DeOrchis & Partners merging with Montgomery McCracken

   DeOrchis & Partners, one of the country’s best known admiralty and maritime law firms, has merged with the Philadelphia-based Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads.
   In a note to clients and readers of its “Client Alert” newsletter, the firm said it is joining the New York offices of Montgomery McCracken, which also announced last month that attorneys from New York-based Kurzman Karelsen & Frank had joined its firm
   Vincent M. DeOrchis, senior partner at the firm, has served on the board of directors of the Maritime Law Association of the United States, and was the chairman of the MLA’s Committee on Carriage of Goods. He was a consulting expert to the U.S. State Department in respect to the UNCITRAL project to draft a new international cargo liability instrument, popularly known as the Rotterdam Rules.
   DeOrchis said joining Montgomery McCracken gives his firm’s clients the ability to draw on attorneys with expertise in a number of areas in addition to maritime law including bankruptcy and products liability. He said he also thought the culture of Montgomery McCracken was a good fit.
   DeOrchis and his father, M.E. DeOrchis worked at Haight, Gardner, Poor and Havens before DeOrchis, Walker & Corsa, was formed in 1984.
   The New York office of Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads is located at 437 Madison Avenue in New York and the main telephone number is 212 867-9500.