Patton Boggs has been itching with the urge to merge, and rumor has it they’re going big. After being turned down at least once this year by a large firm, there is some word from anonymous sources, as Reuters reported, that Patton Boggs is going for an even bigger deal, a merger with Locke Lord of Dallas.
“If we find a combination that accomplishes these goals, we would have an announcement if and when we pursue it,” said Patton in a nonchalant, noncommittal tone, and Locke Lord was even more ambiguous on the topic, saying that it “never affirms or denies any speculation about … potential mergers.”
“In line with our strategic plan, we regularly look at growth opportunities that would benefit our firm and our clients, but we do not comment one way or the other.”
Well that’s fine and dandy: we have to sit and wait. Meanwhile we can envision what such a merger would look like, with the long-established Boggs and its sway over Washington matched with Locke Lord, known for its energy litigation. Both firms share some ground in handling litigation that arose subsequent of the 9-11 attacks.
Mergers have been high as of 2013, as a popular strategy for law firms to use against the competition of globalized corporate clients, as well as a tepid legal market, subsequent of the economical fiasco of 2007. In fact, Altman Weil has noted that mergers were at their highest since 2008.
