Three Regional Law Firms Announce Mergers; Like Most This Year, They Involve Small Law Firms
Three well-known regional law firms have announced mergers this week.
And, like most other law firm mergers this year, they involved the acquisitions of smaller shops, according to Reuters.
Adams and Reese will add Tallahassee, Fla.-based Igler & Dougherty to its existing roster of 260 attorneys working in offices throughout the Southeast. The addition will put the firm’s total lawyer head count close to 270, as a press release details.
Becker & Poliakoff, in the second small-firm merger it has announced in recent weeks, said it will acquire Litman Law, which has seven attorneys in Manassas, Va. A week earlier, Becker & Poliakoff, which now has more than 150 attorneys and lobbyists and is based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., said it will merge with Cornett, Googe & Associates, a small southeastern firm based in Stuart, Fla.
Carlton Fields will gain six lawyers and an office in Manhattan when the 300-attorney, Florida-based firm acquires Rosner & Napierala, which is based in New York. All of the firm’s seven other offices are in Florida, except for an office in Atlanta. A law firm press release provides further details.
An Altman Weil survey found that 39 law firm mergers were announced in the first three quarters of 2012, with all but four involving law firms of less than 25 attorneys, Reuters reported. There were 43 law firm mergers announced during the same period in 2011.
“Small deals are easier to swallow, easier to integrate,” Gary Rosen, who serves as managing shareholder of Becker & Poliakoff, told Reuters. “Negotiations tend to be less complicated, and usually they can be accomplished in a short period of time.”
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Law Firm Mergers Level Off in US But Continue at a Steady Pace Abroad”
