Asia: Rodyk & Davidson to join world’s biggest law firm

International law firm Dentons said on Monday it has agreed on terms for mergers with 500-lawyer Australian firm Gadens and 200-lawyer Singaporean firm Rodyk & Davidson, whose partnerships will vote on the deals in the coming weeks.

If the mergers are approved, Dentons Chief Executive Officer Elliott Portnoy said integration will likely take place early next year.

The talks follow 3,000-lawyer Dentons’ agreement earlier in the year to combine with China’s Dacheng Law Offices, whose roughly 4,000 lawyers will help create the world’s largest firm when that deal is completed. This year Dentons also merged with Atlanta-based McKenna Long & Aldridge, which had around 400 lawyers.

The firm also hailed its moves in Asia as part of a “pivot” toward the region, echoing language used by the White House about U.S. foreign policy strategy.

The present Dentons was formed through a series of mergers involving US, British, French and Canadian firms. The firm has mainly used a Swiss verein structure for its combinations, which allows it to maintain legally and financially separate entities sharing a common brand.

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