1. Home
2. Daily News
3. Longtime Boston-based law firm will disband…

Law Firms

Longtime Boston-based law firm will disband after lawyer defections

By Debra Cassens Weiss

October 1, 2024, 9:15 am CDT

Boston-based Burns & Levinson is winding down after losing nearly half of its attorneys to other law firms this year.

Burns & Levinson was founded 64 years ago, according to a Sept. 27 statement by Paul R. Mastrocola, the firm’s managing partner. It had more than 100 lawyers before the departures.

Law.com, Law360, Above the Law and the Boston Globe are among the publications with coverage.

“We are sad to bid farewell to this amazing Boston institution; but we know that the lawyers and staff who chose to honor their commitment to one another and remain together throughout this time are the best in the business and will thrive in their new homes,” Mastrocola said.

According to Mastrocola, Burns & Levinson had a record year for revenue in 2023 as a result of courtroom victories, corporate deals and other work.

“The year also brought important—if uncomfortable for some—discussions about governance, compensation and support,” he said.

The defections that began in 2024 included the departure of 13 intellectual property and litigation lawyers to ArentFox Schiff and 28 corporate lawyers to Blank Rome, according to Law.com.

The situation led Burns & Levinson to discuss mergers with other firms.

“Over the past months,” Mastrocola said, “we have been honored by the offers of merger we have received from national and regional firms. Unfortunately, after exhaustive analysis, we have determined that the economics, the timeline and the complexity of deals offered would not work for the remaining partners as a group and for our wonderfully varied practices.”

Burns & Levinson “will continue in the short term and then will engage in an orderly wind down of its operations,” Mastrocola said.

After Mastrocola’s announcement came more news of lawyer departures. Ten lawyers are joining McCarter & English, and 10 others are joining Barclay Damon, report Law.com, Law360 and Reuters.