Taft opens Manhattan office as it jumps to No. 61 on the Am Law 200 list

For most of 2025, news of Indiana law firm mergers was dominated by Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP. In 2026, the firm’s growth has continued but not just through acquisition. Taft has expanded to New York City by opening an office and hiring attorneys in Manhattan.

Taft was founded in Ohio and entered the Indianapolis market in 2008. The firm does not designate one of its 25 offices from Nevada to the East Coast as its headquarters, but it’s firmwide chair and managing partner, Robert Hicks, is based in Indianapolis. On Monday, Taft announced that Hicks’ tenure as managing partner has been extended by one year until the end of 2027. After that, the partner-in-charge of Taft’s Minneapolis office will take the reins.

Setting itself apart as a fast-growing, full-service firm dedicated to fostering independence and community, Taft has completed four major geographic moves in the last year and a half, taking the Midwest firm to Florida; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Colorado; and now New York.

Hicks said in growing Taft he simply wants to find law firms that align with his firm’s collaborative yet independent culture to offer the firm and its attorneys the best chance to grow.

“We find a cultural and client fit, and then we work with them in our mergers,” he said. “And that becomes our new footprint in that market.”

While Taft has made major moves recently, its growth over the past 10 years has brought significant changes. It has increased its revenue by more than 575% in the past decade and increased its headcount by more than 325% in the same amount of time.

Today, Taft has more than 1,250 attorneys in 25 offices around the country and about $1.1 billion in annual revenue. It ranked No. 61 on The American Lawyer’s 2026 Am Law 200 list, up from No. 79 in 2025.

Taft got its start in Cincinnati in the late 1800s as Worthington & Strong. It became Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP in 1924 when the sons of former President William Howard Taft joined the firm. It entered the Indianapolis market by absorbing locally based Sommer Barnard, then a 39-year-old firm with 103 lawyers.

Merging with intention

Taft is strategic when it pursues merger opportunities. For a firm to fit the bill, several factors are considered.

When any firm considers a merger, Taft’s managing partners take note of the size and price of the firm. It’s natural to assume that an expensive or large firm is going to be worth the investment, Hicks said. And while those are factors to consider, Hicks believes a firm’s longevity says even more about its success.

Taft prioritizes historic law firms, those who’ve been in their individual communities for several decades. Take the firm’s January 2025 merger with Denver-based Sherman & Howard, for example.

The firm opened in 1892 and is Denver’s oldest and third-largest firm. With offices in Colorado, Arizona and Nevada, the move marked Taft’s official expansion into the Mountain West region and added 125 attorneys to its nationwide team.

In talking about the merger last year, Hicks told The Lawyer that the deal came together quickly, in part because leaders for the two firms knew early on that they’d be a good pairing.

When the firm announced its merger with Morris, Manning & Martin last August, Hicks celebrated the Atlanta- and Washington, D.C.-based firm’s storied presence in its communities, a reflection of Taft’s own priorities.

“This strategic combination continues our successful tradition of merging with highly respected, established firms in new markets for Taft that bring exceptional lawyers interested in growing their firm and practices together with us,” Hicks told The Lawyer last year.

By combining with historic law firms, Hicks said Taft has a better chance of growing and thriving in a community.

Unlike building an office from the ground up in a new location, merging with an established firm increases the chances for a smoother transition, he said.

“It’s really hard to go replicate all those years of investment,” Hicks said.

On the flip side, Hicks said smaller yet still established firms want to merge with a larger firm that will help them grow and serve clients in innovative and expansive ways. Taft has grown in every market it’s merged into, Hicks said, from as little as a 35% growth to as large as a 200%.

Those firms fit culturally with Taft, and they simply need a bigger platform to work with, he said.

While Taft completed several mergers in 2025, Hicks said that’s not a trend the firm intends to repeat. He is, however, always willing to consider new mergers if it makes sense for Taft. “We tend to be opportunistic and grab the firms when the right one comes along,” he said.

New York state of mind

In the latest display of momentum for the firm, Taft announced in April that it opened an office in New York City, something that has “always been on our radar to open,” Hicks said.

The office, located in Manhattan, is led by Bradford McCormick, Timothy Moran and Joseph Tato. The three worked together at Steptoe LLP out of Washington, D.C.

Not only does the move mark Taft’s first venture into the state, but how the firm got there is unique, too.

Although Taft sought firms to merge with for its move into the Empire State, the opportunity to build a new office with well-established attorneys in the area was too good to pass up, Hicks said.

Wheels began turning in early 2025 when Timothy Moran connected with Hicks after hearing about Taft through his clients. After meeting members of Taft’s team in Minneapolis and Indianapolis, Moran saw an opportunity to collaborate.

Taft’s culture was one factor the New York partners found especially appealing in their decision to work with the firm, Moran said. “You really get a sense here that people genuinely are collegial and collaborative,” Moran said. “Each office is its own individual office, and I’m sure each has their own personalities … but it really is one firm.”

Taft chooses not to have one specific office act as the firm’s “headquarters,” Hicks said. It’s part of the firm’s “One Taft” delivery model, which prioritizes the consistent delivery of services to clients across the county while also championing local markets and their individuality.

“They’re basically running their own market but consistent with the Taft core values and our culture,” Hicks said.

The firm doesn’t limit leadership to one group or office, something New York partner Bradford McCormick is encouraged by.

“It’s really an effort across offices,” McCormick said. “Everyone wants to take Taft in the same direction.”

Taft originally announced the New York office as one that will prioritize energy, infrastructure and project finance services, but Moran said the office will eventually act more as a full-service operation with services in litigation, private equity, labor employment and other services typical to a New York City law office.

While the New York office is still working to find its own individual personality, the partners are looking forward to opportunities that better serve both new and existing clients under the Taft umbrella.

“I think it’s somewhat unique, at least in my experience, to have a firm that is national, in many states, and local in a lot of ways,” Moran said. “We can really offer a lot more than we could before, and I think a lot more than a lot of other firms can.”•