Snell & Wilmer announced a merger with West Coast commercial finance and creditors’ rights law firm Assayag ❖ Mauss (Assayag Mauss). This move, which brings Assayag Mauss’ eight lawyers to Snell & Wilmer, enhances the firm’s commercial finance and litigation footprint in Orange County and expands its geographic reach into the Pacific Northwest with an office in Portland, Oregon.
“We are excited to grow our Orange County office and firm more broadly through the merger with Assayag Mauss and are proud to welcome an incredible team of attorneys to Snell & Wilmer,” said Ketan Vakil, managing partner of Snell & Wilmer’s Orange County office. “This merger will leverage the experience, depth and breadth of both firms, providing clients with increased access to sound, constructive solutions to their legal issues.”
Assayag Mauss was founded in 1996 by Michele Assayag and Byron Mauss, who are now partners in Snell & Wilmer’s Orange County office. They are joined by six associates on the West Coast. Assayag and Mauss have more than 50 years of combined experience and grew their practice into a top-tier boutique firm with six attorneys in Orange County and two in Portland. Four of the firm’s attorneys are admitted to practice in Oregon and three of those four are also admitted in Washington.
At Snell & Wilmer, they will continue to practice in the financial services sector representing financial institutions and other businesses in transactional and litigation matters. In addition, they routinely represent creditors in bankruptcy proceedings.
“We are thrilled to announce our merger with Snell & Wilmer,” said Assayag. “We recognized early on our strong alignment with Snell & Wilmer on many levels regarding vision, culture and experience. By coming together as one firm, we can continue to deliver exceptional value to clients across more markets and practice areas, all while under the Snell & Wilmer umbrella.”
With the arrival of the team from Assayag Mauss, Snell & Wilmer now has more than 450 attorneys based in 14 locations throughout the United States and Mexico. The firm will also now have office space in Seattle to better assist clients throughout Washington.
“We look forward to a seamless integration with Assayag Mauss as we deepen our commercial finance bench and explore opportunities in the Pacific Northwest,” said Matthew P. Feeney, chair of Snell & Wilmer. “We have always believed in careful, strategic growth and that relationship-based law firms, those that sincerely care about their clients and their concerns, are in the best position to achieve long-term success. The attorneys at Assayag Mauss share in these beliefs and they understand and appreciate the complexities of building and enhancing relationships.”
