Two partners from former Milwaukee-based law firm Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP have started a new firm, MWH Law Group LLP.
Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan, which had more than 100 attorneys, closed its 15 national offices on Feb. 29. Emery Harlan and Kerrie Murphy, who were equity partners in the business, have hired 18 of the attorneys from the defunct firm at MWH, which has 20 total attorneys.
MWH is based at 735 N. Water St. in Milwaukee. It also has offices in Chicago, Indianapolis and West Des Moines, Iowa. The firm will focus on intellectual property, public finance, litigation and employment law, particularly in the financial services, technology, retail, food and beverage, and manufacturing industries.
A press release from MWH indicates most of the attorneys from the former firm quickly found other jobs.
“Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan had a long run,” Harlan said. “This is a time of great tumult in the legal profession and we are seeing evidence of tremendous change in law firms throughout the Milwaukee market. Our former partners decided it would not make financial sense to continue operating the firm in its then current form, so we agreed to all pursue other opportunities.”
MWH is committed to diversity and inclusion, it says, with a certification from the National Minority Supplier Development Council. Harlan co-founded and serves as chairman emeritus of the National Association of Minority & Women Owned Law Firms, with which MWH is active, and he also is an advisor to the Minority In-House Counsel Association.
“We are a minority-owned firm with a mission to ensure diverse attorneys have the opportunity to perform work for blue chip and Fortune 500 corporate clients,” said Murphy, who serves as managing partner. “We are seeking to transform the legal profession by demonstrating that it is possible to deliver the highest quality legal services in a firm environment that is genuinely diverse and inclusive at all levels.”
