Blank Rome opened a new office in Boston, anchored by 13 partners with corporate, finance, mergers and acquisitions, tax, litigation, and cannabis practices. In addition, 12 associates and several other businesses professionals joined the new office.

Partners Frank A. Segall and Josef B. Volman, who joined the firm from Burns & Levinson, will lead the new office. For more than 25 years, Segall and Volman served as chairs of Burns & Levinson’s corporate, finance and cannabis practice groups.

At Blank Rome, Segall will serve as partner and co-chair of the cannabis practice, in addition to co-leading the Boston office. Segall has deep experience in the cannabis industry and negotiates complex business deals, including mergers, acquisitions, sales, syndications, loans, restructurings and equity investments.

Volman is a dealmaker in the middle-market community and advises clients with respect to M&A, and represents entrepreneurs, venture capital funds and other investors through all phases of the fundraising process, including public offerings.

The other partners joining the new Boston office include:

• Michael S. Andreasen, who focuses on general corporate, M&A, finance, securities, venture capital and private equity matters
• Caitlin E. Barrett, whorepresents lenders and borrowers in a variety of commercial finance transactions and advises both purchasers and sellers in the structuring and negotiation of mergers, acquisitions and divestitures
• Rodney A. Bedow, who focuses his tax practice on planning and transactions involving C corporations, S corporations and partnerships, and has a background in U.S. international taxation
• Max M. Borg, whofocuses his cannabis practice on M&A, securities offerings, debt financings, restructurings, securities laws compliance, corporate governance and related commercial transactions
• Gil Breiman, whorepresents investors and entrepreneurs launching, growing and exiting businesses in a spectrum of high technology and life sciences fields
• Alison R. Harrall, who advises clients on transactional matters and practices in the areas of corporate governance, private equity, venture capital financing, debt and equity financing, and M&A
• Mark W. Manning, whoserves as a legal and business adviser across an array of practices, including M&A, growth capital and intellectual property
• Scott H. Moskol, who will co-chair the cannabis practice and counsels clients in the cannabis and other industries with respect to all legal issues that may arise in restructurings, workouts, bankruptcies, receiverships and other insolvency-related matters, including distressed M&A
• Robert A. Petitt,who focuses on capital markets, securities law, M&A and corporate governance matters for both public and private company clients
• Chad J. Porter, who handles a range of business law matters, including M&A, commercial financing arrangements, private equity transactions, and securities transactions and compliance.
• Thomas T. Reith, wholitigates and manages complex commercial litigation for clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to family-owned businesses.

The associations joining the new Boston office include: Austin M. Abir, Lauren G. Barrett, Naveed Cheraghchi, Lauren Medeiros Forster, Carmen F. Francella III, Benjamin I. Holman, Michael J. Moyer, Marc A. Polito, Donald J. Slater Jr., Kaitlin T. Spurling, Michael W. Stack and Gustav Stickley V.

“We are thrilled to welcome this outstanding group of corporate and finance attorneys — one of the leading corporate teams in the market — to Blank Rome and have them establish our presence in Boston,” Grant S. Palmer, chair and managing partner of Blank Rome, said. “Guided by our strategic plan, we seek measured growth opportunities that support our national profile, enable our attorneys to serve our clients at the highest levels and strengthen our culture, which is critical to our success. Our new colleagues are renowned practitioners and great people who are a perfect fit. Additionally, this powerhouse team is nationally recognized for their corporate, finance, M&A, securities and litigation work, as well as their market-leading transactional cannabis practice, which Blank Rome has been looking to develop nationally. This is a very exciting development for our firm and, under the leadership of Frank and Joe, we look forward to expanding our presence and capabilities in Boston to continue to meet the sophisticated business and legal needs of our clients.”

“There are remarkable synergies between our practices and Blank Rome’s national platform, making it a natural fit to join the firm and open its Boston office,” Segall said. “Blank Rome has tremendous experience in practices and industries where our clients need expanded counsel, including banking, bankruptcy and restructuring, fund formation, real estate, tax, cybersecurity, technology, and life sciences, to name a few. Working in collaboration with our new, talented colleagues across the firm, we can help our clients see around corners, mitigate risk and capture new opportunities.”

Corporate and Finance Practice

The corporate and finance attorneys joining Blank Rome counsel clients across a range of legal services, including acting as corporate counsel and advising on mergers, acquisitions, securities law, private equity, venture capital and finance. They serve a range of clients, including local, national and international corporations in a variety of industries from emerging businesses to established commercial entities. More specifically, the team works with public companies, middle-market companies, closely held private businesses, family-owned enterprises, financing sources, entrepreneurial startups and individuals. The team also represents financial institutions, including banks and private credit funds, in sophisticated lending transactions.

“We are thrilled to bring our entire corporate and finance team of 25 attorneys to Blank Rome and have the opportunity to support our clients from the firm’s national platform with offices in key markets,” Volman said. “It is rare to have a team like ours that has practiced together for 25 years. We are proud of the family-like atmosphere we have fostered among our team and are fortunate to have found an Am Law 100 firm that has the same collegial culture and values. We look forward to collaborating with our new colleagues to serve our clients and community.”

“Adding an office in Boston with this highly skilled corporate and finance team, which includes several lawyers representing a number of common banking and finance clients, adds exceptional depth and talent to our leading national Finance practice,” Lawrence F. Flick II, Blank Rome’s vice chair and chair of its financial services industry team, said.

Cannabis Practice

The cannabis team joining Blank Rome developed and utilized its corporate and finance experience to create a practice specifically targeted to the cannabis industry. Today, the attorneys advise clients navigating the complex legal and business framework surrounding the rapidly growing cannabis industry. They offer services including cannabis business formation and legal and regulatory compliance; corporate structuring; joint ventures; M&A; fund formation; debt and equity financing; real estate acquisitions and leasing; restructurings, workouts and receiverships; labor and employment issues; intellectual property protection; 280E taxation issues; and, if necessary, litigation services.

“Blank Rome is committed to establishing and supporting a national cannabis practice, which aligns with what Frank and I and our dedicated cannabis team have built over the last 12 years,” Moskol said. “We have been at the forefront of the industry, and as the cannabis market continues to mature, cannabis businesses, investors and ancillary companies that sell products and services to the cannabis community will need increasingly sophisticated corporate, M&A, tax, regulatory, finance, restructuring and litigation counsel in key markets across the country. At Blank Rome, we look forward to expanding the legal and business support that we provide to clients operating in the cannabis space to help them succeed in this constantly shifting maze of rules.”