Stinson Eyes California as Law Firm’s Next Expansion Target

Midwest law firm Stinson is looking to launch an office in California, according to its leader.

The firm is focusing on a new outpost in the Los Angeles area, Allison Murdock, Stinson’s managing partner, said in an interview. The firm’s official entry into the Golden State—where it has already done some work—could be through a merger or by hiring a team of local lawyers, she said.

“We know that we can expand business for existing clients of a combined firm, as well as going after new clients that maybe alone we wouldn’t be competing for,” Murdock said.

Some major firms have made layoffs and delayed incoming classes of associates to cut costs as demand slows. Others have explored merger opportunities in an effort to obtain scale.

Allison Murdock

Photo: Stinson

The market turmoil “can present opportunities to partner” with another firm, rather than to simply take it over in an acquisition, Murdock said.

“What we really want are to maximize those opportunities for collaboration between one another,” she said.

The Missouri-founded firm’s clients have included Patriots Bank, The Coca-Cola Co., and The Hershey Co. Stinson has offices in Washington, D.C. and throughout the Midwest.

A Southern California presence could boost the firm’s labor and employment practice, as well as its litigation and corporate work, according to Murdock.

Recently known as Stinson Leonard Street, the firm trimmed its name to Stinson in April 2019, five years after its merger with Minneapolis-based Leonard, Street and Deinard.

Stinson opened a new office in Tampa, Florida, last month and added partners in Washington, DC last week to focus on financial services and class action practice work. It also expanded its New York office space earlier this year.

The firm has the lowest amount of lawyers and equity partners since 2015, data compiled by The American Lawyer show. Stinson had 403 lawyers, including 113 equity partners, as of the end of last year.

The firm brought in nearly $273.4 million in gross revenue in 2022, according to Stinson. That’s down by nearly 4% from a year earlier.

Murdock is a Kansas City lawyer who previously worked in the firm’s trusts and estates practice. She became managing partner in 2021 after serving as deputy managing partner for more than a decade.