Biglaw

Biglaw Merger Mania Sweeping The Midwest

Biglaw gets bigger.

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Okay, maybe the “mania” in “merger mania” overstates the trend a tad bit, but well, we’re *still* in the middle of a freaking pandemic, and any law firm actively expanding is going to get outsized attention. Doubly so when there’s a burgeoning trend afoot.

So, what, exactly is going on? Well, Dinsmore & Shohl announced a merger with Wooden McLaughlin that became official on January 1. That gives the newly expanded Dinsmore three new offices in Indiana (in Indianapolis, Evansville and Bloomington), and it’s being touted by the firm as “one of the largest such deals of two domestic-only firms in the legal industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.” It brings the firm’s headcount to 630+, which is over a 7 percent increase. Not too shabby.

Dinsmore Chairman and Managing Partner George Vincent had this to say about the merger:

“I’ve always believed in having a renewable five-year plan and working back from where you want to be. Five years ago, we wanted to be in Boston, Florida and Indiana, and we’ve done all of those things. We are in every state surrounding Indiana, so it is a natural place for us to be. There are significant opportunities for new and existing Dinsmore clients there, and Wooden has a great legacy.”

But as observers have pointed out, it isn’t the only midwest push for Biglaw. Just last month, megafirm Dentons announced a combination with Iowa law firm Davis Brown. That merger is part of Dentons “Project Golden Spike,” which is a dual-partnership model that allows for local decision making. The new law firm will operate as Dentons Davis Brown.

Elliott Portnoy, Global CEO of Dentons, said this of the merger:

“We are delighted to be combining with Davis Brown in Iowa, a major financial services and insurance hub, and a key and growing market for our clients with Des Moines’ external legal spend exceeding that of the entire country of India. Like Dentons, Davis Brown and its lawyers are repeatedly recognized for the quality of their legal service and their focus on inclusion and diversity and our combination means we can connect clients to leading talent in Iowa and in 77 countries around the world.”

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Joe Andrew, Global Chair of the firm, noted the combination makes Dentons “the first global law firm in Iowa and gets us one step closer to becoming the first truly national US law firm.”

Thanks to Project Golden Spike and other expansion initiatives, Dentons announced an eye-popping 28 new offices around the world in 2020. Impressive indeed.

headshotKathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. 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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