Dentons becomes world’s most lawyered firm with Dacheng tie-up

Firms set to create a 6,600-lawyer, $1.7bn law firm giant

In a bid to create the world’s largest firm by lawyer headcount, Dentons is to combine with China’s biggest firm, Dacheng Law Offices, to form a 6,600-lawyer giant operating under a Swiss verein structure.

With offices across over 50 countries, combined revenues will be in the region of $1.7bn. At the end of the financial year 2013/14, Dentons’ turnover was $1.3bn, while Dacheng confirmed that its revenues currently stand at $400m, although revenues were reported to have hit just RMB1.78bn ($287m) in the 2013 financial year. The firm will have revenue per lawyer of $257,000, compared to $769,000 across the Global 100. Both partnerships confirmed the tie-up in late January, although at the time of press, both firms were awaiting approval from Chinese regulators.

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The ‘big move’: Shepherd and Wedderburn avoids compulsory redundancies as it finalises Tods Murray integration

Shepherd and Wedderburn has managed to avoid making compulsory redundancies as it looks to complete the integration of Tods Murray, which it acquired earlier this year, into one office.

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Worst-kept secret: Locke Lord and Edwards Wildman approve combination

Dallas-bred Locke Lord and Boston’s Edwards Wildman Palmer have rubber-stamped their high-profile union, today (1 December) announcing that their respective partnerships have approved a combination from 10 January 2015, a move which will generate gross revenues of $675m and a headcount of 1,000 lawyers.

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2,000 lawyers across 28 offices: Bingham loses out on rescue merger as Morgan Lewis acquires 227 partners

Following much touted speculation of the potential merger between US firms Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and Bingham McCutchen, Morgan Lewis has decided to cherry pick 227 partners.

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Comment: The cost of culture – HSF finds mega-mergers always come at a price

This month’s cover feature on Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) looks in hindsight like the end of an informal trilogy on storied London firms agreeing high-stakes mergers, following earlier pieces on Hogan Lovells and Ashurst.

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The cost of culture – HSF finds mega-mergers always come at a price

This month’s cover feature on Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) looks in hindsight like an informal trilogy on storied London firms agreeing high-stakes mergers, following earlier pieces on Hogan Lovells and Ashurst.

Taken together, patterns and contrasts emerge. The legacy Herbert Smith, Lovells and Ashurst were all wrestling with similar cultural and strategic issues ahead of their unions as they struggled to compete against larger and more driven rivals.

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Edwards Wildman and Locke Lord set to combine

Fellow US firm Cooley plans London office takeover

Dallas-bred Locke Lord and Boston’s Edwards Wildman Palmer became the latest US duo to announce plans to merge last month, as consolidation continues in the US national market. The news emerges as California firm Cooley prepares to launch in London, potentially taking on a major proportion of Edwards Wildman’s City team in the process.

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Edwards Wildman loses associate quartet to City firms as tensions mount over potential Cooley takeover

Having endured a spate of high profile partner exits during the summer, US firm Edwards Wildman has now seen four associates depart from its London office, and join the ranks of Eversheds, Travers Smith, Pinsent Masons and automobile giant Nissan in recent weeks as uncertainty over Cooley talks continues.

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