UK/US: Eversheds in late stage merger talks with US Sutherland

The Atlanta-based law firm Sutherland Asbill & Brennan is in merger discussions with Eversheds of London, the firms announced on Tuesday.

If consummated, the deal would create a law firm with more than 2,300 lawyers spanning 31 offices in 29 countries, the firms said in a joint statement.

Combined revenue would be more than $900 million, according to the firm’s 2015 revenue figures, placing it among the top 40 largest law firms in the world by revenue.

“Joining forces with Sutherland will give each firm’s clients a global platform and we will be discussing with our partners positively in the coming weeks,” said Eversheds chief executive Bryan Hughes, in a statement.

The announcement depicted the discussions as being in an advanced, yet incomplete stage. It said that both firms have presented the proposed combination to their partners, who will likely vote on the deal before year-end.

“A new entity called Eversheds Sutherland, overseen by a global Board and with equal representation from each firm would be created by this transaction,” the firms said.

Eversheds is the larger firm of the two. The firm, with nearly 2,000 lawyers and 500 partners, reported $620 million in revenue in 2015; Sutherland, with more than 200 lawyers and 170 partners, reported less than half that, with $301 million, according to financial data in The American Lawyer.

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