Jeff Ranen is not stopping at raiding his former law firm for about 140 attorneys.

Ranen expects his new firm, Barber Ranen, to grow to as many as 300 lawyers in the next three years, he said in an interview. That means quickly expanding beyond the slew of California labor and employment lawyers who left from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith with Ranen and John Barber earlier this month.

Their new firm plans within a year to start launching offices in New York, Chicago, Miami, and Dallas, Ranen said. It’s also looking to add corporate, intellectual property, and commercial litigation lawyers.

“We do not want to be another Littler Mendelson or Jackson Lewis,” said Ranen, referring to a pair of large firms that focus on employment defense. “Our plan is to in less than 12 months be a full-practice law firm.”

There’s little recent precedent for a Big Law offshoot growing into a behemoth in such a short period of time as Ranen envisions. Attorneys commonly exit large firms in groups to spin off boutiques focusing on narrow practice areas.

The trick for Barber Ranen will be getting recruits to take take the plunge, said Michelle Fivel, a legal recruiter.

“They don’t have a name brand yet and they’re going to have to educate people in the market,” Fivel, a partner at Hatch Henderson Fivel, said. “Some may be attracted to that green field, but that could be a very...

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