Klehr Harrison Picks Up Dechert Corporate Partner

By Gina Passarella
Of the Legal Staff

Klehr Harrison Harvey Branzburg has picked up a Dechert corporate and securities partner in Philadelphia.

Lisa Burnett moved to the firm after 13 years at Dechert — serving the last few as a partner.  Burnett has represented private equity clients in middle market deals and has handled general mergers and acquisitions work for public and private companies. She joined Dechert in 1997 after clerking for now Chief Justice Ronald D. Castille.

She said she was talking to someone in the legal community about what she was looking for in her career and that person suggested she reach out to Klehr Harrison. Burnett said she was looking to bring in more clients, a difficult prospect in this economic environment coupled with the rates at Dechert, she said.

 “I was looking for a place where I could build relationships with clients and get them to be comfortable calling me on a general basis, not just [for] a really big deal because of the rate structures.”

Burnett said Klehr Harrison was a good fit and had recently brought over a tax partner with experience in the private equity realm, Benedict Kwon. Partner Keith W. Kaplan has a strong funds formation practice and a lot of contacts in the private equity world that could be helpful as well, she said.

Burnett isn’t bringing over any clients from Dechert, but said she hopes some of the client relationships she had there that weren’t under her name might want to look at Klehr Harrison. Burnett said she also wants to capitalize on the relationships already at her new firm as well as the possibility of bringing on old contacts as new clients, now that she is at a firm with a lower rate structure.

Comments

[Susan Rubinovitz]

Lisa Burnett is an excellent corporate and securities attorney and a wonderful addition to Klehr Harrison's practice. More and more, large firm corporate attorneys are moving to mid-size firms where they can handle middle market equity deals and be able to have a broader client base due to the more realistic billable hour rates.