Law firm Rivkin Radler expands to Florida with immigration, class-action practices

Rivkin Radler LLP is opening an office in Jacksonville, Florida, the Uniondale law firm's first foray outside of the Northeast, officials said.

The 20-attorney office will be Rivkin Radler's second largest behind its Long Island headquarters, which has about 160 lawyers. The firm now has 235 attorneys. The new office opens on Monday.

"Clients have moved their interests into Florida," said Barry Levy, the Rivkin partner who led the expansion effort. "This is just the beginning of what we consider a strategic move into the state."

An office in South Florida is planned in a future expansion, he said. "It's a significant frontier."

The attorneys joining the Jacksonville office will include Melissa Dearing, an immigration attorney who helps corporate clients secure visas for foreign nationals, and John Marino and Lindsey Trowell, whose practice includes defending insurance company clients in class-action lawsuits.

Most of the 20 attorneys, including Dearing, Marino and Trowell, came from the international law firm Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP.

"This is an exciting opportunity for all of us," Marino said in a statement. “We have worked closely with many Rivkin attorneys and staff for several years. The combination will help us better serve our clients, and Rivkin’s culture of collegiality and collaboration is a great fit for us."

Rivkin, established in 1950, also has offices in Manhattan, Albany, Hackensack, New Jersey and  Poughkeepsie.

Levy, who joined Rivkin 16 years ago, said the law firm wants to be "proactive" in following the interests of its corporate, real estate and trust and estate clients who moved from New York to Florida.

“It was an easy decision to open this office with a group of attorneys whose focus on client service so closely aligns with the rest of the firm,” Rivkin managing partner Evan H. Krinick said in a statement. “Our expanded capabilities in the areas of insurance, class actions and immigration will be helpful to clients in the Northeast and Southeast alike.”

By Ken Schachter

kenneth.schachter@newsday.comkschach

Ken Schachter covers corporate news, including technology and aerospace, and other business topics for Newsday. He has also worked at The Miami Herald and The Jerusalem Post.