Quarles & Brady Acquires San Diego Employment Firm Paul, Plevin

Quarles & Brady is expanding into Southern California, acquiring employment boutique Paul, Plevin, Sullivan & Connaughton.

The move gives Milwaukee-founded Quarles & Brady, among the 200 biggest law firms in the US, a foothold in one of the country’s largest legal markets. The combined firm will be over 500 lawyers nationwide, firm leaders announced Wednesday.

“We have had a California strategy in play for a long time—driven by the interests of our clients and attorneys, as well as the significant business potential in the region—but we only wanted to enter the market with a best-in-class partner,” said Michael Aldana, Quarles & Brady’s managing partner and chair of the executive committee in a statement.

Paul, Plevin, a 30-lawyer shop based in San Diego, advises employers in discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, wage and hour and other matters. The boutique has represented the California Western School of Law and the Regents of the University of California, among other clients.

Paul, Plevin managing partner Sandy McDonough will co-chair the combined firm’s labor and employment practice group, along with Sean Scullen, who is currently national chair of the Quarles labor and employment practice group.

Joe Connaughton—a Paul, Plevin founding partner—will serve on the firm’s governing executive committee. Fred Plevlin, another founding partner, will be office managing partner in San Diego.

The firm will operate in California under the name Paul Plevin Quarles through 2024.

The roughly 415-lawyer Quarles earned nearly $302 million in gross revenue and made $885,000 in profits per equity partner, according to figures published by the American Lawyer. Its clients have included Epic Systems Corporation, Kohler Co., and 7-Eleven Inc.

Labor and employment has been a hot practice amid the pandemic, as employers seek guidance on workplace health, safety, and pay issues.