2015 marked a record year for U.S. law firm mergers
Publicado em 7/01/2016
The record year indicates attempts to overcome the relatively static legal corporate market, reflecting the competition between firms to find new work. Ward Bower, Altman Weil MergerLine’s principal expects the market to continue to boom in 2016.
By far the most active, as well as that completing the largest-ever law merger, was Dentons, having announced eight combinations. The unprecedented merger with 3,600-lawyer Chinese firm, Dacheng, characterized Dentons’ year, although significant international moves were made by the firm in the South Asia-Pacific region by its merger with 500-lawyer Australian firm Gadens, and 200-lawyer strong firm Rodyk in Singapore. Moves were also made for U.S., Latin American and European firms to bring Dentons’ headcount to 7,400 lawyers worldwide.
Other U.S. law firms, including DLA Piper, Morgan Lewis & Bockius and Littler Mendelson, made respective international moves for Canadian, Singaporean and German law firms.
Texas and Chicago were target markets for domestic combinations, with Nixon Peabody acquiring 102-lawyer Ungaretti & Harris in the Midwestern city, and 340-lawyer Detroit-based firm, Dykema, moving for Texan firm Cox Smith Matthews.
Despite the significant number of large law firm mergers and acquisitions, overall, 77% of the combinations completed in 2015 were acquisitions of law firms with 20 or fewer lawyers.
F. A. E. M.