In 1992, a young associate named Joe Kernen joined Piper & Marbury, just months after the firm opened its Philadelphia office. That office, now part of DLA Piper, is celebrating its 25th anniversary and Kernen, the Office Managing Partner, spoke about the milestones he's been part of over the past quarter-century, as well as what lies ahead for the firm in Philadelphia.

Q: In your opinion, what have been the pinnacle and watershed moments in the office?

JK: For the first several years, we functioned like a litigation boutique, part of Piper & Marbury, a regional firm based in Baltimore. In 1999, my first vote as a Piper & Marbury partner concerned our merger with Chicago-based Rudnick & Wolfe, the largest law firm merger in US history at the time. That was an important moment, but really just the first step of a plan to become the first truly global business law firm.

That goal seemed so ambitious at the time – but in 2005 we did just that, merging with California-based Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich and UK-based DLA. Today, of course, we're part of DLA Piper.

It's really been amazing to be part of this historic evolution. Our practices have taken off – we're handling cases, deals and investigations around the globe, but at the same time have managed to maintain a really nice, collegial atmosphere in the Philadelphia office, where we have about 55 lawyers.

Q: In terms of your vision and outlook, how do you see it evolving in the next five years?

JK: We'd like to continue our steady growth, but never sacrifice quality or culture just to add bodies. Our corporate group has seen dramatic growth, from a single lawyer in 2011 to 11 today and two more starting in the fall. We would like to add a real estate group in Philadelphia, which makes so much sense, as we are widely regarded as having the best real estate practice in the world. We could see some additions in litigation, as well.

We'e trying some creative things to grow our corporate group. For example, to attract more entrepreneurs to our emerging growth practice, we regularly hold free workshops and seminars to help start-ups in the process of raising investment funding. Promotions for the workshops – developed and overseen by corporate partner, Fahd Riaz – always refer to "The 49th Floor" with a photo of One Liberty Place. We hold the workshops in the same conference room – the one with the most dramatic views of University City, the Delaware River and, on a clear day, Wilmington, Delaware.

One of our consultants organizes and leads the workshops. The most popular program, offered twice a month, is called Open Coaching. Each of three companies gets an hour of free coaching on their investor presentations, while other entrepreneurs observe and learn. The sessions are intense, full lessons for new and experienced entrepreneurs alike.

Q: At an office level, what D&I initiatives are taking place and how does that fit into the office's strategic growth?

JK: We're very proud of the diversity of our office, particularly considering how the legal industry generally struggles in this area. Among partners, 27 percent are women and 41 percent are women or people of color. Overall, our lawyer headcount is 48 percent diverse. These numbers compare very favorably to other firms in the Philadelphia area.

However, we're not just checking boxes, we're investing in our people and developing leaders. For example, Lesli Esposito co-chairs our national Anti-Trust Practice and Courtney Saleski co-chairs our Appellate Practice in the US. John Huh, chair of the Philadelphia office's D&I Committee, is also on the Executive Committee of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania, where we support his leadership, and Ray Williams is co-chair of the firm's Product Liability and Mass Torts Practice Group and serves as co-president of the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group.

We've had several new associates come through the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group, which works to promote diversity throughout the local law community. That kind of networking is important – and it's become increasingly obvious that diverse candidates are drawn to organizations that can show that they already are places where diverse attorneys have and will continue to succeed. Put another way, job candidates want to join organizations staffed by people who look like them and who are flourishing.

Q: How has the legal community in Philadelphia changed since 1992?

JK: In the past, the local legal scene was very parochial. You had a handful of very well regarded but primarily regional firms, and then everybody else. The city has always been a great place to practice law, but it's a lot more sophisticated now, and more national and international firms are realizing the value of being here and have really changed the landscape.

The sophistication and reach of our practice in this office has grown exponentially. This week, Jim Brogan is trying a case in Singapore. As part of New Perimeter, our nonprofit affiliate focused on global pro bono work, Philadelphia attorneys conducted two separate week-long training seminars for law students in Zambia in the past few months alone and helped to restore Kosovo's judicial and prosecutorial systems following years of war. That didn't happen at Piper & Marbury in the 1990s, and it doesn't happen at most law firms in town even today.

Day to day life in the city has also changed dramatically. I grew up in the Northern Suburbs and have worked in Center City since 1989. The sidewalks don't roll up at 5 o'clock anymore – I read the other day about a new study identifying Market East as the No. 1 commercial corridor in the nation for retail affordability and desirability. And the percentage of our lawyers who not only work but live in town has soared.

Q: Last year, the office lost Carl Buchholz, the previous office managing partner, who passed away at 51. With the 25th anniversary celebration coming up, is Carl in your thoughts these days?

JK: Carl is always in our thoughts. He was with us for only a short time but set an extraordinary example of leadership and integrity. Every lawyer in this office is better for having had the privilege of practicing with Carl Buchholz.

Q: How is the office celebrating the milestone?

JK: We're planning on hosting a number of clients and members of the local business community at an evening cocktail reception on June 1 at the Pyramid Club. Our Chairman Emeritus, Senator George Mitchell, will be our special guest and keynote speaker.