Dinsmore Moves to New Chicago Office Following 5 Years of Exponential Growth

Due to its quick expansion and plans for continued growth, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP’s Chicago branch has moved into its new office at 222 W Adams St., on the top floor of the Franklin Center’s USG Tower.

Since opening in March of 2014, Dinsmore has grown its attorney roster from one to 28 in Chicago, and there is no sign of slowing down. The new space, custom-designed to fit Dinsmore’s full-service offerings, is 150 percent larger than its office at 227 W Monroe St.

“We’re excited about our move,” Office Managing Partner Bobby Lucas said. “The increased size and efficient design will provide us with room for the additional growth we anticipate in Chicago, while also allowing us to host events, meetings, and CLEs. Just as important, the flex space of our new offices will enhance our employee experience.”

Lucas launched Dinsmore’s Chicago office five-and-a-half years ago via a merger with Peck Shaffer & Williams. The initial team of five attorneys doubled six months later, facilitating the firm’s first move within Chicago to its Monroe Street location. But the firm outgrew that space by 2017, when it added an intellectual property group representing a global retailer, necessitating expansion to the annex offices on the same floor. That was simply a stopgap, however, until Dinsmore could arrive in its new space this week, fully equipped to handle the Midwest leader’s exponential growth.

In the half-decade since opening shop in Chicago, Dinsmore has built a full-service operation, mirroring the firm’s national offerings. Dinsmore’s 27 local attorneys work in the following spaces: real estate, corporate and transactional, commercial litigation, bankruptcy and restructuring, appellate, labor and employment, construction, intellectual property, trademark procurement/management, copyright, patent, banking and financial services, insurance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, beer/wine and spirits, environmental, workplace safety, OSHA, white-collar crime, government investigations, false claims act, and gaming and sports.

To date, Dinsmore has accomplished this breadth of service and expansion largely through one-off and two-off laterals and the additions of summer associates. But with space to fill and options for further square footage within the building, the firm is actively seeking to acquire firms and/or attorney groups of larger sizes to join Dinsmore.

Since 1908, Dinsmore has built to more than 650 attorneys in 25 cities nationwide. In July, it earned its fourth-consecutive top-90 NLJ 500 ranking following its placement on The American Lawyer’s 2019 Am Law 200 list. With the ribbon cut in its new Chicago office, it’s full speed ahead for the firm both in the Windy City and across the United States.