2025Law

Crowell & Moring ← Reed Smith

16 Partners and 24+ Associates Move as One Unit to Crowell

The largest healthcare litigation liftout of 2025, reshaping the legal industry's competitive landscape

Deal Value

40+ lawyers

Team Size

16 partners + 24+ associates

Industry

Law

In August 2025, Crowell & Moring announced that 16 healthcare litigation partners from Reed Smith were joining the firm, along with their team of associates—more than 40 lawyers total moving as a single unit. The move instantly created one of the largest healthcare practices in the country.

Background

Crowell & Moring had been steadily building its healthcare practice but lacked the depth in managed care litigation to compete with the top firms.

Reed Smith's healthcare litigation group, led by Martin J. Bishop, had built a national reputation defending managed care companies in complex litigation across all 50 states.

Bishop had previously led a similar group move—bringing lawyers from Foley & Lardner to Reed Smith in 2015, where he eventually joined the executive committee.

Healthcare litigation was heating up, with managed care companies facing an increasingly complex regulatory and litigation landscape.

The Move

On August 6, 2025, Crowell & Moring announced that 16 partners from Reed Smith's healthcare litigation practice were joining the firm.

The move included a team that would grow to more than 40 lawyers across multiple markets: Chicago (where 8 partners joined), Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Dallas.

The Dallas contingent was particularly significant—Crowell opened its first Texas office as part of this deal, with Scott Williams serving as managing partner.

Martin Bishop would co-chair Crowell's healthcare group and bring his executive committee experience from Reed Smith.

Key Players

Martin J. Bishop

Reed Smith Executive Committee → Crowell Healthcare Co-Chair

Trial attorney who built and led Reed Smith's healthcare litigation practice. Known for orchestrating successful group moves.

Rebecca Hanson

Partner, Chicago

One of the core partners who originally moved with Bishop from Foley & Lardner in 2015.

Thomas Hardy

Partner, Chicago

Another Foley & Lardner alum, part of the group's stable core.

Scott Williams

Managing Partner, Dallas Office

Led the Texas expansion, opening Crowell's first Lone Star State office.

Why It Worked

•The team had already moved together successfully once before (Foley to Reed Smith in 2015), proving they could integrate effectively.
•Bishop's executive committee experience meant he understood firm management and could navigate the political aspects of integration.
•Crowell offered something Reed Smith couldn't—the opportunity to be the dominant healthcare practice rather than one of several strong groups.
•The multi-city structure (Chicago, LA, SF, Dallas) gave Crowell national coverage overnight.

Challenges

•Integrating a 40+ lawyer group requires significant administrative and cultural alignment work.
•The new Dallas office needs to be built out with proper infrastructure and support.
•Reed Smith lost significant revenue and had to reorganize its healthcare practice.

Outcome

•Crowell instantly became one of the largest healthcare litigation practices in the country.
•The firm expanded its geographic footprint with a new Texas presence.
•The deal was described as "reshaping this sector of the legal industry nationally."
•Crowell nearly doubled the size of its healthcare team in Chicago alone.

Lessons for Other Liftouts

1.Teams that have moved together before are lower-risk liftout targets.
2.A leader with management experience (like Bishop's executive committee role) can navigate integration challenges.
3.Opening new offices as part of a liftout can be more effective than trying to build from scratch.
4.Law firm group moves continue to accelerate—this was part of a 13.9% year-over-year increase.