Stroock Partner to Anchor Thompson Coburn’s NYC Labor Practice

Longtime Stroock & Stroock & Lavan partner Howard Lavin is heading to Thompson Coburn as the New York-founded Stroock begins its wind-down operations.

Stroock partners voted in late October to dissolve the firm business after months of partner departures and merger talks with the likes of Nixon Peabody and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw & Pittman and others fell through. On Nov. 1, Stroock filed a “Warn Act” notice with the New York Labor Department indicating that it plans to let go of 138 employees by Jan. 30, 2024.

Lavin spent nearly four decades at Stroock. He specializes in labor and employment matters and works with clients on a broad range of local, state, and federal employment laws and related issues.

Some of his key clients include Monarch Alternative Capital, Highline Management Inc., Financial Decisions, the New York Jockey Injury Compensation Fund, Axpo U.S. LLC, and the New York Compensation Insurance Rating Board.

Lavin’s first official day at Thompson Coburn will be Nov. 8. The St. Louis-founded firm has been courting Lavin for some time, said firm chair Roman Wuller in a statement.

“Howard is the keystone for expanding our labor and employment services on the East Coast in response to client requests to grow those capabilities, particularly in New York City,” said Wuller, who has led the firm since 2020. Litigation department leader Chris Hohn will take over the top spot in August 2024.

Thompson Coburn opened an office in New York in 2021 through its acquisition of the 44-lawyer firm Hahn & Hessen and is keen to continue its expansion efforts in the Big Apple.

“It is a privilege to join Thompson Coburn during such an exciting period of growth in New York,” Lavin said in a statement.