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Global law firm Norton Rose is merging with the U.S. firm Fulbright & Jaworski LLP to create a 3,800-lawyer enterprise that will be among the world’s largest law firms.

The union had been rumored for months and is the latest in a series of big cross-border law firm mergers this year. Firm leaders announced the combination on Wednesday morning, and said the transaction would be completed on June 1, 2013. The firm will be known globally as Norton Rose Fulbright and will have 55 offices worldwide.

The move will give Fulbright, which was founded in Houston and has long been a dominant player in energy work, expanded international reach.

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2012/11/14/mer ... -jaworski/

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First Freehills and Herbert Smith, now this. Interesting times.

I imagine that the corporate defense legal sector will eventually end up like the corporate accounting sector - there will be ~10 or so mega firms with 6,000+ attorneys each that perform comprehensive legal services, there will be niche large firms (like Fragomen and Wachtell), there will be large law firms that do outsourced work only (like BrownGreer or Garden City Group) and then there will be a bunch of small shops. The mega firms will be so leveraged that an associate has a higher chance of getting stuck by lightning three times in a week than making partner. There will also be a sea of staff attorneys.

Aberzombie1892 wrote:I imagine that the corporate defense legal sector will eventually end up like the corporate accounting sector - there will be ~10 or so mega firms with 6,000+ attorneys each that perform comprehensive legal services, there will be niche large firms (like Fragomen and Wachtell), there will be large law firms that do outsourced work only (like BrownGreer or Garden City Group) and then there will be a bunch of small shops. The mega firms will be so leveraged that an associate has a higher chance of getting stuck by lightning three times in a week than making partner. There will also be a sea of staff attorneys.

+1, not to mention the quality of work will be affected. More bigger and larger factories FTW!

Baker Mckenzie
DLA
Jones Day
....and now introducing...Norton Rose Fulbright!

Is there truly any upside to these mergers?? Perhaps having the limitless opportunities to practice in legal markets outside the US?