As seen in the New Jersey Law Journal on Law.com
By Suzette Parmley – July 24, 2019
On Aug. 1, Denville-based Einhorn, Harris, Ascher, Barbarito & Frost is set to become Einhorn, Barbarito, Frost & Botwinick.
Like the Patti LaBelle song, the firm has a new name and a new attitude.
A firm press release said “the new name respects the firm’s long history while recognizing its present strengths, growing practice areas, and focus on the evolving needs of its diverse clients.”
The firm’s logo and website, www.einhornlawyers.com, which are set to go live Aug. 1, have also been modernized and redesigned to align with the firm’s new name, brand, and professional identity.
“We are building a firm that evolves in step with the needs of our clients’ businesses and families,” said co-managing partner Patricia M. Barbarito, who also serves as chair of the board at the firm, which now has 31 attorneys and 34 staff. “With our talented lawyers and staff, we are growing our practice areas to provide full-service support to clients across the New Jersey/New York metro area.”
Barbarito has seen the firm grow rapidly in her decades long affiliation with it. She first worked at Einhorn Harris as a summer associate during her second year of law school in 1980, when the firm had only three attorneys. Upon graduating from Seton Hall, she joined the firm as an associate and quickly made partner after only four years.
She became managing partner nearly 20 years ago.
“Our goals and values are to uphold, or, when required, help to change, laws to protect our clients every step of the way,” Barbarito added. “Our new brand illustrates that we are mindful and respectful of our history, conscious of the present, and looking forward to the future.’
The firm was founded and started by Theodore Einhorn in 1961. One by one partners joined the firm. Peter T. Harris joined the firm in 1974 and Michael R. Ascher joined in 1980. All three recently retired.
The firm’s new moniker now includes newly-minted co-managing partner Gary Botwinick, who took on that role in February of this year.
“One of Gary’s axioms is, ‘You have to have more years in front of you than behind you to have a vision.’ As we look ahead, we recognize that our clients reflect a cross-section of society that has a panoply of individual and business issues on a daily basis,” Barbarito said.
“Our job is to provide our clients with a talented and collaborative team that evolves to suit their expectations and individual needs. Our new brand is symbolic of that responsibility as well as our excitement for the future of the firm,” she said.
Botwinick, who is also chair of the firm’s taxation, trusts & estates department, said the changes are in sync with an evolving, complicated legal landscape.
“The practice of law is always changing, as are the challenges facing families and businesses in everything from estate planning to custody agreements to zoning to employment policies,” he said. “Our new brand is reflective of the mindset and creativity required to help clients identify and meet these challenges.”
Botwinick said the firm has also changed “from an operational standpoint.”
“We are highly attuned to our clients’ expanding needs and offer innovative services, such as our On-Call for Business group, a cost-efficient way for small businesses to essentially have a virtual in-house lawyer on call when needed,” he said.
Partner and chair of the firm’s appellate practice group Bonnie Frost said the role of women at the firm has expanded as well.
“Our firm’s founders had the confidence to place women in roles of decision-making and judgment,” she said. “Still, today there are not enough women holding law firm management positions. Pat and I are proud to be leaders in the legal industry, and we believe in mentoring younger lawyers to build their skills in litigation, negotiation, management and service to our industry and our community.”
And with the firm’s expansion and new signage, “We have a strong foundation on which to build our future with vision and clarity,” Barbarito said.
Reprinted with permission from the July 24, 2019 issue of The New Jersey Law Journal. © 2019 ALM Media Properties, LLC. Further duplication without permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.
Click here to view the article on Law.com
