Buchalter Added Partner to San Diego Office
The firm hired Bill Smelko to expand its insolvency and financial law capabilities in the region.
Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Corporate Finance
Buchalter hired Bill Smelko as a partner within its insolvency and financial law practice group. This expansion continues the firm's growth strategy in the San Diego market, which began with just two lawyers in 2018.
Why it matters
The hire reflects a broader strategy of scaling regional offices through organic recruiting to meet localized demand for complex financial legal services. Law firm expansion in this segment often signals an anticipated rise in bankruptcy or restructuring work among local businesses.
The San Diego office now employs approximately 60 attorneys, a significant increase from the two lawyers present at its 2018 opening. The firm maintains a national footprint of over 630 attorneys across 10 states.
The players
Bill Smelko
An attorney specializing in insolvency and financial law who recently joined Buchalter as a partner.
Buchalter
A full-service law firm with over 630 attorneys operating across 10 states.
The details
Buchalter has executed a growth model in San Diego focused on scaling its headcount through targeted, organic lateral hires. Smelko, who received a 2025 M&A Advisor Turnaround Award, will focus on insolvency and financial law matters. This functional expansion helps the firm manage increasingly complex restructuring cases for local business clients.
Timeline
Buchalter opened its downtown San Diego office in 2018.
Bill Smelko received an M&A Advisor Turnaround Award in 2025.
Buchalter announced the hiring of Bill Smelko on September 29, 2026.
Market Landscape
This move follows the 2018 opening of the Buchalter San Diego office, which has scaled from two attorneys to its current headcount. The strategy mirrors a wider industry trend of established firms aggressively expanding their regional restructuring practices to capture local insolvency work.
Business operators should monitor this expansion as a signal of increased availability for complex legal restructuring services in the city. Owners should assess their current legal counsel's capacity to handle distressed financial scenarios as local expertise in these areas grows.
The takeaway
Large firms are scaling regional teams to provide deeper expertise in specific financial sub-sectors. Business owners should review their outside counsel's depth in insolvency law to ensure they have adequate support for potential future restructuring needs.
Further reading
For more on firm leadership changes, read our Corporate Finance section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Globallegalchronicle.
