Nancy Mertzel, chair of the intellectual property practice at Herrick, Feinstein, is leaving Big Law and setting up her own solo shop in Manhattan.

“I really felt like starting my own firm would enable me to really take better care of my clients, to really focus on what they need without having to deal with [the] things that go along with being a part of a big firm,” Mertzel said. “So I just felt that now is the time.”