Womble Bond Dickinson and Lewis Roca to Merge, Forming 1,300-Lawyer Firm

In the latest of a series of major law firm mergers, Womble Bond Dickinson and Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie revealed on Tuesday that they will officially merge on January 1. This merger marks the third such announcement in less than a week, according to Reuters.

The newly merged entity will bring together a team of 1,300 lawyers across 37 offices in both the United States and the United Kingdom, per Reuters. The firms have disclosed that their combined gross revenue in the previous year exceeded $742 million. The unified firm will operate under the Womble Bond Dickinson name.

Womble Bond Dickinson, which boasts nearly 1,100 attorneys, is already the result of a 2017 transatlantic merger between U.S.-based Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice and the UK’s Bond Dickinson. The firm currently has approximately 640 lawyers in its U.S. offices and 450 in its UK locations. Phoenix-headquartered Lewis Roca, the smaller of the two firms, has 220 attorneys working across offices in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Nevada.

Leadership of the new firm has already been determined. Womble’s Merrick Benn, who was set to assume the role of U.S. chair and CEO in January, will take on the role of chair and CEO of the combined firm. Kenneth Van Winkle, Lewis Roca’s managing partner, will serve as vice chair, according to the firms’ statement.

This merger comes as part of a growing trend of law firms joining forces to expand their reach and services. Earlier this week, Ballard Spahr and Lane Powell announced a merger that will create a 750-lawyer firm in January under the Ballard Spahr name. Additionally, last week saw Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders and Locke Lord reveal plans to form a 1,600-lawyer firm, Troutman Pepper Locke, also set to launch in January.

Per Reuters, the legal industry is witnessing increased consolidation as firms look to scale up through strategic combinations, signaling heightened competition and ambition among the world’s largest law firms.

Source: Reuters