Firm Continues Growth Nationwide, Adding Distinguished Litigation Boutique
(March 4, 2025) – Taft, one of the fastest growing law firms in the nation, today announced its expansion into Florida through a merger with the Mrachek Law firm, a litigation boutique based in West Palm Beach and Stuart. The merger, effective June 30, 2025, marks Taft’s entrance into Florida and the Southeast with the 18-lawyer trial team from Mrachek, further strengthening Taft’s position as a new, super middle-market firm nationwide.
The combination with Mrachek is the latest move for Taft, which recently completed its merger with Sherman & Howard on Jan. 1, Denver’s oldest and third-largest law firm. Through a series of strategic mergers in recent years, Taft now has more than 1,050 attorneys, spanning from the Mountain West region to Washington, D.C.
Mrachek, which just celebrated its 25th anniversary, has successfully handled a variety of highprofile and complex civil litigation and arbitration matters in the Florida trial and appellate courts. From defending billion-dollar class actions to representing multiple Am Law 100 firms in various disputes, the firm’s reputation has been built on resolving at trial sophisticated matters and betthe-company cases in Florida state and federal courts. Five of the firm’s shareholders are board certified, the highest honor of competency and experience in the state of Florida, which span the following categories: Appellate Practice, Business Litigation, Civil Trial, Construction Law, and Real Estate Law.
Together, Mrachek’s offices in West Palm Beach and Stuart will bring a total of 18 attorneys plus staff to Taft. This is Taft’s first merger of this size, primarily driven by 1) the highly attractive market dynamics of Palm Beach and West Palm Beach and 2) the growing needs of Taft’s existing clients for Taft to create a strategic beachhead in Florida to handle disputes in state and federal courts, as well as to expand into other strategic practice areas. Taft has typically focused on mergers of 100-plus lawyers that immediately establish critical mass in a new market.
“We’re delighted to welcome this highly talented team at Mrachek as we continue to grow our nationwide platform,” said Taft’s Chairman and Managing Partner Robert J. Hicks. “Notably, this is a novel approach to a merger for us. This is a very targeted move that positions Taft in one of Florida’s most affluent markets so we can better serve our clients and corporate leaders who are spending more time and doing more business in the Sunshine State. The Mrachek team is a perfect complement to our litigation capabilities across the country, and our shared commitment to exceptional client service and advocacy makes this an ideal partnership. As we look ahead together, we anticipate attracting additional top-tier talent to Taft in these markets and plan to expand into other strategic practice areas there.”
Alan B. Rose, one of the founders and current Managing Shareholder at Mrachek, said, “After 25 years as a boutique, and at a time when the firm was flourishing and growing, we saw an opportunity to further expand the breadth and scope of our practices by joining forces with Taft. This presents an exciting opportunity for our firm and our clients. Taft’s collaborative culture and reputation in high-profile litigation matters matches both our values and our focus. We look forward to leveraging Taft’s national platform to enhance how we’re serving clients in Florida. This will allow for expansion into key practice areas – real estate and corporate transactions; land use; trusts, estates and probate; technology and life sciences; private wealth management and preservation, among others.”
Along with Rose, the Mrachek team joining Taft includes shareholders Roy E. Fitzgerald III, Scott Konopka, Daniel Thomas, Gregory Weiss, Manuel Farach and Erica Lester Sadowski, and approximately a dozen associate attorneys.
About Mrachek and its Shareholders
Mrachek Law is a boutique business litigation firm founded in 2000 by senior lawyers from one of West Palm Beach’s oldest and largest firms. Over the past 25 years, Mrachek has grown in size and reputation in its home counties – Palm Beach and Martin Counties – and throughout the state and federal courthouses of Florida. The firm’s specialty is trying cases, both to judge and juries, and its lawyers handle a wide variety of business, commercial, probate, real estate and construction disputes. Mrachek attorneys serve in leadership and committee positions, including on The Florida Bar’s Board of Governors, and are recognized by their peers by inclusion of several as Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers and American College of Real Estate Lawyers; three of the “Top 100” within Florida as ranked by Super Lawyers; and listings in Chambers USA, Best Lawyers®, Super Lawyers, and more. Learn more at www.Mrachek-Law.com.
Roy E. Fitzgerald III is a founding shareholder and Board Certified in Business Litigation Law by the Florida Bar. Roy is a Fellow of the American College of Trial lawyers, and is a frequent author on business litigation issues, including chapters in editions of the Florida Evidence Manual and Business Litigation in Florida, and has served on the Bar Committee which drafts standard jury instructions for business and contract cases. A graduate of SUNY Buffalo Law School who also earned a PhD in Philosophy from the same university, Roy focuses his practice in the areas of business and corporate litigation, commercial litigation, business torts, and breaches of contract.
Alan B. Rose is a founding shareholder and current Managing Shareholder, and he is Board Certified in Business Litigation Law and Appellate Practice by the Florida Bar. A graduate of the University of Miami School of Law, Alan leads the firm’s appellate team and handles a variety of complex cases in the areas of professional malpractice and ethics, probate and trusts, real property disputes, and other business contract and tort cases. He currently serves on the Florida Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions for Contract and Business Cases.
Scott Konopka is the managing partner of the firm’s Stuart office. He handles probate and trust litigation and trials of commercial disputes. Scott obtained two of the largest jury verdicts in Martin County’s history in commercial litigation matters. He is the former Chairman of the Judicial Nominating Committee for the 19th Judicial Circuit and past President of the Martin County Bar Association, the past Chairman of the 19th Judicial Circuit’s Grievance Committee; and a founding member and former President of the Justice Major B. Harding American Inns of Court. Scott graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Florida, and Order of the Coif from the University of Florida College of Law.
Daniel Thomas is Board Certified in Construction Law by the Florida Bar and has spearheaded the firm’s real estate and construction litigation team since 2013, which has achieved multiple significant jury verdicts and established law on appeal in the areas of lien and surety law. Dan previously worked at the Florida office of a major New York firm; in the headquarters of a large, Florida full-service firm in West Palm Beach; and a leading plaintiffs firm, where he started the construction litigation division. He obtained his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida.
Gregory S. Weiss is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Business Litigation and Civil Trial and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He currently serves on the Florida Bar Board of Governors, and previously served as the Chairman of the University of Florida College of Law Board of Trustees. Greg graduated from the University of Florida for both his undergraduate and law degrees. After law school he served on active duty in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, including a one-year deployment to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom II, before returning to Florida and becoming a business litigator.
Manuel Farach is an elected member of the Board of Governors of the Florida Bar, the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (including its Board of Governors), and the American Law Institute. Manny is board certified in Real Estate, Business Litigation, and Appellate Law, and serves as Chair of the Business Law Section of and on the Executive Councils of the Real Property, Business Law, and ADR Sections of the Florida Bar. He is past Chair of the Florida Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions for Business Cases, the ABA’s Real Property Litigation Group, and the Judicial Nominating Commissions for the Fourth District Court of Appeal and Nineteenth Judicial Circuit. Manny publishes and teaches frequently, and is as an adjunct Professor at the Florida State University College of Law where he serves on its Board of Visitors.
Erica Lester Sadowski is the firm’s first female shareholder. Erica joined Mrachek from law school more than 20 years ago and has spent her entire career at the firm. Her practice is focused primarily on construction defect litigation, and general business litigation. Erica received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Spanish from Washington University in St. Louis and her Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law.
About Taft
Founded in 1885 with a 140-year legacy rooted in the historic Taft family that gave the country a U.S. President, Senator, and Supreme Court Chief Justice, today Taft is one of the nation’s fastest growing law firms. As a modern law firm with a non-headquarter operating model and more than 1,050 attorneys, Taft is fully committed to delivering the highest level of service to today’s organizations and individuals. The legal performance of Taft attorneys is recognized nationally, with inclusion in the Am Law 100, Chambers USA, Best Lawyers®, Super Lawyers, and more. Learn more at Taftlaw.com.
