Mar 4, 2013

Midsize Matters: Roetzel & Andress' Expansion in the Middle

Article

Jeffrey Casto prefers the middle seat, thank you very much. As chairman of 215-attorney Roetzel & Andress, he finds that the pushback big firms are experiencing from clients about their bills is working to his firm’s advantage.

With offices in 13 cities, including New York, Chicago and Washington, Roetzel has added seven partners since December and is eyeing Georgia, North Carolina and Texas for its next moves. The firm’s gross revenue was down by 4.5 percent in 2012, revenue per lawyer fell by 2.2 percent and profits per partner declined by 6.3 percent, according to The American Lawyer, an NLJ affiliate. Casto says the firm is positioned for growth in 2013. Clients include Fifth Third Bancorp Co., PNC Bank and Envirotest Systems Corp.

Charging between $300 and $500 an hour for partner work, Akron, Ohio-based Roetzel serves a mid-market clientele of companies—and makes no apologies for it.

The National Law Journal spoke with Casto, 58, about his firm’s trajectory...

The National Law Journal
View PDF