Womble Bond Dickinson eyes ‘powerhouse’ status through US merger 

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By Legal Cheek on

14

Combines with Lewis Roca next year

two people shaking hands
Womble Bond Dickinson is merging with the US outfit Lewis Roca, forming a new “powerhouse” law firm with over 1,200 lawyers across 37 offices.

The merger is scheduled to take effect on 1 January 2025, creating a new outfit with combined revenues exceeding £565 million. It will retain the name Womble Bond Dickinson.

Founded in 1950 and headquartered in Arizona, Lewis Roca is a smaller firm compared to WBD, with approximately 300 lawyers spread across eight offices in the US. In comparison, the 2025 Legal Cheek Firms Most List shows that WBD has 32 offices and around 950 lawyers

NEW: The 2025 Legal Cheek Firms Most List

On the deal, Paul Stewart, managing partner of WBD, said:

“We are excited for our clients and our people as our overall reach and footprint continues to grow. Our transatlantic partnership thrives on the deep-rooted cultural alignment between our UK and US teams and we are united by a mutual dedication to providing outstanding client service and value and a shared emphasis on key sectors and industries.”

He added: “We look forward to further helping UK clients reach their international objectives thanks to Lewis Roca’s sector-leading expertise and credentials.”

WBD is itself the product of 2017 transatlantic merger between national law firm Bond Dickinson and US outfit Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice.

14 Comments

Kirkland NQ

😂😂😂😂😂😂

Orinoco

Great Uncle Bulgaria would be so proud… sniff!

Anonymous

… what… does Bulgaria have to do with a law firm merger…?

Tomsk

Remember…?

Remember…?

Cravath partner

Absolute scenes at Two Manhattan West, only two types of of partners here since this news broke, those who can lateral to the new powerhouse and those of us left to vainly defend the firm against its inevitable destruction at the hands of Wombles.

Rumours are Blackrock and KKR have already moved all their work to exclusive Wombles mandates, only a matter of time until the others follow.

If anyone can get me a job in the Southampton office of this transatlantic powerhouse I will give you my house in the Hamptons.

Anonymous

Did you really just group Blackrock and KKR in 1 sentence…?

Lol

How does merging with a small (just 300 lawyers), relatively unknown US firm create a powerhouse?

Bob

It doesn’t…

I am the lord of the bus said he

When Eversheds merged with Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP, the US outfit only had 400 lawyers.

Now Eversheds Sutherland is in the top 20 law firms in the world by headcount.

Any national UK firm that wants to grow beyond a “national” firm and compete with international city firms will do so via mergers like this.

Shoosmiths will be next

Anon

Does that mean Womble will be paying Cravath scale???

Bungo

If you get to work here, you’ll be leaving the everyday folks behind!

Sss

Does that mean Womble will be increasing NQ salaries?

Anonymous

How easily people forget the key role WBD played in the perpetuation of the Post Office scandal. Anyone watching the evidence of their employees given at the Inquiry would have many word to describe them. I doubt “powerhouse” would be one.

DWF employee

It entertaining how even with a name like Womble, with bad press due to Post Office scandal also, it is still better thought of than shops like DWF.

Hilarious.

PS – to “merge cultures” as swiftly as possible, Womble employees will be given free teeth whitening to look American. But there are confidential notes passed around asking UK staff not to marry US staff, because they don’t want any falls outs a la Meghan and Harry and land on Oprah’s daytime television.

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