PROVIDENCE – One of Rhode Island’s most prominent law firms, and one of the nation’s oldest, this morning announced it is closing its doors.
Tillinghast Licht LLP, which traces its origins back to 1818, said it is shutting down because its shrinking number of lawyers made it increasingly difficult for it to continue as a full-service legal practice.
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The fifth-largest firm in the state in terms of staff size, Tillinghast Licht has featured many people well-connected in local political circles, including former Lt. Gov. Richard A. Licht, former House Speaker Joseph DeAngelis and former Warwick Mayor Joseph W. Walsh.
But now, said managing partner David T. Reidel, a number of the senior partners are older than 60.
“We don’t feel like we have the time left to grow the place internally to get to the point where we can continue to be a full-service firm,” Reidel said. “The kind of work that we do requires more depth than we have.”
Work at the firm’s offices at 10 Weybosset St., Providence, will cease by June 1, he said. But the name will continue for several months as other matters are wrapped up, collecting legal fees and disposing of out-dated case files, Reidel said.
The attorneys have already notified most of their clients.
Rumors of the pending closure have circulated over the weeks since the firm’s 20 lawyers and 25 support staff members received notice. Reidel, who has worked at Tillinghast for 38 years, said all but one of the associates already have found other jobs.
Six of the senior partners are moving to Adler Pollock & Sheehan PC, including Reidel, Licht and DeAngelis. But Mark O. Denehy, managing partner at Adler Pollock & Sheehan, stressed that the move should not be considered a merger: “We just hired selected attorneys who thought their practice would fit with ours and ours would fit with theirs.”
Tillinghast Licht is considered the oldest continuously operating law firm in the state and one of the oldest in the country.
For more information, visit www.TLLaw.com or read the full story in the May 5 edition of Providence Business News.
