DLA Piper has acquired litigation boutique Liner, taking on 60 lawyers to significantly boost its US litigation, real estate and restructuring presence.

The firm is led by managing partner Stuart Liner, who founded the firm in 1996. Aside from its two offices in Los Angeles, Liner also has an office in New York, which would add to DLA’s 28 current US hubs.

DLA co-chairman for the Americas Roger Meltzer said that Liner is “fiercely entrepreneurial”. He added: “They are a perfect fit with DLA Piper and they will be an important strategic linchpin for us in the region and across our platform as we help them extend their practices nationally and globally.”

Liner said: “This merger will give us the ability to provide our clients with the services offered by DLA Piper in New York and other important national markets, and to capitalize on their strengths and depth of practice in areas like M&A, private equity, finance, infrastructure and sports.”

DLA-partner-spreadAccording to data from The Lawyer’s Global 200 2017, DLA Piper is top of the list with 200 litigators outside the UK, or 90.5 per cent of its 221-strong practice group.

Although its litigation partners are distributed across its offices, the majority (12 per cent) are in New York.

For DLA Piper New York is the main focus in the US. The firm has 109 partners there, making the Big Apple its second-largest office after London. DLA Piper’s next six biggest bases are also all US offices.