Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling merger completed

The law firm Allen & Overy and the US firm Shearman & Sterling have completed their merger to create A&O Shearman, the third largest law firm in the world by revenue with combined revenues of US$3.5 billion and a team of 7,000 professionals and 4,000 lawyers, according to the companies’ statement.

The firm currently has 47 offices in 29 countries around the world. A&O Shearman has launched a new business structure in which it divides its practice areas into four large blocks: Finance, Corporate, Litigation and Arbitration, and Energy and Infrastructure Projects. In addition, the firm has established as its strategic sectors: Energy and Infrastructure, Financial Institutions, Private Equity, Technology, Health Sciences and Industry.

Allen & Overy Spain co-managing partners Antonio Vázquez-Guillén and Ignacio Ruiz-Cámara will play an important role within A&O Shearman's new organizational structure. Vázquez-Guillén will co-head the global Litigation Practice, while Rui-Cámara will serve as co-head of the Continental Europe region. Antonio Vázquez-Guillén and Ignacio Ruiz-Cámara, co-managing partners of A&O Shearman in Spain, say that the new firm “will be the best platform for our clients, the large Spanish companies that are leaders in their sectors and international investors to carry out their strategic moves, with the confidence of being accompanied by the best professionals in all jurisdictions".

Khalid Garousha, senior partner at A&O Shearman, adds: “Today we begin an exciting journey as a new firm – a firm that has an unrivalled global platform to offer our clients. A platform like no other. A&O Shearman is a new industry leader with unmatched experience, a unique culture and truly global capabilities. I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to unlock the potential of our new firm. We will provide clients with the world-class integrated solutions and unparalleled regional experience and knowledge that they are looking for in today’s increasingly complex commercial and regulatory environment.”

Adam Hakki, co-chair of the global A&O Shearman Board and Executive Committee and chair of the firm’s U.S. business, commented: “The combination of two of the world’s most prestigious law firms, with complementary strengths and shared values, has been carefully designed to deliver – at the highest level – what the firms’ respective clients and colleagues have told us they are seeking and will find nowhere else. The feedback we have received to date, externally and internally, has been exceedingly positive, and our clients are eager to unleash the combined power of the new firm. A&O Shearman was built to achieve exceptional outcomes for clients, and we now look forward to demonstrating that worldwide.”