San Francisco – March 10, 2008 – The international law firm Bryan Cave LLP expanded its presence in California with the opening of a San Francisco location today. The San Francisco office, serving the entire Bay Area and Northern California, is the firm’s third in the state, following Los Angeles and Irvine.
The firm already has more than 100 attorneys based in California, many of whom handle client matters in the Bay Area.
Led by Lynn S. McCreary, Bryan Cave’s San Francisco office will represent clients on a wide range of issues, including business transactions, commercial and class action litigation, product liability and real estate matters.
“Establishing a San Francisco office is consistent with one of our strategic goals, which is to position ourselves to address our clients’ legal needs in key markets and practices,” said Don Lents, chairman of Bryan Cave. “By entering the San Francisco market, Bryan Cave will be better equipped to serve our clients’ needs in California, as well as serve international clients expanding their operations in the Pacific Rim.”
Bryan Cave’s move into the San Francisco market is the latest in a series of expansions for the firm. In the past year, Bryan Cave has opened offices in Milan and Hamburg. The firm also has gained further entry into the Chinese market by establishing an affiliation with Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing-based Alpha & Leader, supplementing the firm’s own offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
“This opening clearly demonstrates Bryan Cave’s commitment to the San Francisco marketplace, and we anticipate announcing local additions to our new office in the near future,” said McCreary, who has extensive litigation experience and has worked with a number of Bryan Cave’s clients in California.
Previously a partner in the firm’s Kansas City office, McCreary practices in the areas of civil litigation, labor and employment and white-collar criminal defense. She represents business and individuals in commercial disputes and investigations, in addition to representing employers in complex individual and class action commercial, employment and civil-rights disputes.
A number of Bryan Cave lawyers will join McCreary in the San Francisco office, including Kansas City Partner Herb Kohn, who will spend the next three months in San Francisco. Relocating to the San Francisco office on a permanent basis will be Counsel Patricia Wyrod and Associates Stephanie Blazewicz, David de Ruig and Tarun Mehta.
Kohn practices corporate, business and banking law, concentrating in the areas of acquisitions, financial transactions, banking and public finance.
Wyrod specializes in technology transactions and commercial law. Her practice focuses on IP protection and commercial transactions, representing clients in the negotiation and drafting of software license agreements, software development and partnership agreements, business formations, general business agreements and strategic alliances.
Blazewicz practices commercial litigation; de Ruig focuses on the areas of environmental law and commercial litigation; and Mehta concentrates on a broad range of commercial litigation and employments matters.