After
months
upon
months
of
failed
merger
talks,
partners
leaving
the
firm
in
droves,
a
round
of
layoffs,
and
reduced
hours
and
pay
for
senior
staffers,
Stroock
&
Stroock
&
Lavan
is
calling
it
quits.
The
firm
plans
to
dissolve.
The
American
Lawyer
has
the
scoop:
In
an
sent
to
the
firm
Monday
evening
and
obtained
by
Law.com,
firm
co-chairs
Jeff
Keitelman
and
Alan
Klinger
said
they
anticipate
the
executive
committee
will
soon
implement
an
Oct.
24
vote
of
the
partners
authorizing
the
“committee
to
dissolve
the
firm
at
the
appropriate
time.”“We
plan
to
give
you
advance
notice
of
that,”
the
said.
Stroock
has
known
of
these
plans
to
dissolve
since
last
week
on
October
24.
The
firm’s
co-chairs
noted
that
their
conversations
with
Hogan
Lovells
started
in
early
September,
and
that
a
“large-scale
lateral
group
acquisition,
not
a
merger”
was
always
on
the
table.
Was
this
one
of
the
“options”
—
a
future
dissolution
rather
than
a
merger
—
that
led
Stroock
to
step
away
from
its
talks
with
Pillsbury?
In
their
email,
Keitelman
and
Klinger
said
they
were
“excited”
that
so
many
Stroock
lawyers
are
headed
to
Hogan
Lovells.
“We
are
confident
that
this
move
will
offer
the
best
opportunities
and
growth
potential
for
the
most
members
of
our
firm,”
they
wrote.
We
know
that
Stroock’s
remaining
partners
are
likely
to
do
just
fine,
but
what
about
its
associates
and
staffers?
We
certainly
hope
that
they
will
be
able
to
move
on
to
other
firms
without
too
much
trouble.
Stay
tuned
for
coverage
on
what
the
anatomy
of
Stroock’s
dissolution
may
look
like.
Stroock
Planning
Dissolution
[American
Lawyer]
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
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