In this article, The American Lawyer examines firms who have eschewed growth-by-lateral. “From early 2007 through the start of this year, the firm brought on only patent litigation partner Denise W. DeFranco. Firm managing partner Barbara C. McCurdy says that given the firm’s focus, when Finnegan has holes to fill, they're usually in new fields of technology, where the best candidates come from engineering schools rather than other firms. She also says that growth by lateral acquisition can be disruptive to a firm's culture. “People who move laterally don't often just move once,” McCurdy says.”
