Lewis Brisbois Founder Bob Lewis, Two Family Members Leave Firm

Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith founder and chairman emeritus Bob Lewis, his son and grandson have all left the firm, according to internal emails and two people familiar with the matter.

Lewis, who stepped down as chairman last year after more than 100 attorneys left in a mass exodus, moved up his scheduled retirement to Oct. 1 from Dec. 31 so he “can spend more time with his family this holiday season,” the firm’s management committee said in an Oct. 2 email viewed by Bloomberg Law.

Bob Lewis’ son, Tommy Lewis, who was the firm’s chief technology officer for more than a decade, is also leaving Lewis Brisbois, according to an Oct. 3 email from the firm’s management committee viewed by Bloomberg Law. Tommy Lewis left the firm Oct. 4, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Bob Lewis’ grandson, Ryan Lewis, the IT administrator in the firm’s Costa Mesa, California office, left the same day as Tommy Lewis, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Media representatives for Lewis Brisbois did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The departures came about a month after Lewis Brisbois announced the hiring of former McGuireWoods chief operating officer Richard Davis to serve in the same role.

Davis took over from Jay McAveeney, a Chicago-based consultant who served in the role on an interim basis since February, when the firm parted ways with two top managers. Those departing managers were Brian Gedeon, the firm’s chief financial officer, and Barbara Cheen, the chief client relations officer.

Gregory Katz was elected as the firm’s managing partner last year after Bob Lewis stepped down.