Northeast Ohio.  The Kahn Kleinman lawyers are outstanding, and will bring great expertise and depth to our tax, wealth management, probate and estate planning, corporate finance, business law, mergers and acquisitions and securities law practices.  They will also complement and significantly expand our existing real estate, litigation, labor and employment, public and governmental relations, and intellectual property practices.” 

Kahn Kleinman Managing Partner Rick Rivitz added, “The merger with Taft and our combination with its Cleveland office will provide our existing clients with additional expertise and depth in all types of business and real estate litigation, labor and employment law, and governmental relations. The merger will also add depth and complement our existing, nationally recognized real estate practice by adding public finance, zoning, eminent domain and initiative and referendum expertise.” Rivitz stated further, “Our clients will have the same personal relationships with and receive the same high level of service from the attorneys they work with today, and will further benefit from the additional support provided by a 350 lawyer firm with a 123-year track record of experience and success.”

As part of Taft, Rivitz will become a member of a standing management committee, and Kevin Barnes, current member of Kahn Kleinman’s executive committee, will become a member of Taft’s executive committee that oversees management of the firm.

Taft’s Managing Partner, Thomas Terp, had this to say about the merger: “Kahn Kleinman has exceptional lawyers, and their expertise, particularly in real estate, will add great depth to our existing practice, both in Northeast Ohio and for our clients throughout the Midwest. We are very excited to have them join the Taft team.”   Terp noted that almost half of the Kahn Kleinman’s attorneys are recognized by their clients and peers in Best Lawyers in America, an indication of the strength and experience they bring to Taft.  

“With this merger, Taft is reaffirming its commitment to Northeast Ohio, an important market for the firm, as we continue to grow to better support the needs of our clients,” said Terp. The Kahn Kleinman merger comes on the heels of Taft’s merger with the former Sommer Barnard firm in Indianapolis in May and its recent opening of offices in Phoenix and Beijing. After the merger, the firm will rank approximately 125th in the National Law Journal 250, a listing of the largest law firms in the country.

More about Taft and Kahn Kleinman

Taft is a full-service firm with offices in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland and Dayton, Ohio; Covington, Kentucky; Indianapolis, Indiana; Phoenix, Arizona; and Beijing, China. With more than 350 attorneys and a 123-year track record of experience, the firm has come to have not only regional prominence, but national stature as well. The firm’s Labor Department, led by J. Mack Swigert, was instrumental in helping Senator Robert A. Taft draft 1947’s groundbreaking Taft-Hartley Act.

Since 1962, Kahn Kleinman has provided thoughtful counsel to local and national businesses across every industry, from retail to contractors to venture capital funds, as well as individuals with an entrepreneurial emphasis, and the investment banking firms, venture capital funds, and financial institutions that support them. Kahn Kleinman is recognized nationally for its four and a half decades of experience in real estate acquisition, syndication, development, securities, and financing. Kahn Kleinman is proud that it has been the law firm of choice for many major transactions in and around Northeast Ohio.  

Together, the merged firm will have many lawyers who have been recognized for their professional accomplishments. For example, 85 attorneys are listed in the latest edition of the Best Lawyers in America; 32 attorneys are cited in the most recent edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business; and 75 were identified as Indiana Super Lawyers and Ohio Super Lawyers.