When Evans Petree PC — one of the largest law firms in Memphis — moved into their current office space at 1715 Aaron Brenner Dr. in 2017, they took up the entire floor as they hoped to expand.
Until recently, that space was empty, but that will change on Friday.
Evans Petree is set to acquire local law firm Bourland Heflin PLC, forming a combination of two of the city’s top 25 law firms, based on MBJ research.
The firms will finalize the deal on April 1, and from April 4, onwards, Bourland Heflin employees will join Evans Petree at their East Memphis office.
“It has taken hard work by many people at both law firms,» said Scott Peatross, a member at Bourland Heflin. «The moving trucks show up tomorrow morning, and by Monday, we’re going to be ready to hit the ground running.”
The firms knew each other well before combining operations, Joe Getz, president of Evans Petree, said.
They had a familiarity with each other’s lawyers, their reputations, and the firms’ respective work cultures. But what made the process “fairly seamless,” Getz said, was when they traded client lists and found numerous mutual clients, connectivity, and the opportunity to work together.
For the lawyers at Bourland Heflin, this acquisition leverages the firm strength Evans Petree brings.
“We have access to a much wider variety of expertise than we did before, and that’s going to be a big advantage to our clients going forward,” said Peatross.
There was synergy between the two firms, Getz said, and the deal came together fairly quickly within 90 days.
“We were able to do it pretty quickly because we were doing different things for many similar clients without a lot of conflicts,” he said, “and that made it nice, [and] very positive for both of us.”
Beyond their interpersonal relationships, Bourland Heflin’s substantial estate planning practice was a great draw for the leadership at Evans Petree.
“We felt we had a strong estate planning group here as well,” Getz said, “but when you add the Bourland Heflin estate planning group with us, I think we are second to none from top to bottom in all kinds of trust and estate issues.”
All of Bourland Heflin’s employees, with one or two exceptions, will be joining Evans Petree, Peatross confirmed. Combined, Evans Petree will have 96 total employees now.
According to MBJ research, as of January 2022, Evans Petree is the fifth largest law firm in the city, with 41 local attorneys, including 36 partners, and five associates. Bourland Heflin tied for No. 21, with 12 Memphis-area attorneys, which includes eight partners and four associates. Getz will continue to lead Evans Petree after the firms combine.
This will be the first big acquisition for Evans Petree since 2008.
While the firm added four lawyers in 2012, including Getz, from the boutique construction law firm Less, Getz & Lipman PLC, Evans Petree’s last such sizable acquisition was in 2008 when they absorbed one of Memphis’ oldest law firms, The Bogatin Law Firm PLC, and its 10 attorneys.
With the addition of lawyers and expertise from Bourland Heflin, Evans Petree hopes to further strengthen their existing practice areas, including corporate transactions and real estate.
“We represent Memphis companies and help them handle their problems. And, looking at Bourland Heflin’s client list, [it] was very similar,» Getz said. «We look to be a leading Memphis firm for a number of years to come.»
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