With
Q4
nearly
upon
us,
Biglaw
firms
most
definitely
have
the
urge
to
merge.
Within
the
last
month,
three
major
mergers
have
already
been
announced
—
Troutman
Pepper
and
Locke
Lord,
followed
by Ballard
Spahr
and
Lane
Powell,
then
by
Womble
Bond
Dickinson
and
Lewis
Roca.
Law
firm
merger
interest
is
at
an
“all-time
high,”
and
it’s
no
surprise
that
two
more
firms
have
signaled
that
they’ll
soon
be
combining.
Today,
Am
Law
100
firm
Taft
Stettinius
&
Hollister
and
Mid-Market
50
firm
Sherman
&
Howard
announced
that
they’d
combine
to
create
a
1,050-lawyer
firm,
with
a
total
of
more
than
$810
million
in
gross
revenue
based
on
last
year’s
numbers.
The
merger
will
take
effect
on
January
1,
2025,
and
the
new
firm
may
see
itself
rise
up
to
20
spots
in
the
Am
Law
100.
Taft
has
been
doing
quite
well
in
recent
years,
growing
its
revenue
by
more
than
400%
since
2017.
With
growth
still
in
mind,
the
firm
may
not
be
done
when
it
comes
to
mergers.
The
American
Lawyer
has
the
scoop:
In
an
interview,
Bob
Hicks,
the
managing
partner
and
chairman
of
the
executive
committee
of
Taft,
said
that
the
firm
is
also
in
preliminary
talks
with
two
or
three
other
firms
for
a
potential
combination,
although
he
noted,
“I
normally
talk
to
20
or
30
firms
before
I
find
one
that’s
viable.”
…Hicks
said
that
[Taft
and
Sherman
&
Howard]
have
already
begun
integrating
their
people
and
systems,
anticipating
the
combination,
and
their
operations,
websites,
and
internal
systems
will
be
ready
to
launch
together
on
January
1.
However,
their
partner
compensation
systems
may
take
around
one
to
three
years
to
fully
integrate
because
each
separate
firm
will
be
deciding
partner
rates
for
now,
according
to
Hicks.
Congratulations
to
Taft
and
Sherman
&
Howard
on
what
promises
to
be
a
successful
alliance.
In
the
Latest
Big
Merger,
Taft
to
Combine
with
Sherman
&
Howard
[American
Lawyer]
Staci
Zaretsky is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
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Threads
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on
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