Taft to Absorb Morris Manning, Boosting Southeast Presence (1)

Taft Stettinius & Hollister is acquiring Morris Manning & Martin to strengthen its presence in the US Southeast, the firms announced Monday.

The merger will take effect Dec. 31, the firms said in a statement. The arrangement provides a lifeline to the ailing Atlanta-based Morris Manning, which has lost nearly half of its headcount since last year to Big Law firms expanding in the region.

The combination “continues our successful tradition of merging with highly respected, established firms,” Taft Chairman and Managing Partner Robert J. Hicks said in a statement. “We will soon have more than 100 lawyers in the Southeast.”

The acquisition advances Taft’s merger-based growth strategy, after the Cincinnati-founded firm combined with two others this year and eight since 2008. Taft calls itself one of the nation’s fastest-growing law operations, with more than 1,200 attorneys.

Morris Manning’s expected 2025 revenue of more than $110 million will enable Taft to reach the $1 billion mark, Hicks said in an interview. This year’s acquisitions of Sherman & Howard and Mrachek Law bring the firm’s revenue to about $890 million, he said.

Morris Manning has about 107 lawyers, according to its website and firm bios. Its gross revenue declined by 6% from 2021 to 2024, according to data published by The American Lawyer.

“We’ve been thoughtfully exploring ways to accelerate our growth for some time,” Morris Manning Managing Partner Simon Malko said in a statement. “Taft’s innovative, modern, non-headquarter model stood out as a perfect fit for our long-term goals.”

Morris Manning partners unanimously voted to approve the merger and the firm gets three seats on Taft’s executive committee, Malko said in an interview.

Hicks said he “begged” Malko to serve as partner in charge in Atlanta, but Malko said he hasn’t decided whether to continue in a managerial role or focus on growing his practice on the larger Taft platform.

No Desperation

Morris Manning’s plan to merge is no survival tactic, Malko said. The firm accepted Taft’s offer to benefit from a larger platform while maintaining autonomy in running a practice in the Atlanta market.

“We are approached all the time because we’re in a very desirable market,” Malko said. “Until I met Taft, I hadn’t found what I thought was a compelling opportunity.”

After talks began in February, Hicks said he initially thought the process of combining would continue into 2026. Morris Manning departures accelerated the timeline, he said, though “the outcome would have been the same.”

Eight health care and real estate lawyers decamped last month for Husch Blackwell and Barnes & Thornburg. Firms including Reed Smith and Gunderson Dettmer have also poached lawyer groups from Morris Manning this year.

Key among the attorneys who left for Reed Smith were Scott Allen, who co-chaired Morris Manning’s private equity practice, and Nick Foreste, who co-chaired its emerging companies and venture capital practice. Those who left for Gunderson Dettmer included veteran tech lawyer and short-term co-chair John Yates and Joe Berklund, who was co-chair of Morris Manning’s emerging companies and venture capital practice.

Despite the departures, Morris Manning’s revenue per lawyer, a measure of the average amount of income generated by each attorney, has grown, Hicks said.

“Our conclusion is the best of Morris Manning stayed at the firm,” he said. “Every firm has its core group that, no matter what, is going to be there. They love working together and they know each other as friends and family almost. That’s the group that’s there.”