You don't just wake up one day and decide to dismantle a law firm that has survived since the 1870s. It takes a specific kind of internal rot—or maybe just a series of incredibly bad breaks—to sink a ship like Stroock Stroock and Lavan.
By the end of 2023, the name was officially pulled off the door. A firm that survived the Great Depression, two World Wars, and the 2008 financial crisis couldn't survive a modern-day talent exodus. It's wild to think about. One minute you’re a staple of the New York legal elite, and the next, you’re hiring a "Liquidation Manager" to sell off the office chairs and settle the lease.
Honestly, the downfall of Stroock Stroock and Lavan is basically a cautionary tale for every mid-sized Big Law firm still trying to play with the global titans.
The Breaking Point for Stroock Stroock and Lavan
The end didn't happen overnight, but it felt fast once the dominoes started tipping.
In late 2023, the partnership finally voted to dissolve. The catalyst? A massive "lateral group acquisition." That's just fancy lawyer-speak for "everyone worth keeping left for a better deal." Hogan Lovells basically scooped up more than 30 partners in one go. When you lose half your partnership—including your co-managing partner, Jeff Keitelman—you don’t really have a law firm anymore. You have an empty floor in a Manhattan skyscraper with a very expensive rent bill.
Before that, there were failed "merger" talks. Nixon Peabody looked at them. Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman looked at them. Both walked away.
Pillsbury’s statement was particularly cold. They cited "immediate financial and other risks" that didn't fit their long-term goals. Translation: the math didn't work. Stroock had a massive, looming pension obligation to retired partners that hung around its neck like a literal anchor.
Why the Math Stopped Adding Up
You’ve gotta understand how these old-school firms work to see why they fail.
Stroock was famous for two things: Real Estate and Restructuring. For decades, those were money printers. But then, in March 2022, Paul Hastings poached an 18-partner restructuring team. That was a gut punch. It wasn’t just losing people; it was losing roughly a third of the firm’s entire revenue.
- The Pension Problem: They had an unfunded pension plan for retired partners. In a merger, the new firm doesn't want to inherit a multi-million dollar debt just to keep old guys paid.
- Headcount Freefall: In 2023 alone, they saw a 76% decline in partner headcount.
- The Real Estate Slump: New York real estate isn't what it used to be post-COVID, and Stroock was heavily tied to that market.
It’s kinda sad. This was a firm that represented the "Our Crowd" German-Jewish elite in New York. They did the legal work for the first submarine ever bought by the U.S. Navy. They argued constitutional cases before the Supreme Court in 1919.
But history doesn't pay the rent.
The Logistics of a Law Firm Death
When a firm like Stroock Stroock and Lavan dies, it doesn't just vanish into thin air.
They hired Gary Polkowitz from Teneo as the Liquidation Manager. His job was simple but grim: pay the creditors, handle the remaining lease obligations, and make sure the files got sent to the right places. By December 31, 2025, the firm had basically completed its wind-down.
If you were a client of their estate planning group, your files probably ended up at Porzio, Bromberg & Newman. Most of the real estate heavy hitters are now at Hogan Lovells. The bankruptcy experts are scattered across Paul Hastings and others.
It's a weirdly clinical process for something so emotional. People worked there for 40 years. Then, one Tuesday, there’s an internal email saying the Executive Committee is authorized to "dissolve the firm at the appropriate time."
Is Mid-Sized Big Law Dead?
The collapse of Stroock Stroock and Lavan says a lot about the legal industry in 2026.
If you aren't a global behemoth like Kirkland & Ellis or Latham & Watkins, you’re in the "danger zone." You have all the overhead of a massive firm—expensive offices, huge support staff, high associate salaries—but you don't have the global footprint to weather a localized recession or a practice-specific slump.
You’re basically a target.
Larger firms don't want to "merge" anymore. Mergers are messy. They involve combining debt, IT systems, and cultures. Instead, they just wait for the firm to start wobbling and then "poach" the most profitable groups. It’s cleaner. It’s what happened here. Hogan Lovells didn't buy Stroock; they just took the parts they liked and let the rest fall apart.
Actionable Steps for Clients and Former Employees
If you’re still sorting through the aftermath or tracking down old records, here’s how to handle the situation:
1. Locate Your Documents For original wills or trust documents previously held by the firm, contact Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, P.C. They took over many of the firm's private client files. Don't wait until there is an emergency to find out where your original paperwork is sitting.
2. Check the Dissolution Status While the firm ceased legal services on December 31, 2023, the formal liquidation process ran through the end of 2025. Any remaining inquiries regarding payments or claims should be directed to the Liquidation Manager via the official inquiries@stroock.com email, though response times may be slow now that the wind-down is complete.
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3. Vet Your New Representation If your lawyer moved to a "Mega-Firm," expect your billables to change. Larger firms have different rate structures. It’s a good time to audit your legal spend and decide if you actually need a global firm for your specific needs, or if a boutique is a better fit for your current budget.
4. Protect Your Data If you were a former employee or associate, ensure you have your personal records and performance data. When firms dissolve, internal HR portals usually go dark within weeks. If you haven't already, secure copies of your historical billing records for future lateral moves.
The legal world is shifting. The fall of Stroock Stroock and Lavan isn't an anomaly—it's a signal. The era of the "generalist" mid-sized New York firm is likely over. It’s either grow massive or find a very, very specific niche where the big guys can’t touch you.