Alabama law firm Hand Arendall has announced a merger with Florida Panhandle firm Harrison Sale McCloy, creating a new regional firm to be known as Hand Arendall Harrison Sale LLC.
Hand Arendall announced the agreement Wednesday and said it would be effective Jan. 1. Hand Arendall Harrison Sale will have about 85 lawyers, with Alabama offices in Mobile, Birmingham, Fairhope and Athens and Florida offices in Panama City, Destin and Santa Rosa Beach.
According to information provided by the new company, Harrison Sale McCloy founding partner Franklin Harrison will serve as managing lawyer for Florida. Hand Arendall’s managing lawyer, Roger Bates, has been named managing lawyer for the new firm.
Hand Arendall was founded in Mobile in 1941 and has offered services “in all areas of traditional civil practice,” according to company information. Harrison Sale McCloy was founded in 1983 and likewise handles a broad spectrum of legal matters.
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According to information released by Hand Arendall Harrison Sale, talks between the two firms began in early 2017.
“In a dynamic and ever developing legal industry, we made a strategic decision to continue to expand westward from our original office in Panama City four years ago,” said Franklin Harrison. “Hand Arendall was strategically exploring an eastward expansion along the Gulf Coast. After initial meetings and several interviews, we decided to team with Hand Arendall forming a new firm of Hand Arendall Harrison Sale. It is an exciting next step in the strategic growth plan of both firms.”