Nelson Mullins to combine with Redgrave, expands e-discovery capabilities

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough has acquired e-discovery law firm Redgrave in a bid to create the “largest and most comprehensive information and discovery law practice” in the US.

The deal will see Redgrave's team of 45 lawyers and specialists join Nelson Mullins' separately branded Encompass arm, which advises on e-discovery and information governance, with the deal going live on 1 December under the new mantle Encompass Redgrave.

Led by litigation partner John Martin, Encompass was set up 10 years ago in response to the rise of disputes involving the electronic discovery process.

Meanwhile, Redgrave, which was founded in 2010, has been targeting information management, data protection and e-discovery law.

The new team will be made up of more than 120 lawyers and technology professionals and be led by Martin and Redgrave co-founder and partner Jonathan Redgrave.

Martin said there was still room for the practice to grow. “We know our platform will be attractive to the most legally and technologically adept talent in the market, especially in the areas of e-discovery, information governance, cyber law, and privacy,” he said. “We look forward to expanding our team further to address significant challenges facing our clients.”

Encompass Redgrave is poised to take on an interesting position in the US legal market, given its focus on handling the challenges posed by the digitalisation of legal practice.

In a statement, Nelson Mullins managing partner Jim Lehman said access to high-quality information law counsel and technological capabilities was “essential” given that information was "today’s most critical business asset and central to the function of our government and society".

He added that the merger brought the new team to a “level of experience and service in this area on a scale not available at any other law firm in the country".

The demand for proficiency in the area of e-discovery has been on the uptick for the last decade. Redgrave’s narrow technological focus combined with the scale and expertise of Nelson Mullins positions the new venture to lay claim to being at the forefront of innovative tech firms in the US with the potential for further growth across related sectors.