Minority-owned Webber Law Firm Joins Dorsey & Whitney’s Immigration Practice in Minneapolis

Minneapolis, MN (August 13, 2019) — Major, Lindsey & Africa, the world’s leading search firm, confirmed today that Dorsey & Whitney is expanding in Minneapolis through the acquisition of Webber Law’s 10-person Minneapolis-based immigration team led by Robert ("Bob") Webber. Effective as of August 1, Bob joined as partner and co-chair of the firm’s Immigration Practice. Brian McMahon, managing director with Major, Lindsey & Africa’s Partner Practice Group in Minneapolis, facilitated this combination. Webber Law was a minority-owned law firm and in the acquisition Dorsey is gaining three attorneys, six paralegals, and a billing specialist, including two attorneys of color.  This move comes just weeks after Dorsey gained considerable industry attention with its innovative “diversity hours” policy, which will now allow diversity-related work, activities and training to count toward billable hours requirements. 

Over the last couple of years, as the Trump Administration has increased scrutiny on employment-based immigration matters, Dorsey has seen a rise in the number of clients asking for advice on immigration matters. The firm was looking for a way to offer that advice in an efficient way, recognizing that immigration is a practice where efficiency in project and process management is very important.

“I felt that Webber law had outgrown its capabilities as a boutique firm and that it was time to move to a bigger platform,” said Bob Webber. “At the same time, Dorsey & Whitney saw a need to build up their immigration group with the rapid growth they have been seeing in their Asia practice as Chinese companies are coming into the U.S. Our experience nicely complements the needs of Dorsey and I feel the partnership aligns nicely.”

“Bob is one of the premiere immigration attorneys in Minnesota. The strength of his brand in the immigration space marries perfectly with Dorsey’s strong brand and reputation here with major corporations who are the main purchasers of immigration legal services like those provided by Bob and his team,” said Brian McMahon. “Bob and I undertook a comprehensive investigation and exploration of this market and it became abundantly clear that Dorsey was the right fit for him and his team. Bob’s deep roster of corporate clients will create a wealth of cross-selling opportunities for him at Dorsey. Bob and his team are the prototype for why firms and groups want to move into bigger platforms; the cross-selling opportunities that will be realized in Minnesota and throughout Dorsey’s platform will benefit both sides immensely.”