After very public merger talks with Proskauer Rose and a contentious managing partner election, SJ Berwin has been left to lick its wounds. The firm needs to act fast to determine its immediate future
If one of the unwritten rules of masterminding a law firm merger is to keep it private for as long as possible, SJ Berwin’s talks with Proskauer Rose were a complete disaster. The drawn-out talks with the New York practice were leaked to the press 16 days after the two formally sat down to talk about a deal. What followed were the most publicly played out merger discussions since Ashurst’s ill-fated 18-month talks with Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, which ended in 2003.
