July 29, 2010 1:14 PM

Squire Sanders Shutters Tallahassee Office

Posted by Brian Baxter

Struggling to overcome the death of rainmaking lobbyist Jim Krog, Squire, Sanders & Dempsey is closing down its Tallahassee operations and offering its four remaining lawyers there opportunities in its other Florida offices, reports the Daily Business Review, a sibling publication.

Squire Sanders picked up the Tallahassee office in September 2005 after its merger with Florida firm Steel Hector & Davis, which had been in Florida's capital since 1982. Krog was a prominent political player in the Sunshine State, the DBR reports, and his sudden death in September 2008 from a heart attack left a hole that the firm was evidently unable to fill.

"He was a tremendous leader for the office and firm, he had a strong legislative practice, and there was no way to replace him or his leadership," Albert del Castillo, the Florida regional director for Squire Sanders, told the DBR. "That coupled with the economic downturn everyone was experiencing in 2009 and 2010 led to our decision. It was a difficult decision for us."

The Tallahassee office will close on October 1 after the expiration of its lease, del Castillo said. The DBR reports that the firm's Tallahassee lawyers--environmental partner Charles Guyton, litigation partner Gary Timin, of counsel Teri Donaldson, and associate Brian Cross--have been offered positions in Squire Sanders's other Florida offices in Miami, Tampa, and West Palm Beach.

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