Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing to Form Global Firm in Proposed 2026 Merger

The proposed deal would bring together Chicago-founded Winston & Strawn and the UK business of Taylor Wessing, forming a global firm with more than 1,400 lawyers across 20 offices. The combined firm would operate under the name Winston Taylor and generate an estimated $1.75 billion in annual revenue, based on a fact sheet published on a website dedicated to the merger. Per Reuters, the transaction remains subject to approval by partners at both firms.

The announcement follows closely after the firms disclosed they were in merger talks. The timing aligns with broader industry trends highlighted in a recent report from Citigroup and Hildebrandt Consulting, which said consolidation in the legal market could accelerate in 2026. The report pointed to modest growth in demand and rising cost pressures as factors pushing firms toward mergers, according to Reuters. It also noted that UK firms’ interest in expanding their presence in the United States could fuel additional transatlantic tie-ups.

Winston & Strawn chairman Steve D’Amore, who is expected to become chairman of the combined firm, said in a statement that the merger would give the firm a “London-headquartered partner that fulfills our long-held ambition to grow in the UK.” Shane Gleghorn, managing partner of Taylor Wessing UK, is set to take on the role of managing partner for Europe and the Middle East within the new organization.

Taylor Wessing currently operates as a Swiss verein, a structure that allows regional divisions to function as largely independent legal entities under a shared brand. Under the proposed deal, Taylor Wessing’s UK business, which includes lawyers based in the UK, Ireland, Dubai and San Francisco, would leave the verein to merge with Winston & Strawn. According to Reuters, the firm’s operations in the Netherlands and Belgium would also exit the structure and enter into an agreement to operate under the Winston Taylor name. The remaining parts of the Taylor Wessing verein would maintain a referral relationship with the new firm.

In announcing the transaction, the firms said the merger “responds to increasing client demand for seamlessly integrated US–UK–EU counsel for the businesses, people, and markets driving capital and innovation.”

The planned combination adds to a growing list of high-profile mergers between U.S. and UK law firms in recent years. Last month, Ashurst and Perkins Coie said they intend to merge into a firm with about 3,000 lawyers, pending partner approval, with a closing targeted for the third quarter of 2026. Earlier this year, Herbert Smith Freehills and Kramer Levin completed a merger that created a 2,700-lawyer firm, while Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling combined last year to form a firm approaching 4,000 lawyers, according to Reuters.

Source: Reuters