There has been healthy chatter about the 2021 law firm merger market since last spring, when law firm leaders shuddered at the thought of what damage the COVID-19 crisis might inflict on BigLaw finances. Peter Zeughauser analyzes the BigLaw merger market in 2021 and senses that it seems poised for a return to normal. Indeed, by the end of January, it may feel like a snapback. By the end of 2021, last year's dip in the law firm merger market will be an anomaly, for a number of reasons.

Zeughauser Group's 2020 Pocket Guide to the American Lawyer Rankings of the Am Law 200 by Profits Per Equity Partner and by Value Per Lawyer; The A-List; The Global 100; The Global 200; The China 45; The Asia 50; and The Corporate Scorecard.

You can download the ZGuide here.

If you would like a hard copy of the 2020 ZGuide, please send an email to zgadmin@consultzg.com with "2020 ZGuide Request" in the subject line and provide your mailing address.

Mergers are everywhere. While mega-mergers grab headlines, many recent law firm combinations have been between 5- to 25-lawyer firms. And with more than 100 combinations taking place annually, they are occurring more frequently than marketers assume.  Mary K Young discusses reasons for the increase in merger activity and the need to maintain a focus on clients as a priority for firms during any merger process.

Three decades of data reveal common threads from Finley Kumble to LeClairRyan. What can be learned from the history of law firm failures?  Mary K Young observes that external factors, including a recession, can accelerate a firm’s demise, but typically are not at the root of its problems. Young says firm leaders have to stay in touch with their clients and stakeholders, never losing track of what those people want. They need a vision for where the firm will go next.

When Dentons recently announced its bold plan to build “the first national law firm” in the U.S., Greenberg Traurig’s leaders scoffed, pointing out that their firm had already done that. If by “national law firm” Dentons meant achieving geographic scale—which is what it suggested when it noted that none of the nation’s top 10 full-service law firms has offices in all 20 of the largest U.S. markets—then it had a point. Mary K Young discusses the options for the structure of a growing firm—traditional growth versus a verein—and the central question of which model provides for smoother collaboration between disparate geographies.

Zeughauser Group's survey of D.C. law firm leaders indicates optimism despite more competition. Over 58% of firms were approached about a combination, but only some would consider it. Law firm leaders agree competition for talent and clients is tightening in Washington, but they’re optimistic about their businesses and many are committed to growth in the nation’s capital, a Zeughauser Group survey shows.

The new report by the law firm management consultancy group surveyed managing partners and other senior leaders of Washington firms ranging in size from less than 10 to roughly 150 attorneys over the first half of 2019.

This report summarizes the findings of Zeughauser Group's survey of managing partners and other senior leaders of Washington DC law firms.  The firms ranged in size from less than 10 to nearly 150 attorneys, and the findings are based on the contributions of 36 respondents.  The objective of the survey was to learn about the outlook that respondents have for the future, including the nature and extent of their growth aspirations.  The survey was conducted in the first half of 2019.

In this podcast, Kent Zimmermann shares insights on recent large law firm mergers, what the components of a successful law firm merger are, why plaintiffs choose to pursue US-based lawsuits, how to develop relationships with reporters and to be quoted in the news and media, and what makes an effective managing partner and law firm leader.

Three old-line Texas corporate law firms – Gardere, Andrews Kurth, and Strasburger & Price - each merged with a larger national law firm in April 2018. Fifteen months later, leaders at all three say their marriages have gone better than they expected.