After hiring nearly 50 lawyers, Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP has become the county's largest law firm.

Starting this week, the lawyers push intellectual property firm Knobbe Martens past the county's longtime largest firm, Costa Mesa-based Rutan & Tucker LLP. Knobbe now has 170 local lawyers, versus Rutan & Tucker's 152.

The shift has been a long time coming with the horse race playing out in recent years on the Business Journal's annual list of the largest law firms operating here.

Rutan and Tucker had held a 14 year lead over Knobbe on the most recent list in January. The change also reflects the current state of the law business.

Rutan is the county's oldest law firm, with a history that spans more than 100 years, and has built a solid practice around real estate and government law with corporate and litigation work as well. But Rutan isn't growing nearly as fast as Knobbe.

Knobbe, which does patent, trademark, copyright and trade secrets law, is expanding as more companies look to invest in and protect intellectual property during the slow economy. In all, Knobbe has hired 46 lawyers for a total of 248 at the firm. 30 of which will work at the Knobbe's Irvine Headquarters, others will practice at the firm's offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, Seattle, and Washington D.C.

Rutan could add lawyers to growing practice areas such as intellectual property and corporate law, according to a spokesman. It's not yet clear if the firm will hire enough lawyers to reclaim the Number 1 spot. "Rutan remains committed to sustained growth," said Michael Hornak, managing partner for Rutan & Tucker.

Your thoughts and feedback on this topic are greatly appreciated.  Please feel free to post your comments.

Keeping you informed about the Orange County real estate market, economy and life in the OC is what I'm committed to doing.    

For more great Orange County market insight and industry news visit Laguna Niguel Real Estate or view the Orange County Market Trends at Orange County Real Estate.  

Listen to Zen's Laguna Niguel Real Estate Podcast available 24/7.

SEARCH ORANGE COUNTY'S BEST HOMES at Orange County MLS Home Search

Knobbe