By Jeff Blumenthal, Philadelphia Business Journal
Pittsburgh-based Burns White has acquired 13-lawyer Center City defense litigation boutique Christie & Young.
The deal, which became effective Jan. 1, expands Burns White’s presence to almost 70 lawyers in the Philadelphia region, spread over offices in Philadelphia, Conshohocken, Cherry Hill and Wilmington. It also enhances its healthcare and professional liability defense litigation practices.
The firm has a 15-attorney Energy Law practice chaired by Matthew G. Brouse as well as an eight-member Environmental Compliance practice. Its chairman is T.H. Lyda.
Christie & Young Managing Partner Jim Young said the genesis of the deal was in early 2019, when both firms were representing co-defendants in cases in Scranton and developed a rapport. That led to merger talks, which gained traction through the course of the year.
“We simply saw this as a good opportunity to work with great lawyers and broaden the services we could offer our clients,” Young said.
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Burns White CEO David White said the firm had been looking to open a Center City office for quite some time, as it often has cases there as a result of representing railroad companies in Federal Employer Liability Act matters. He hopes to expand this work now that the firm has a Philadelphia location.
LEN TUCCI
The former Christie & Young lawyers will maintain their offices at 1880 John F. Kennedy Blvd. while Burns White will keep its existing locations at 100 Four Falls Corporate Center in Conshohocken, 457 Haddonfield Road in Cherry Hill and 1 Righter Parkway in Wilmington. Christie & Young closed satellite offices in New York and Boston the day before the merger was completed.
“We had an interest in those two markets, just not at this time,” White said.
Founded in 1987, Burns White now has more than 150 lawyers spread over seven offices in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Ohio and West Virginia. It is ranked No. 8 on the Pittsburgh Business Times list of the largest law firms in that city.
