Biglaw, Law Firm Mergers

Biglaw Mega Merger Between Quinn Emanuel and Williams & Connolly Not To Be

W&C: There's nothing to see here!

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Rumors swirled earlier today hinting at a potential Biglaw merger between Quinn Emanuel and Williams & Connolly, but it seems the dream is not to be.

Despite John Quinn himself claiming that talks were underway — though in the preliminary stages — it seems to have been an epic (and awkward) misunderstanding. Think of a lovelorn singleton who believes they’re on a first date, while the target of their interest is only there for networking.

Williams & Connolly is now assuring the world they’re “just friends” with Quinn, according to a Law.com report:

“While Quinn Emanuel is an excellent law firm, we are happy just the way we are. We have no plans to merge with them or any other law firm,” Dane Butswinkas, chairman of Williams & Connolly, said in a statement after news reports of the talks Tuesday.

No one knows exactly how the misunderstanding happened. Perhaps W&C felt Quinn was a little too nouveau riche for their tastes; after all, aren’t profits per equity partner over $5 million, fueled by a penchant for contingency work, just a smidge gaudy? Or maybe W&C loves being on their own (they’ve even resisted setting up a formal second office in New York), and they’re happy to wear a purple dress and red hat whenever they want.

We may never know what really happened behind the scenes, but that won’t stop the speculation.

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headshotKathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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