Orrick and Pillsbury end merger talks
Two major law firms that confirmed last month they were seriously talking about a merger have ended the discussions.
The problem was a conflict of interest between government agencies represented by the public finance practice group of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe and clients represented by Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman in environmental, real estate and tax matters, Reuters reports. The firms did not identify the specific clients.
“We are disappointed that we are not able to bring this over the goal line,” said chairman Mitch Zuklie of Orrick. “We’ll have to forge ahead in our own separate firms.”
If the merger had gone through, the combination would have formed one of the 10 biggest law firms in the country.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Reports: Orrick and Pillsbury on verge of mega-merger, deal could be announced as soon as next week”
