Mergers & Acquisitions

McKenna partners nix Dentons megamerger

Management at both Dentons and McKenna Long & Aldridge had recommended to partners that the two law firms merge. But partners at McKenna balked at the plan when it was put to a vote, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog (sub. req.) reports. Although 75 percent had approved the potential…

Nov 26, 2013 8:20 PM CST

More law firm mergers ahead in 2013? Record is already set

It’s a record year for law firm mergers. The number has already hit 78, beating the previous record of 70 set in 2008, the Am Law Daily reports. And there could be more mergers before the end of the year, according to Ward Bower, a principal with legal consulting firm…

Nov 25, 2013 1:37 PM CST

Baker & Hostetler to acquire 68-attorney intellectual property boutique

Baker & Hostetler plans to acquire a 68-attorney Philadelphia-based intellectual property boutique, subject to a partner vote by both firms. A letter of intent has been signed by BakerHostetler and Woodcock Washburn, and the merger is expected to take place Jan. 1, according to a Friday law firm press release.…

Nov 22, 2013 6:15 PM CST

Is bigger better for the bottom line? Why these BigLaw firms might merge (video)

Recent reports have indicated that Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe is discussing a tie up with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, while Patton Boggs is considering a deal with Locke Lord. Kent Zimmermann, consultant at the Zeughauser Group, talks with Bloomberg Law’s Lee Pacchia about the two potential BigLaw mergers, and how…

Oct 31, 2013 5:25 PM CDT

Law firm merger talks heat up; is Patton Boggs the latest firm in merger talks?

New reports of potential law firm mergers highlight a hot merger market for the year. Reuters broke the news this weekend about the latest potential tie-up: Patton Boggs is said to be discussing a possible merger with Locke Lord. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) notes the recent reports and…

Oct 28, 2013 12:49 PM CDT

Reports: Orrick and Pillsbury on verge of mega-merger, deal could be announced as soon as next week

A new megafirm may be about to be born: Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman are in advanced merger talks, and an agreement to combine the two law firms could be reached as early as next week, the New York Times’ DealBook blog reports. Reuters was the…

Oct 25, 2013 10:10 PM CDT

Carlton Fields to merge with Jorden Burt

Carlton Fields is merging with 70-lawyer Jorden Burt, a class action defense firm that represents insurers and the financial services industry. The merger will become final early next year, according to a press release. The new firm will have more than 370 lawyers and government consultants in 10 offices. The…

Oct 8, 2013 3:31 PM CDT

Law firm mergers are up 41 percent so far this year

Law firm mergers are booming, according to a tally by a legal consulting firm. Fifty-eight law firm combinations were announced in the first three quarters of the year, a 41 percent increase from the same period last year, according to a press release by Altman Weil. Nineteen mergers and acquisitions…

Oct 3, 2013 10:44 AM CDT

‘Quite a mess’ in Manhattan US Atty’s office; Holder calls shutdown ‘unnecessary and harmful’

Federal criminal prosecutions are continuing after the government shutdown, but that doesn’t mean things are going smoothly. Prosecutions in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Manhattan have been thrown into disarray, according to Lorin Reisner, the chief of the office’s criminal division. “From our perspective, it’s a mess,” Reisner said at…

Oct 2, 2013 12:00 PM CDT

Littler Mendelson combines with law firms in Colombia and Costa Rica

Littler Mendelson has combined with law firms in Colombia and Costa Rica as part of its push to expand into Latin America. Littler is combining with Colombian law firm Godoy Córdoba Abogados and Costa Rican law firm BDS Asesores under the name Littler Global, according to a press release. The…

Oct 1, 2013 2:20 PM CDT

Dentons and McKenna Long are discussing a merger

Dentons and McKenna Long & Aldridge have confirmed they are in merger talks. If the merger takes place, the new firm would have about 3,100 lawyers, report the Am Law Daily and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog (sub. req.). The talks are focusing on a Jan. 1, 2014, date…

Oct 1, 2013 12:30 PM CDT

Dow Lohnes said to be in merger talks after losing more than half its lawyers

Dow Lohnes, once one of the nation’s top 200 law firms, is said to be in merger talks with possible suitors. A half dozen anonymous sources tell the Am Law Daily (sub. req.) about the firm’s search for a merger partner. One called the talks the “worst kept secret” in…

Sep 30, 2013 11:46 AM CDT

Stinson Morrison will merge with Leonard Street as law firm mergers heat up

Stinson Morrison Hecker is merging with Leonard Street and Deinard to become the 75th largest law firm in the United States by headcount. The merger, set to take place on Jan. 1, will create a 525-lawyer firm with offices in 14 cities, report the Kansas City Star, the Wall Street…

Sep 23, 2013 12:01 PM CDT

Midwest firm to acquire Los Angeles legal shop, plans further growth there

A nearly 350-attorney Midwest law firm is planting its flag on the West Coast with the pending acquisition of a 10-attorney Los Angeles legal shop. Thompson Coburn plans to finalize its merger with Freedman Weisz in early October, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The Thompson firm currently has offices in…

Sep 10, 2013 2:40 PM CDT

You know about moot court—but Karl Okamoto wants students to practice moot deals

Moot Deals? Yes!

Sep 4, 2013 2:05 PM CDT