A Shockoe Slip law firm is in the process of disbanding.
Butler, Williams & Skilling is putting together a plan to take apart the firm as its partners go their separate ways, according to a source close to the company.
Chuck Williams, one of four partners at the six-attorney firm, which does employment law and commercial litigation, responded to BizSense via email on Wednesday.
“I can confirm that the principals of BWS have decided to make some changes in the way we do business in the near future,” Williams said in the email.
Williams did not get specific in answering questions about what exactly the firm is doing but alluded to the fact that the attorneys there are each moving on and that it was a difficult decision.
“The primary goal is simply to have more control over each of our practices and our lives,” Williams said in the email.
“We have practiced together for more than 17 years, so it’s not an easy decision, but once the changes are made we will continue to collaborate and assist one another. An announcement will be made soon regarding changes and how we plan to serve the needs of our clients going forward.”
Williams did not say where the firm’s attorneys are headed or whether they’ll be joining other firms or going to practice on their own.
BWS’s dissolution will also open the space it occupies on the fourth floor of 100 Shockoe Slip, a former tobacco warehouse that was redeveloped and once owned by Justin French.
That building was recently purchased by Jerry Cable, owner of the nearby Tobacco Company restaurant.
Michael Schwartz covers the legal industry for BizSense. Please send news tips to Michael@richmondbizsense.com.
They say any publicity is good publicity – well, it turns out that is not entirely true. So I thought I should weigh in and try to allay any confusion there might be about whether the folks at BWS are alive and doing well. We are. But changes are in the works that will likely result in our employment practice and employment attorneys going in one direction, and the rest of us going in another. Sad? Yes, because we’ve been together for quite some time, have done some good work together, and have enjoyed a fair amount of success. But the change is not prompted by anything bad – we’re not going under, and none of us is going to federal prison or anything – we just decided the time is right to change course a bit. The silver lining is that today’s article prompted quite a few emails and phone calls from colleagues, clients and other friends in the community expressing concern about the news. I was surprised, but mostly gratified, at the amount of interest in what is going on with us and with our law firm. We will get out an announcement soon concerning our new endeavors. In the meantime, BWS remains open for business. But even after our doors are shuttered we will still be around to make sure our existing clients and the new clients referred to us are well taken care of. Thanks for thinking of us. CW