Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers has purchased an office building near its Baton Rouge headquarters at 1075 Government St. after experiencing rapid growth over the past six months, according partner Chad Dudley.
But the purchase is only a short-term solution, Dudley says, and the firm hopes to begin building an addition to its current space before the end of the year. The firm purchased the 1,500-square-foot office building at 256 East Blvd. for $230,000 from Messina Properties LLC, represented by J. Rodney Messina. Brent Garrett with Beau Box Commercial Real Estate represented the seller. Dudley says Messina’s law firm will relocate next door.
“We had some crazy growth over the past two years or so, 30 percent to 40 percent growth,” Dudley says, adding that some attorneys are sharing offices.
Dudley says the firm hired four or five lawyers in the second half of last year as its caseload “has just exploded.”
“We’re going to be able to move eight or nine over to the new building, which will really give us some breathing room over here,” Dudley says.
Dudley attributes the firm’s growth not to advertising, but referrals.
“We get 60 percent to 65 percent of business from word of mouth,” Dudley says, noting that such high referral rates are unusual for law firms. “That has continued to go up over time. People are telling other people about our firm.”
The newly-acquired building will undergo a few touch-ups before the firm’s lawyers move in sometime over the next 30 days, Dudley says. —Kelly Connelly
