There’s Something in the Water: San Diego Is Once Again a Hot Market for National Law Firms
April 22, 2024
By: Ronald E. Wood and Dale Durham
San Diego has the popular image of an idyllic seaside university and beach town, protected by the U.S. Navy and nearby Marines. Yet, its siren song continues to lure some of the nation’s largest corporate law firms even as others have pulled up stakes and departed. What exactly is it the new arrivals see in San Diego, and how do new entrants succeed?
A Decade of Office Openings
In the past 10 years, San Diego has attracted corporate law firms as diverse as London powerhouse Eversheds Sutherland, Los Angeles-based Manatt Phelps & Phillips, and Glaser Weil, and national firms Polsinelli, Greenberg Traurig, Quarles & Brady, Fennemore & Craig, and more. The majority of these firms can claim moderate growth since establishing a foothold in San Diego. Snell & Wilmer, for example, has grown at a prudent rate, opening with two partners in 2020 and now housing 12 attorneys, all the while expanding the number of practices it offers the market. A few firms, like Los Angeles-based Buchalter, have experienced significant growth. Since establishing its San Diego office in 2018, Buchalter has grown from eight launching attorneys to an impressive 50 attorneys, representing a 525% growth spree. However, the departures of heavyweights like Gibson Dunn (2008), Goodwin Procter (2013), and McDermott Will & Emery (2016) serve as reminders that success is not guaranteed in San Diego.
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