Portland labor and employment law firm Moss Shapiro has merged with Atlanta-based labor law firm Fisher & Phillips LLP.

The merger, effective yesterday, will allow Moss Shapiro to expand its client base and better serve its clients who operate in multiple states, Jonathan Shapiro, the firm's manager partner, told Mainebiz. "It will give us a deeper bench, to put it into sports terms, in terms of our numbers and in terms of the experience and knowledge base we can offer clients all over the country," he said.

No layoffs are expected as a result of the merger. In fact, the Portland office, which currently has six attorneys and 14 total employees, could see its numbers grow, Shapiro said. "It's a matter of the volume of business. Personally, I'm already thinking about staffing and the need to hire additional lawyers," he said.

Moss Shapiro will go by the Fisher & Phillips name and become the law firm's first New England office, according to a press release from the firm. Fisher & Phillips has 21 offices around the country and more than 200 attorneys.