Another week, another law firm merger. Because apparently no one in Biglaw wants to stay regional anymore, in yet another sign of growing consolidation in industry, Frost Brown Todd and Gibbons are joining forces to create a new national firm called FBT Gibbons.
The combination, set to go live on January 1, 2026, will bring together about 800 attorneys across 25 offices from coast to coast. The new firm will have a reach that stretches from New York to California, giving both firms a much broader platform — and a lot more lawyers to wrangle.
Frost Brown Todd, based in Cincinnati, is known for its corporate and transactional work, while Newark-based Gibbons — a firm that’s nearly a century old — has long been a litigation heavyweight in the Northeast. Together, they’re hoping to carve out a bigger slice of the middle-market pie, the increasingly competitive space between the global Biglaw giants and the smaller boutiques.
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Financially speaking, they’re off to a solid start. Combined, the two firms bring in north of $450 million in revenue — enough to land FBT Gibbons comfortably within the Am Law 100 when the next set of rankings come out. As noted by the American Lawyer, leadership for the new firm is already set:
“We are very excited about this as leaders of our respective firms and the leaders of the combined firm to be,” said FBT chairman Robert Sartin in an interview. “Our partners are very much behind this and excited about it.”
Sartin will serve as chair of the combined firm, with Gibbons managing director Peter Torcicollo and FBT’s CEO Adam Hall serving as co-managing partners. FBT held its partnership vote on the combination Monday, with more than 90% of the firm’s partnership greenlighting the merger, and Gibbons’ partnership unanimously confirmed the merger Tuesday.
When the dust settles, FBT Gibbons will be one of the largest mid-market firms in the country, with the resources to take on national matters while keeping that “client-first” vibe both firms swear by. Whether that balance holds up after the honeymoon phase remains to be seen, but for now, Frost Brown Todd and Gibbons are the latest to say “I do” in Biglaw’s ongoing merger season.
Frost Brown Todd to Merge With NJ Mainstay Gibbons, Bolstering Northeast Footprint [American Lawyer]
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Staci Zaretsky is the managing editor of Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.