Harris Beach combines with Boston-based Peabody & Arnold

Venerable Boston law firm Peabody & Arnold is joining Harris, Beach, Murtha, bringing some 40 attorneys to Harris Beach and strengthening its Northeast presence, the firms announced.

Once the combination is final, Harris Beach reports that it will have doubled its presence in Boston and will have more than 300 lawyers working across 19 offices and in more than 30 major practice areas.

It’s the second major combination for Harris Beach in less than two years. In January 2025, the firm merged with Murtha Cullina.

According to Harris Beach, Peabody & Arnold brings with it “new and enhanced capabilities,” including transaction and management liability practices and “deep experience” navigating insurance coverage disputes. Meanwhile, it supplements Harris Beach’s practices in labor and employment, medical and life sciences, health care and long-term care, business litigation, product liability and mass torts.

Chris Jagel, CEO of Harris Beach, said the news reflects the firm’s efforts to grow in the Boston market and throughout the Northeast.

Christopher A. Parady, managing partner at Peabody & Arnold, said his firm was looking for a strategic partner that was aligned in culture but with a broader geographical footprint and expanded practice capabilities.

The firms are targeting late summer for when they expect to be fully integrated.

Harris Beach’s New York roots reach back to 1856, while Peabody & Arnold was founded in 1899, according to Lawyers Weekly’s 2026 Largest Law Firms in Massachusetts survey.