Ohio Law Firm Merges with Indy’s Wooden McLaughlin

(photo courtesy of Dinsmore & Shohl)

Ohio-based law firm Dinsmore & Shohl LLP is merging with Wooden McLaughlin LLP in Indianapolis. The merger, which became official earlier this year, will add new offices in Indianapolis, Evansville and Bloomington to the firm’s national footprint.

The firm says the merger is one of the largest deals of two domestic-only firms in the legal industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, the merger grows Dinsmore’s attorney headcount by more than 7%.

“I’ve always believed in having a renewable five-year plan and working back from where you want to be,” said Dinsmore Chairman and Managing Partner George Vincent. “Five years ago, we wanted to be in Boston, Florida and Indiana, and we’ve done all of those things. We are in every state surrounding Indiana, so it is a natural place for us to be. There are significant opportunities for new and existing Dinsmore clients there, and Wooden has a great legacy.”

The firm says all three offices will remain in their current locations. The move into Indiana continues the firm’s Midwestern expansion, building on its presence in Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky.

The 47 attorneys coming aboard bring Dinsmore’s total to more than 730 nationwide.

“We’ve been approached for the last 15 years by firms interested in merging,” said Wooden partner Misha Rabinowitch, who will lead Dinsmore’s Indianapolis and Bloomington offices. “We’ve always resisted those overtures because we value our culture. But when we were approached by Dinsmore, we had to take a serious look, because the culture they’ve developed is just like ours. The merger is also a tremendous opportunity to continue to grow with our clients by providing additional depth of service in areas where we already practice, offering services in new business segments, and expanding our geographic reach.”

In addition to Rabinowitch assuming a leadership position, partner Joe Kremp will join Dinsmore’s board of directors and Greg Freyberger will be the office managing partner in Evansville.