Burns & Levinson to close

Boston law firm to close following raids from larger rivals.

Boston-based midsize law firm Burns & Levinson is set to cease operations following competitive actions from Am Law 100 firms. Managing partner Paul Mastracola confirmed the firm's impending closure in a statement released on the firm's website last Friday, September 27, indicating that the firm would  "continue in the short term and then will engage in an orderly wind down of its operations."

According to data from Pirical, Burns & Levinson has experienced a significant reduction in its workforce, losing 60% of its lawyers over the past six months, which has left the firm with approximately 50 attorneys. The departure of attorneys began in April when ArentFox Schiff recruited four partners specializing in automotive law, subsequently acquiring a 13-member intellectual property and litigation group from Burns & Levinson. Additional departures include a 25-lawyer corporate and finance team that established Blank Rome’s Boston office, as well as a five-lawyer environmental team that transitioned to the New England regional firm Verrill in August.

Burns & Levinson began merger talks with other firms amid the exits to “meet the obligations left to those of us who chose to remain together and to give [the firm] a chance at another chapter”, Mastracola said in the statement.

“Unfortunately, after exhaustive analysis, we have determined that the economics, the timeline and the complexity of deals offered would not work for the remaining partners as a group and for our wonderfully varied practices,” Mastracola said. “As a partnership, we have decided that it is better for our attorneys to move on to different firms where each of our practices can thrive and our clients can – and will – be well served.”

Regional firm Barclay Damon has hired around 10 lawyers from Burns & Levinson’s IP, real estate, corporate and finance groups, firm chair John Langan said.

Barclay Damon had initially been in talks with Burns & Levinson for a full merger, though Langan told GLP that some of the lawyers the firm had hoped to recruit as part of the deal had decided to go elsewhere and that “we could not make a full firm-to-firm combination work”.

McCarter & English announced today, September 30, that it has recruited a team of ten attorneys, comprising eight partners and nine professional staff members, from Burns & Levinson in Boston to enhance its trusts, estates, and private client practice. Additionally, a separate group of six private client attorneys is preparing to transition to the New York-based firm Darrow Everett. In a statement, Mastrocola highlighted that Burns & Levinson achieved record revenue in 2023 and emphasized that, throughout its 64-year history, the firm has consistently opted not to entertain inquiries from national firms regarding potential mergers.