Sheppard Mullin Eyes Chicago Growth, Hybrid Work With New Office

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton’s Chicago outpost is getting a new leader and more office space as the law firm looks strike the right balance of hybrid work.

The Los Angeles-founded firm will move into its new home at 321 N. Clark in the River North neighborhood in the Windy City this fall from its current location in the Loop. The firm’s 80-plus lawyers and staff will occupy one-and-a-half floors in its new space overlooking the Chicago River.

Sheppard Mullin’s move comes as many law firms are evaluating their need for physical space and taking advantage of the renter-friendly real estate market coming out of the pandemic.

Leading the move and build out of the new space is Liisa Thomas, co-leader of the firm’s global privacy and cybersecurity practice. Thomas earlier this month was appointed managing partner of Sheppard Mullin’s Chicago office.

She succeeds Larry Eppley, who has led the office since it opened in 2012 . Eppley will continue to lead the firm’s nationwide hospitality industry team.

Liisa Thomas

Sheppard Mullin last year crossed the $1 billion threshold in gross revenue, according to figures reported by the American Lawyer. Lucantonio (Luca) Salvi took over as firm chair in October, succeeding Guy Halgren after two decades at the helm.

The new office gives the firm room to expand its headcount, according to Thomas, who joined Sheppard Mullin in 2017.

“We don’t have offices for everybody we have grown so big,” she said.

The firm has 51 attorneys in Chicago, up from 33 lawyers at the end of 2019. Its total headcount has grown to 81 from 50 over the same time frame.

The new space also offers the firm the chance to build for the future in an industry that is shifting and embracing a hybrid work environment where people might not be in the office every day of the week and may not be here on the same day that other people are, Thomas said.

“It requires a mind shift and transitions into what we’re trying to accomplish in our new space, which we’re really excited about,” Thomas said.

The firm is currently asking its attorneys to come into the office 2 to 3 days a week, but isn’t mandating attendance, she said.

Sheppard Mullin wants to construct a space that is conducive to the individualized work that lawyers do, but also encourages interaction, Thomas said.

“How can we create an environment where people can work and they can do that focused work in the office, but they also can collaborate and be with others physically?” she said. “It requires you to rethink when is it that you would be with someone else and it’s really productive.”

Like most firm leaders, Thomas is attempting to navigate return to office plans after two years of a global pandemic which shuttered most law firm offices. Firms are looking to balance having lawyers and staff return to the office, while still embracing the flexibility that work from home arrangements provided.

“We have this huge opportunity right now, because the world is so shaken up that we are able to take advantage of the best of both worlds,” she said.