Real Estate Lawyers Form New Firm

COSTA MESA, CA-Five lawyers have left their posts at the multinational law firm Pillsbury Winthrop LLP to start a boutique specializing in real estate and business law.

Partners John Garrett, Marcello DeFrenza, Henry Stiepel, Donald Hickman and associate Daniel Cho officially opened for business on March 1st as Garrett DeFrenza Stiepel LLP. Their decision to form the new firm was sparked by the general escalation in billing rates by large, multinational firms. According to Garrett, larger firms are pricing themselves out of certain types of legal services. “By taking advantage of the lower overhead of a smaller firm, we can provide our clients with exceptional service at reasonable rates,” DeFrenza adds.