Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that on July 1, 2011, the Firm officially opened its Houston, Texas office, which resulted from the combination, announced last month, with Houston-based litigation boutique Abrams Scott & Bickley, L.L.P. In addition to the five partners and various other professionals from Abrams Scott & Bickley, including Barry Abrams, Robert Scott, Susan L. Bickley, Sue D. Rosenthal and Jack W. Higdon; Blank Rome Partner Joseph F. Speelman will also reside in the Houston office.

“We are thrilled to welcome Barry, Bob, Susan, Sue, Jack and all of our new colleagues to the Blank Rome team,” said Alan J. Hoffman, Co-Chairman and Managing Partner. “Blank Rome has a tremendous reputation in the successful integration of our lateral partners, and because Abrams Scott & Bickley reflects many of the core values upon which Blank Rome was founded, we look forward to what we expect to be a seamless integration.”

“We are very excited about joining forces with Blank Rome,” said Barry Abrams. “We now have the breadth and depth of experience to provide a full range of services to our clients and have already been presented with several new opportunities to do so.”

Mr. Abrams will serve as the Administrative Partner for the Houston office and will continue to oversee its daily operations.  Blank Rome partners, James B. Ellis III, partner in the maritime group; and Jeffrey S. Moller, partner and practice group leader in the product liability, mass torts, insurance group; will serve as liaison partners to the Houston office, and will spend significant time in Houston. The office consists of six partners and various professionals, focusing on products liability, commercial, employment, public entity and appellate litigation, with immediate opportunities in the areas of maritime, energy, municipal and government relations matters.

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