Mergers & Acquisitions

Client Demand for Greater Global Presence Pushes More Law Firm Mergers

Although law firm mergers slumped in the third quarter of 2010, a hot week of potential talks and the marriage of two prominent U.S. and U.K. law firms have prompted some analysts and law firm leaders to predict more domestic and global unions in the near future. SNR Denton—formerly Sonnenschein…

Oct 1, 2010 6:45 PM CDT

Saul Ewing Partner’s Success Advice: Meet a Lot of People and Treat Them Well

A Saul Ewing partner who is chairman of the Securities Investor Protection Corp. attributes his success to networking and his faith in God. The Washington Post interviews Orlan Johnson, an “under-the-radar dealmaker,” for a “what it takes” column. Johnson’s resumé includes an internship for the former chief executive of Beatrice…

Sep 13, 2010 3:58 PM CDT

Lathrop & Gage to Merge with Denver Law Firm

Lathrop & Gage is merging with Denver law firm Kamlet Reichert, giving it 37 lawyers in the city. The merged firm, which will keep the Lathrop & Gage name, will be among Colorado’s largest 20 law firms, the Denver Post reports. Lathrop & Gage chief executive Joel Voran told the…

Sep 3, 2010 11:24 AM CDT

Squire Sanders in Merger Talks with UK Law Firm Hammonds

Another transatlantic law firm merger may be in the offing, this one involving Squire, Sanders & Dempsey and British law firm Hammonds. Partners at both firms were being told of the merger talks today, according to Legal Week and the Am Law Daily. If the merger gets a green light,…

Aug 25, 2010 4:46 PM CDT

Does Milbank Raid Suggest Law Firms Are Readying for an M&A Comeback?

A five-partner raid last week may suggest that law firms are readying for a new wave of mergers and acquisitions. In a rare move, five banking and leveraged-finance partners jumped from Latham & Watkins to Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy. According to CNBC.com, the raid “may foreshadow a mergers and…

Aug 9, 2010 4:13 PM CDT

Report: Law Firm Mergers On the Rise, But Still Way Behind ‘09 Activity

There’s been an uptick in law firm merger activity during the second quarter of this year, with 10 completed mergers involving U.S.-based law firms. Yet while there’s been an increase in mergers over the first quarter (there were four during that period), merger activity is still down compared to the…

Jul 1, 2010 7:53 PM CDT

Mayer Brown and Simmons Decide Against Merger

Mayer Brown and U.K. law firm Simmons & Simmons have decided against a merger after holding preliminary talks. The law firms released a joint statement today announcing the decision, according to Legal Week and the Lawyer. The statement said: “Simmons & Simmons and Mayer Brown have held preliminary discussions with…

Jun 29, 2010 2:29 PM CDT

Tennessee’s Allen Kopet Acquires W.Va. Firm, Grows ‘One State at a Time’

The sign on the office of Charleston, W.Va., law firm Francis, Nelson & Brison will be changing soon. The seven-lawyer law firm has been acquired by Allen, Kopet & Associates, a law firm based in Chattanooga, Tenn., the Charleston Daily Mail reports. The acquisition is consistent with Allen Kopet’s website…

Jun 23, 2010 3:42 PM CDT

Mayer Brown Discusses Merger with British Law Firm

Trans-Atlantic mergers between law firms appear to be all the rage. The latest firms said to be in merger talks are Mayer Brown and U.K.-based law firm Simmons & Simmons. Management teams from the law firms held merger talks last week “in a secret off-site location,” the Lawyer reports. Simmons…

Jun 21, 2010 11:37 AM CDT

Akerman Senterfitt Gets BP Work, Acquires Two Butzel Long Offices

Akerman Senterfitt will be representing BP in Florida litigation over the Gulf oil spill, and it’s bulking up its lawyer roster. Akerman is acquiring lawyers and employees from two offices of Detroit-based Butzel Long, Crain’s Detroit Business reports. Akerman has hired eight lawyers, five paralegals and eight support staff from…

Jun 17, 2010 1:49 PM CDT

Partners Approve Merger of Sonnenschein and Denton Wilde

Partners have approved the merger of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal and U.K. law firm Denton Wilde Sapte. Yesterday’s vote was unanimous, according to a press release. The new firm, SNR Denton, will have more than 1,400 lawyers and professionals in 18 countries, making it one of the world’s top 25…

Jun 10, 2010 11:27 AM CDT

Younger Partners Ascendant at Cravath, ‘Not Your Grandfather’s’ Law Firm

The culture is changing at Cravath, Swaine & Moore as partners in their 30s and 40s are handling high-profile work that once would have gone to older lawyers. The older generation of lawyers was on board with the “sea change,” the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports, partly because their…

May 28, 2010 11:42 AM CDT

SJ Berwin Said to Be Eyeing Proskauer Rose as Possible Merger Partner

The British law firm SJ Berwin has held exploratory merger discussions with a handful of U.S. law firms, but is now reportedly shifting its focus to just one firm: Proskauer Rose. Previous stories identified Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe as the leading candidate for a possible merger with SJ Berwin. Orrick…

May 10, 2010 4:18 PM CDT

Benesch Friedlander Snaps Up Century-Old Indy Firm

Cleveland-based Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff announced this week that it has merged with Indianapolis-based Dann Pecar Newman & Kleiman as part of its continuing growth strategy. Benesch now counts 145 attorneys and 288 support staff in seven offices in the United States and Shanghai, according to a news release.…

Mar 3, 2010 12:36 PM CST

Federal Judge Steps Aside, Allows Del. Court to Decide Claimed Cravath Conflict Issue

A federal judge in Philadelphia has stepped aside from a lawsuit seeking to disqualify Cravath Swaine & Moore from serving as counsel to a company seeking to take over a former client of the law firm. Because Delaware Chancery Court is to address the same conflict issue on an expedited…

Feb 24, 2010 12:17 AM CST