Freeborn & Peters and Hargraves, McConnell Announce Combination
Freeborn & Peters LLP announces that it is combining with the New York City firm of Hargraves, McConnell & Costigan P.C. The development, which establishes Freeborn’s first office in New York, represents a further geographic expansion for the Chicago-headquartered Freeborn, which last year combined with the Richmond, Va.-based Brenner, Evans & Millman P.C.
“A common client of the two firms urged the combination. We are always pleased when clients’ needs result in continuing strategic growth for the firm and for our internationally acclaimed insurance/reinsurance practice,” said Joseph T. McCullough IV, Leader of the Insurance/Reinsurance Practice Group and member of the Freeborn Executive Committee. “With the firm’s growing emphasis on international arbitration and litigation for other industries, New York is an ideal location in which to offer our sophisticated litigation capabilities. A presence in New York enables us to better serve our international, as well as domestic, clients.”
In a news release, the firm said:
The combination with Hargraves, McConnell & Costigan P.C. advances Freeborn’s strategy of geographically expanding its strongest practice areas when faced with demonstrable client demand. This objective is fulfilled through Hargraves’ strong reputation in the insurance and reinsurance industries in litigating and arbitrating disputes arising out of both domestic and international contracts. The combination also serves Hargraves by extending the scope, reach and depth of its practice.
“In seeking a partner for growth, there were very few other firms that had the same depth of knowledge and experience in insurance/reinsurance as Joe McCullough and his large team at Freeborn & Peters,” said Daniel Hargraves, Founder of Hargraves, McConnell & Costigan P.C. “We look forward to this combination and to collaborating with our new colleagues to the benefit of all our clients.”
Hargraves and his team in New York have extensive experience in complex commercial litigation and arbitrations across many industries, including reinsurance. He also has the unique distinction of being admitted to practice across three continents: before the Courts of the State of New York, U.S. Court of Appeals (Second and Third Circuits), and U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York; High Court of Justice of England and Wales; and Supreme Court of Queensland, High Court of Australia and Federal Courts of Australia.
According to Freeborn’s Co-Managing Partner Michael A. Moynihan, Freeborn has been able to maintain its independence and stature in a rapidly evolving profession by focusing on its strengths and expanding opportunistically from its legacy offices in Illinois. This is a testament to the firm’s dedication to its cultural identity, which enables it to attract well-credentialed attorneys with similar values.
“Our combination with Hargraves is a great example of our philosophy on growth,” Moynihan said. “We believe that practicing together with attorneys who share similar values produces superior legal results and best serves our clients. We anticipate additional expansion in other key markets for the firm.”
Freeborn plans to expand the New York office’s practice areas to include real estate, where the firm will draw on its existing national footprint to serve investors and developers in the multistate region in and around New York, and corporate law, where Freeborn will leverage its considerable experience with buyers and sellers of varying sizes to service clients with merger and acquisition needs in this region.
The combination will be complete on March 1, 2017. At that time, Freeborn will have four offices: Chicago; Springfield, Ill.; Richmond, Va.; and New York.