Patton Boggs Finally Merges With Squire Sanders

05/26/14

Patton Boggs Finally Merges With Squire Sanders


Patton Boggs and Squire Sanders had been in merger talks since February, but the deal had been held up due to many barriers that Patton Boggs had to remove one after another, including streamlining and right-sizing its operations. At the end, the biggest barrier that remained was Patton Boggs' liability regarding its legal battles with Chevron, which, earlier this month, Patton Boggs' resolved with a settlement with Chevron.

Despite the settlement, and even after all partners of Patton Boggs' approving the merger, partner voting at Squire Sanders for the law firm merger was stalled last Thursday, due to further concerns about the Chevron case. Ultimately, on Friday, Squire Sanders LLP partners resumed voting and approved the merger.

The merger gives rise to a new legal entity, the law firm of Squire Patton Boggs , with 1,600 lawyers in 45 offices across 21 countries. The new brand name and entity would become operative from June 1, 2014.

According to market sources, Patton Boggs had been desperate to merge with a bigger firm and create a more sustainable business model rather than depending on a cash flow generated solely by lobbying activities. Though the fees generated by lobbying are quite high, the patterns of revenue generation had been causing problems for sustained round-the-year activities. Recently the law firm had been experiencing a drop in revenue, and downsized aggressively to streamline itself. People expect Patton Boggs' lobbying activities to become stronger and more surefooted with this merger, as the cash flow will no longer be impeded by erratic patterns of revenue generation.

Not unexpectedly, the management of Patton Boggs did not mention revenue concerns in their merger announcement, but expressed their satisfaction in being able to position the firm with greater global reach and opportunities to serve clients.

Edward Newberry, Managing Partner of Patton Boggs, said about the merger, "The platform and collective expertise created through this combination provide considerable opportunities to access new markets, engage clients in new ways and attract and retain top talent. I couldn't be more excited for the future of our firm. "

Jim Maiwurm, Chair and Global CEO of Squire Sanders was similarly delighted with the merger and said, "Today marks an important day in the history of our firm … this combination establishes us as the 'go-to' firm for public policy work. We also gain a leading position in the Middle East and several new locations in the United States, while deepening our bench in a number of important practice areas, all of which strengthen our service platform."

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This news originally appeared on BCGsearch.com: Patton Boggs Finally Merges With Squire Sanders