Post-merger conflicts have prompted four Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney lawyers to leave for a small Pittsburgh firm, Sherrard German & Kelly. Shareholders Stanley J. Lehman and Karen Y. Bonvalot and associates Samuel J. Toney IV and Erin E. Milliken will join the 30-lawyer firm next month, each retaining their respective titles. Client conflicts arose after Buchanan Ingersoll’s July 2006 merger with Klett Rooney Lieber & Schorling. All four attorneys were at Klett Rooney before the merger. Lehman was the chairman of the firm’s estate and tax group and served as a practice manager for its corporate department; he and Bonvalot primarily handled insurance coverage issues. Even before the merger, Lehman had to deal with conflicts with Klett Rooney’s insured clients – the problems only got worse as the firm grew post-merger. He looked towards Sheppard German, which already has a longstanding referral network with Buchanan Ingersoll.
Source: www.law.com