Hand Arendall LLC and Harrison Sale Mccloy Combine to Form Southern Regional Law Firm

Hand Arendall LLC and Harrison Sale McCloy Attorneys at Law are pleased to announce that the two firms have agreed to combine effective January 1, 2018, to become Hand Arendall Harrison Sale LLC. This strategic combination brings together two firms deeply invested in the communities they serve and will result in a southern, regional law firm that meets the goals of both firms’ growth strategies and will allow them to continue to provide high-quality legal services, with greater depth and a broader range of services within one firm, to clients throughout the Gulf Coast in Alabama, Northwest Florida and Mississippi.

Hand Arendall Harrison Sale LLC will have approximately 85 lawyers across the southern region. This combination gives clients access to lawyers in the Alabama offices in Mobile, Birmingham, Fairhope and Athens and Northwest Florida offices in Panama City, Destin and Santa Rosa Beach. Roger Bates, Hand Arendall LLC’s Managing Lawyer, has been named to serve as the Managing Lawyer of the new firm and Franklin Harrison, a founding partner of Harrison Sale McCloy, will join the firm’s executive committee and serve as the Florida office Managing Lawyer.

Bates said, “I’m so pleased for our firm to be combining with Harrison Sale McCloy’s talented group of lawyers. In joining our firms together, we have renewed Hand Arendall’s more than 75-year commitment to clients across the Gulf Coast and together we have strengthened our experience in all practice areas across the firm.” 

When the firms began talks in early 2017, they quickly identified synergies, common cultures and complementary philosophies in serving clients, along with common strategic growth goals. Harrison discussed how this combination is a result of many months of discussions and shared what the expansion means to the firms’ clients.

“Both firms, Harrison Sale McCloy and Hand Arendall have a long history of placing the needs of our clients first. We are excited about the broad base of experience and expertise that will now be available to our clients and their clients through this merger,” said Harrison. “In a dynamic and ever-developing legal industry, we made a strategic decision to continue to expand westward from our original office in Panama City four years ago. Hand Arendall was strategically exploring an eastward expansion along the Gulf Coast. After initial meetings and several interviews, we decided to team with Hand Arendall forming a new firm of Hand Arendall Harrison Sale. It is an exciting next step in the strategic growth plan of both firms.”

In commenting on the combination, Doug Sale, a Harrison Sale McCloy founding partner stated, “Hand Arendall’s strengths complement our specialties just as our strengths complement their specialties. This merger provides the clients of both firms a broader depth of representation. We could not be more pleased and excited about our future.”

Preston Bolt, Managing Lawyer of the firm’s Mobile office said, “The joining together of the firms will continue the long-standing tradition of both firms in the communities we live and work in. We look forward to working together for our client’s best interests for many years to come.”

The complementary practices of the two firms was also a key factor in the two firms joining together to become Hand Arendall Harrison Sale. The firms’ clients demand and deserve cost-effective, efficient and high-quality legal services. This combination will promote these client expectations by providing them access to the significant experience both firms’ lawyers have in representing businesses and governmental entities in areas including real estate, business and development transactions, health care, economic development, commercial litigation, public finance, education and employment issues, among others.