Kent Zimmermann advised on the largest two mergers of 2025, one of which was the largest law firm merger in history, the combination of Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft with Hogan Lovells. In this Q&A, Kent discusses with law.com how ZG has invested for the past decade in building out the future of its firm, including a team of associates and analysts, and how that has translated into more impactful value for clients and deeper, longer relationships with them

The fact that law firm merger partners may have significantly different revenue per lawyer or profits per partner figures doesn’t matter as much in today’s world of law firm combinations. The will for law firms to merge—and any changes that firm leaders are willing to make to complete a deal—may be more important than a firm’s revenue per lawyer or profits per partner figures. Profit pools are not typically integrated on day one of a combined firm. Kent Zimmermann explains that this delay gives firms some time to bridge any gaps in financial performance through a mix of what he calls “revenue and expense” synergies.

Legacy New York firms are seeking to keep pace with growing competition through mergers and acquisitions. Kent Zimmermann observes that small and less profitable firms are growing size and profitability slower, so they have a growing differential on profitability in comparison to higher-performing competitors. And Mary K Young advises smaller clients to be as profitable as they can be in order to get and retain talent.