Law Firms
2 BigLaw firms ‘fighting it out in the lateral market’ vote to merge
Partners at Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders and Locke Lord have voted to merge effective Jan. 1, 2025. (Image from Shutterstock)
Partners at Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders and Locke Lord have voted to merge effective Jan. 1, 2025.
The new law firm will be called Troutman Pepper Locke, according to press releases here and here and stories by Law.com, Law360 and Bloomberg Law.
The combined firm will have more than 1,600 lawyers in 33 U.S. offices and two European offices in London and Brussels.
The firm’s new chair will be Tom Cole, chair of Troutman Pepper. Troutman Pepper Locke’s current revenues would give it a No. 28 ranking in the Am Law 100 list of top-grossing firms, according to a fact sheet.
The firms confirmed merger talks in April. Partners approved the merger Sept. 5.
Legal consultant Kent Zimmermann of the Zeughauser Group told Law360 that he proposed the merger early this year in his role as an adviser at Troutman Pepper.
Both firms were “fighting it out in the lateral market” because they both focus on the same six industry sectors, Zimmermann said.
“I would call it the most strategic law firm recombination in recent memory,” he told Law360.
According to a press release, the firms share practice strengths in industries that include energy, financial services, health care and life sciences, insurance and reinsurance, private equity and real estate.
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