Baltimore County law firm consolidates offices with new HQ

A local law firm is consolidating its expansive real estate footprint with the opening of a new headquarters in a 10-story high-rise in Timonium.

Albers & Associates, a 40-employee law firm, recently opened a corporate headquarters at 9515 Deereco Road. The firm had five smaller offices around Baltimore County and has downsized those locations to bring almost all of its employees under one roof. Albers took 15,883 square feet in the building owned by Timonium-based Hill Management Services Inc.

The firm has 13 lawyers and has historically focused on estate planning, civil litigation, criminal law and family and personal injury law. The new flagship office gives the firm more “legitimacy” as it looks to grow in new areas, founder Ross Albers said. Albers & Associates wants to serve more business clients after acquiring a company that specializes in commercial and residential real estate property settlements late last year. The firm pulled in around $4.3 million in revenue in 2024, and Albers said he expects revenue to hit $10 million this year.

“Our firm is transitioning into more of a business litigation, transactional and real estate development firm. We are growing the profile of this firm, and the profile of our office space needs to grow with that,” he said.

The central piece of Albers & Associates’ plan to become a business-focused law firm was the company’s acquisition of Mid-Atlantic Title last September. The title company has already helped the firm get in front of some potential new clients.

“A lot of our clients for the title company are commercial developers who need other types of legal work,” Albers said. “They need someone to look over leases and go over transactions, and we are here for them.”

Albers started Albers & Associates in 2015 and grew the practice by acquiring small firms and solo practitioners in Baltimore County, where attorneys had three to five years left before retirement and no succession plan. Albers said those attorneys were happy to join his firm because the move allowed them to draw some value from their books of business instead of just closing up shop.

The strategy of adding small practices had one consequence: a sprawling real estate footprint. Despite having about a dozen attorneys, the firm had five offices. Now, Albers & Associates will downsize its Westminster office from 1,500 square feet to 150 square feet. The much smaller space will reduce overhead while allowing the firm to maintain a presence in the Carroll County community, boosting search results and digital advertising. The firm also plans to close its Dundalk office.

Exchanging the Dundalk office for a new Timonium headquarters represents Albers & Associates’ efforts to transition from a family law and personal injury firm into one that works on business transactions and with commercial real estate developers. The firm’s Dundalk office was across the street from the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant, and Albers said it was embarrassing having owners of $10 million businesses deal with the smell of the plant when coming for meetings.

Albers & Associates is the latest local law firm to reshuffle its real estate in recent months. Gallagher Evelius & Jones LLP announced last month that it would move to 650 S. Exeter St. in Harbor East from its longtime location downtown. Ice Miller, meanwhile, doubled its space at the 100 Light St. tower downtown after expanding to Baltimore in 2023.

Source: Baltimore Business Journal