Downtown law firm Musick, Peeler & Garrett LLP recently named two new managing partners, the firm’s first leadership change in 39 years.

Litigator Steven Elie and estate planner Richard Galofaro are splitting managing partner duties. They take the place of longtime leader Joseph De Briyn, who will remain a partner and continue with his practice.

The changeover comes months after the firm relocated to a marquee location in Bunker Hill, after being among the last original anchor tenants of One Wilshire. Musick Peeler also has offices in Thousand Oaks, Costa Mesa, San Diego and San Francisco.

“Joe has been setting up the transition for a little while. We just moved to a new building, and it was the right time for us to transition, to make a change and to move forward,” Elie said. “Rich is a bit younger, and I’ve been here a bit longer, so the combination of the two of us really gel well to take the firm forward.”

Elie – who handles business, insurance and environmental litigation – has spent his entire career at Musick Peeler; he joined the firm in 1987. Garofalo, in his 18 years at the firm, has built an extensive practice in estate and gift tax planning for high net worth individuals and trust and estate administration. Because of their backgrounds, Elie plans to focus on organizational and structural oversight, while Galofaro will handle the firm’s financial decisions.

The firm’s new office will likely facilitate the pair’s desire to modernize other aspects of the operation. They also have an eye on bolstering the transactional, labor and employment, insurance, and trusts and estates practices.

“Whenever you have a change in leadership after 39 years, there’s a little bit of a different way of thinking about things, and we’re going to prioritize them over the next few years,” Galofaro said.