Law Firm That Flourished During Internet Boom Shutting Down

Partners at the San Francisco law firm of Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison decided to wind down the firm, bringing to an end a 77-year-old Bay Area institution that rose flamboyantly and rapidly on the Internet boom. The decision came after efforts to merge with Morgan Lewis & Bockius -- a 1,100-lawyer firm whose largest offices are in Philadelphia, Washington and New York -- failed, said William Sullivan, who is head of the national securities practice at Brobeck.