Biglaw, Law Firm Mergers, Partner Issues, Patton Boggs

Say Hello To Squire Patton Boggs

What will the new entity look like in terms of size and scope?

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Usually Friday afternoon news dumps before holiday weekends are reserved for embarrassing news — a disgraced government official resigning to “spend more time with his family,” for example. But this latest news is happy rather than embarrassing (for the most part).

After a brief suspension of the voting, the partnership of Squire Sanders voted today to approve the proposed merger with troubled Patton Boggs. Not surprisingly, the Patton Boggs partnership had approved the merger days ago, on Monday. When a lifeboat pulls up, you don’t play hard to get.

So what’s the embarrassing part of this deal?

We’ve complained about it before: that awful firm name, “Squire Patton Boggs.” Let’s hope that after a few years go by, the firm reverts to “Squire Sanders” or goes with “Squire LLP,” in keeping with the trend towards shorter and shorter monikers. (Yes, Patton Boggs has big name recognition in lobbying, but lobbying is arguably… icky.)

A few more facts about the new entity:

  • Headcount: almost 1,600 lawyers (query whether cuts will follow post-merger).
  • Geographical coverage: 45 offices in 25 countries.
  • Combined gross revenue: $1.05 billion.
  • Effective date: June 1 (very fast — shotgun wedding?).

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Congratulations to the firms on their union. Now comes the hard part: integration.

Not every law firm merger has a happy ending. Boy Dewey know it….

UPDATE (5/27/2014, 2:35 p.m.): Here’s additional analysis from the Wall Street Journal and the American Lawyer, featuring predictably optimistic comments from firm leaders.

Partners Approve Law Firm Merger of Patton Boggs and Squire Sanders [WSJ Law Blog]
Squire Sanders Partners Approve Patton Boggs Merger [Am Law Daily]

Earlier: Squire Sanders Puts Patton Boggs Merger Vote On Hold

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