So far this year, four Am Law 200 firms have picked up smaller firms in Chicago. Nixon Peabody absorbed 100-lawyer Ungaretti & Harris in January. Shook, Hardy & Bacon announced in February that it was acquiring 25-lawyer Grippo & Elden. On June 1, Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn bolted on litigation boutique Schopf & Weiss and Cozen O’Connor officially took on 58 lawyers from Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson, the latter deal having been announced two months prior.
Why this flurry of activity in Chicago? As law firm mergers pick up nationwide, Chicago stands out as an attractive yet accessible market, with a deep talent pool and a huge business base. Plus, Chicago firms have long been open to mergers. Among the firms that have combined or been acquired in the past decade are Bell Boyd & Lloyd; Lord, Bissell & Brook; Wildman Harrold; and Gardner Carton & Douglas.
