Dickstein Shapiro Boosts L.A. Presence, Poaches From Thelen Reid

News comes today from Kellie Schmitt for The Recorder:

Dickstein Shapiro, based in Washington, D.C., has brought on four attorneys from Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner’s shrinking Los Angeles office, which has seen more than a dozen departures since its fall merger.

Dickstein added partners James Turken and Amy Rubinfeld, as well as two associates from Thelen’s commercial litigation group, part of its plan to grow its 20-lawyer office in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, “Thelen is going through changes with the merger, and this got me to the Westside,” said Turken, who lives in Manhattan Beach, which is closer to Dickstein’s Century City office. “Anytime you merge cultures, things are going to change.”

In January, the firm moved into Century City’s Twin Towers which gave it space for 40 lawyers — space firm leaders hope to quickly fill.

“We were pretty landlocked in terms of growth,” said Linda Kornfeld, the managing partner of Dickstein’s Los Angeles office, “but now there’s definitely room to grow.”

Peter Ocko, a recruiter with Major, Lindsey & Africa in Los Angeles, attributes some of the departures to a merger that wasn’t the best fit.

“Sometimes firms take a look at everyone else getting together, and it seems like a good idea, but on a micro level, it doesn’t work as well as it sounds in the press release,” he said.