Just a few months after launching in Miami, King & Spalding has lured three securities litigation partners from Akerman to continue building the office.
Brian Miller, Samantha Kavanaugh and Ross Linzer joined King & Spalding on Wednesday, growing the Atlanta-based firm’s Miami office to 15 partners. The office launched in February with 37 lawyers overall.
The lateral moves are another sign of King & Spalding’s focus in Miami and the overall business prospects in the city for Am Law 200 firms. “Miami right now is a very exciting and high-growth market. I think it’s a good time for King & Spalding to open up the office here,” Miller said in an interview.
“There is a real growth in finance, fintech and crypto businesses in Miami,” he added. “These are all areas that can unfortunately also lead to securities litigation. I think we’re well-positioned in this marketplace with our experience in that area to help.”
Miller, who most recently served as the chair of Akerman’s securities litigation practice, declined to comment on whether his clients would be joining him, but said that he believes the strength of King & Spalding’s practice will “provide a real benefit” to his clients.
“The trends we’ve seen in securities litigation lately is a lot more plaintiffs firms entering the market and bringing claims against companies that may have felt they were immune from being sued in a securities class action before,” Miller said. “That’s not necessarily for the Miami market alone. That’s what we see across the country.”
The move comes shortly after Akerman saw former Miami partners Francisco Rodriguez, Sandra Millor and Gilberto Guerrero-Rocca leave the firm in early May.
A representative from Akerman said, “We wish the three lawyers well in their future endeavors.”
