Partner Up

Tampa attorney William Schifino Jr. grew convinced over the past few years that the 23-lawyer firm that bears his name needed a boost.

Schifino aimed high, and he accomplished his mission: The practice, Williams Schifino Mangione & Steady, recently teamed up with Birmingham, Ala.-based Burr & Forman — a firm with more than 10 times as many attorneys. Both firms call the move, announced Oct. 1, a combination. Financial terms of the arrangement weren't released.

“It was client driven in many respects,” says Schifino, now the Tampa office managing partner for Burr & Forman. “We knew we had a common core value system. We learned we were a lot like each other.”