Goldberg Segalla bucked a nationwide trend among the country’s largest law firms and grew 14 percent in 2015, while attorney head counts fell 0.6 percent overall, data collected by the National Law Journal shows.

Coming in at No. 178 on the 2016 NLJ 500 — a climb of 22 spots from the previous year — Goldberg Segalla stands as the fastest-growing law firm in New York State and the eighth-fastest-growing overall, excluding new firms formed through a merger. Just two other firms that ranked higher than Goldberg Segalla on the NLJ’s annual listing of the largest U.S.-based firms grew faster, excluding mergers.

Indeed, in a year when a record 91 law firm mergers and acquisitions occurred (according to research cited by the NLJ), Goldberg Segalla’s growth remains solely through the addition of single lawyers or small teams at a time. “We have never and will never grow for the sake of growing,” said Richard J. Cohen, the firm’s Managing Partner. “Our expansion is singularly driven by client demand in key markets across the country.”       

Since January, Goldberg Segalla has opened five offices across three states — in New Jersey, Maryland, and Florida — and added more than 60 lawyers in a range of practices. Its 19-office international footprint now encompasses the entire eastern seaboard, stretches deep into the Midwest, and extends across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom. The firm, whose culture of teamwork and inclusion has fostered deep client relationships, has also earned high placement on numerous “Best Places to Work” lists in four states.      

The National Law Journal publishes its annual list in June and bases its rankings on attorney head counts from the previous year.