Fox Rothschild will open its first office in Texas by merging with Dallas firm David & Goodman, P.C., which focuses on employment, real estate and other matters.

Fox Rothschild firmwide managing partner, Mark Silow, mentioned that a mutual client recommended David & Goodman as a potential merger partner to Fox Rothschild after using the Dallas firm for a Texas real estate transaction. Silow said the firm plans to recruit more attorneys in Dallas through lateral hiring and is well-positioned to capture market share and talent in the crowded Texas legal world.

“We think we’re somewhat unique,” Silow explained. “On one hand, we’re a large firm with a national footprint, but on the other hand, we have a very middle-market focus to our practice. We think it’s a really good place to be in today’s legal market. We have competitive billing rates and understand how to represent middle-market clients, and we think that differentiates us quite a bit from other large national firms in terms of both attracting clients and lateral attorneys.”

Fox Rothschild saw the right fit in David & Goodman. Silow described the size as their “sweet spot on the kinds of deals we like to do.”

“We’re definitely interested and committed to growing the Dallas office. We recognize that Texas is a huge state and a huge market, and just because we’ve established an office in Dallas doesn’t end our interest in Texas. We’re very much interested in establishing similar offices in the other major cities in Texas as well, and certainly Houston and Austin are at the top of the list for that,” he said.

Clint David, founder of David & Goodman and now managing partner for the Dallas office says he’s fielded “more calls than you can imagine” from national firms interested in expanding into Texas. He felt he owed it to his longtime law partners and employees to wait until for the right fit.

David believes that Fox Rothschild is well-positioned to compete for legal business and talent in the Dallas market and that the firm’s national presence will be a huge boost in lateral recruiting. “I can now offer a lateral from a large national firm with a Dallas presence the best of both worlds — coming to work with a smaller firm in Dallas that has a family atmosphere but also the financial strength and practice areas of a national firm. It’s a much easier sell for me to bring in laterals or other sections to the Dallas office of Fox Rothschild.”

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