2001 Business of the Year: Nixon Peabody LLP

Business NH Magazine, May 01, 2001 by Mowry, Matthew J

When Nixon Peabody estab lished itself in the Granite State nine years ago, the law firm's partners knew they would have to shatter a preconceived notion - that this would be a backyard operation for its Boston office. Not only did Nixon Peabody accomplish that, it now stands on its own merit as a premier NH firm.

Nixon Peabody differentiated itself from other law firms moving into NH by anchoring its Manchester office with strong Granite State attorneys who traditionally practiced in the state, says Kevin M. Fitzgerald, a partner and commercial litigator with the firm. "The principal founding partners of this office were all lawyers who were well known and wellthought of lawyers practicing in New Hampshire," Fitzgerald says.

"We grew the business from there based on our perceptions of where the growth areas were " he says. The firm has 15 specialty practice areas ranging from international to technology and intellectual property to bankruptcy.

The NH office was established by the Boston-based firm of Peabody & Brown in 1992 with six attorneys. Peabody & Brown merged with the New York firm of Nixon, Hargrave, Devans & Doyle in 1999 and changed the firm's name to Nixon Peabody LLP. The NH office now includes 20 attorneys white the overall firm has 520 attorneys with 11 offices along the cast coast. That allows the firm to help its clients with issues they may be dealing with in other states.

"That combination of New Hampshire lawyers with a business focus and the resources of a national firm available on Elm Street makes us attractive (to clients)," says James C. Hood, a partner at Nixon Peabody.

That business model has certainly been successful for the firm, which has tripled in size and quadrupled revenues since being established. The firm has been a key player in the state's premier business deals, including acting as lender's counsel for the Manchester Civic Center, NH's largest public project, and serving as counsel to Corning Incorporated during its acquisition of land in Nashua for its new plant.

Adding to its success is the steps Nixon Peabody takes to improve the quality of service to its clients. "At least every other year we do client quality satisfaction surveys. We hire an outside agency to formulate an inquiry for clients. They contact thousands of the clients we do business with and ask them not only to complete (the inquiry form) but also to consent to be interviewed by us. We get the hard news back from this outside agency ... to get a fair measure of what our clients think of the quality of the contact, quality of the service, and quality of the results they get. And we ask the clients how we can improve it. That has been a wonderful, sometimes painful, teaming experience for us," Fitzgerald says.

The firm also has an internal quality analysis conducted every year by various personnel in the firm to evaluate all of the firm's services and operations. The firm then collects recommendations and develops an action plan.

Nixon Peabody has also established itself in NH by becoming a strong corporate citizen. "We are not just about trying to make money in a profession," Fitzgerald says. "You can't just be a carpetbagger. When we started in 1992, we were mindful of the thought 'this is just another back office for a big law firm.' We are not about that. This is a group of people involved in their community."

The firm's attorneys and staff have served as directors and board members on nonprofit boards ranging from the NH Food Bank to the Nashua Children's Home, as well as serving as coaches for youth athletics. In addition, the firm also performs pro bono legal work.