Howrey bringing on big guns to replace familiar faces.

CALL it "Extreme Makeover: Law Firm Edition." Howrey LLP's Los Angeles office has been replacing some familiar faces with local rainmakers as it rebuilds following a year's worth of declining revenues and profits.

"Recruiting is one of our big pushes," said Joanne Caruso, managing partner of the Southern California offices of Howrey, which recently hired an in-house recruiter. "We've been aggressively out there finding legal talent."

The firm has attracted Jan Handzlik, a former white-collar criminal defense partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and former U.S. Attorney Terree Bowers, who recently came from the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.

The Washington D.C.-based firm expects to add 20 to 25 lawyers to its 65-lawyer local office by the end of the year, Caruso said.

The new entrants come as several long-time lawyers leave this month, including Maurice Suh, now deputy mayor for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Jeff Eglash, in-house counsel for one of the firm's clients, General Electric Co.

Howrey's revenues and profits have declined since obtaining a $65 million fee award in a 2003 class action settlement with several tobacco companies. Last year's revenues were $352 million, down 8.9 percent from 2003, while profits-per-partner were $775,000, down 28.9 percent from 2003.

Staff reporter Amanda Bronstad can be reached at [phone], ext. 225, or at [e-mail].