Perkins & Squire

On August 13, 1858, at the age of twenty-three, George F. Perkins (above) went to New York City and began working as a clerk within a company that dealt in paper stock and other similar goods.” By 1863, after returning from the Civil War, Mr. Perkins started his own paper merchant/agency business which evolved, through mergers and acquisitions, to become (the original ) Perkins & Squier, with offices on 84 Duane Street in New York City.

Perkins & Squier expanded, and George F. Perkins extended into finance and banking (ending his career as President of the Provident Savings Institution) as his son, George F. Perkins Jr. (above) continued Perkins & Squier. The business and the associated traditions, wealth and legacy that stemmed from it were then passed onto Geroge F. Perkins III (“Perk”) and his family where Perkins & Squier grew until it was successfully acquired by Central National Gottesman, Inc in 1998.

Ian Perkins Tracy (above with George F. Perkins III), the oldest great great great grandson of George F. Perkins now runs a rebranded Perkins & Squire. Extending the M&A / merchant banking and agency focus beyond the paper industry and into the fields of eDiscovery/legal technology, alternative investments and education technology while aiming to preserve and perpetuate the family business and traditions.

A tribute to George Fitch Perkins by the Reverend Doctor Charles Herr
At Services Conducted January Fifth, Nineteen Hundred and Sixteen

“The end has come to a long life. The inevitable end has come to a fruitful, honorable, many-sided life. The common quietus has fallen upon a personality of extraordinary interest and attractiveness...To the casual outsider it is just the close of a successful life. Mr. Perkins had occupied this home so long and stood in a position of prominence here for so many years that a generation has grown up which has associated him only with privilege and wealth.

Many are ignorant of the history that lies back of it all, the romance of his career and the fundamental lessons it inculcates. Mr. Perkins began his life under the simplest conditions, with the slightest advantages and aids, and through hardships, privations and difficulties won his way by undefeatable will, and indefatigable energy, an unerring and undeceivable virtue, by honesty, fidelity, and vigor to the fulfillment of his finest and purest ambitions, success and honor in business, finance and community life, and the headship of a favored, happy and lovely household. Born in Connecticut and reared in a countryside in Massachusetts the needle of his life's compass swung through a considerable arc for no little time, during which he was apprentice and journeyman in a humble trade, an ill-paid clerk, an enlisted soldier under President Lincoln’s first call for three months’ men (a service to which typhoid fever put an end), before it finally rested in the employment of a business house in New York dealing in paper. In that sphere he found his opportunity and his business destiny. By hard work, persistence, integrity, thrift, boldness by general force, directness and winningness of his personality, he advanced with ever-gathering momentum to a place of success and reward.

His life does not carry the bare, sordid lesson of how to make money. God forbid that I should emphasize that as the thing for which he should be greatly remembered for. But when wealth comes as the fruit of worth labors, honorable aims, essential virtues, both homely and admirable and leaves its possessor still gentle, modest, unspoiled and good, it is not separable from the other things that came to him in the providence of God-honor, love, obedience, troops and friends.
In his business career, Mr. Perkins became not a local but a national authority on his subject, white paper, both as to its quality and its methods of manufacture, and its relations to the fiscal system and country. By business associates and competitors, and by Committees of Congress, his judgment was appealed to and relied on for its wisdom, its basis of comprehensive knowledge and its disinterestedness. To fellow-members in the Chamber of Commerce and the Union League Club, leading men of business and political life of New York City, he was an esteemed and dear friend, and a trusted and valued co-worker in the larger interests of the metropolis and the nation...”

Tom Barnett

Tom Barnett oversees Perkins & Squire’s interests within the Legal Technology & eDiscovery industry, providing M&A, Management Consulting, Business Process Outsourcing, Data Science and Information Governance expertise. Tom is a widely recognized data science expert and an experienced lawyer with over 25 years experience.  He has built and led successful and profitable companies, departments and teams in the startup environment as well as at premier global law firms such as Sullivan & Cromwell and Paul Hastings.  Tom recently sold the AI data analytics startup he created and led at Paul Hastings to the third largest private equity company in the world.  At the firm, in addition to creating proprietary technology and leading a profitable team of eDiscovery and data science consultants and project managers, Tom served as a data privacy, security and information governance expert for firm clients as well as in the firm's Office of General Counsel.  

Tom has served as a testifying and consulting eDiscovery expert in some of the nation's largest litigations, regulatory and criminal enforcement actions. Tom has a proven track record of creating, developing and growing highly profitable and industry leading technology and services offerings.  He also is a widely published thought leader and has given talks worldwide on eDiscovery, AI in law, machine learning, data analytics, security and privacy.  Tom has also served as a testifying and consulting expert in some of the largest high profile litigations and enforcement actions in the nation. He is a graduate of the Cornell Law School where he served on the board of editors of the Cornell Law Review.

Robert Gibbs, Jr.

Robert (Rob) Gibbs, Jr. is the Director of Legal and Diversity Recruiting at Perkins & Squire. He supplies law firms and corporations with key personnel solutions ranging from general staff augmentation to legal support staff to providing the services of our exceptional offshore attorneys.

Rob received his J.D. from Columbia University Law School and his B.A. from Drew University. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the legal recruiting industry. Having run his own eDiscovery placement business and worked for some of the top legal services providers, he has exceptional expertise in the area as well as document review and general legal staff augmentation.

Rob has helped build litigation support/eDiscovery departments at both law firms and corporations in a number of markets, including Houston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles. He was born and raised on the East Coast and is particularly knowledgeable of the New York City and New Jersey legal markets.  Rob’s recruiting career was preceded by a tenure as a consultant in the entertainment industry. He lives in Mount Vernon, NY with his wife and 3 children.

William Makin

Bill Makin is an Advisory Board Member at Perkins & Squire. He provides the board with expertise in eDiscovery, Risk & Legal Business Management. Bill helps his clients navigate the ever-changing dynamics of the legal industry.

Deeply experienced in eDiscovery, Risk & Legal Operations Management, Bill has a proven track record of success in implementing value-add solutions, streamlining processes and project accountability to manage costs and increase profits. He has extensive experience providing advice on business strategy, risk management & mitigation for Am Law firms, Big 4 Accounting firms and corporations. A highly respected and sought-after leader in the industry, he is skilled in law firm & legal department re-engineering to increase automation & ROI. A detail-oriented, strategic thinker utilizing his vast experience in the industry & interpersonal skills to build relationships and better business models for clients.

Bill received his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Buffalo. He has over 25 years of experience in the legal industry, working for law firms and corporations in a variety of roles as well as consulting firms of all sizes.  Bill has worked for Sullivan & Cromwell, Paul Weiss, Navigant, Citigroup, Ahold and CVS in addition to running his own consultancy.

Robin Shoemaker

Robin is an Advisory Board Member at Perkins & Squire. His field of expertise is equity research and equity capital markets. For most of his career Robin worked as an oil and gas industry analyst at major Wall Street firms such as Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, Citigroup, and KeyBanc Capital Markets. He has been recognized multiple times as a leading energy industry analyst in Institutional Investor’s All-America Research Team rankings and in the Wall Street Journal’s “Best of Street” competition. As a prominent sell-side analyst Robin is highly skilled at valuing energy companies, analyzing the leading indicators of energy sector performance, conducting due diligence on new equity issues, and marketing research products and stock recommendations to institutional investors. Over the years Robin cultivated strong and deep relationships with energy industry executives as well as portfolio managers and buy-side analysts.

After a 30-year career in equity research Robin decided to turn his focus to consulting and teaching. He is an Adjunct Professor of Finance at Adelphi University’s Robert B. Willumstad School of Business. He brings a unique perspective as a long-time equity research professional to the challenges of consulting for energy industry clients and teaching courses in corporate finance, investment analysis, and portfolio management. Robin has a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago.

Seth Reichman

Seth is an Advisory Board member at Perkins & Squire. Seth is a seasoned eDiscovery professional with a strong focus on project management, process improvement, customer service excellence, and quality assurance. He has over 15 years of industry experience providing eDiscovery project management, technology assessment, process/procedure development, and documentation to corporate and law firm clients. Seth’s consultative, client focus and team-oriented approach give him a unique perspective on identifying eDiscovery challenges and opportunities to improve processes to gain efficiency and manage risk and cost with defensible, repeatable, documented solutions. He has extensive experience collaborating remotely and onsite with clients and internal teams to devise, document, implement, and monitor efficacy of enterprise eDiscovery solutions and deliver exceptional client service. Seth has consulted with corporations in a range of industries, including automotive, pharmaceutical and life sciences, and financial services corporations as they respond to regulatory, products liability, commercial, internal investigative, and intellectual property matters.