Combine 1 June
City giant Herbert Smith Freehills will merge with US outfit Kramer Levin after partners voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of the deal.
Previously reported by Legal Cheek in November as pending a partner vote, the merger has now been confirmed. Effective 1 June this year, the combined firm will operate under the name Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer or simply HSF Kramer in the US.
The newly combined outfit will boast $2 billion (more than £1.5 billion) in global revenues, all within a unified profit pool.
It will operate across 26 offices worldwide, with around 630 partners. “This is just the beginning”, said HSF chair Rebecca Maslen-Stannage, following news that the merger had been successfully approved.
HSF’s global CEO Justin D’Agostino added: “HSF Kramer’s combined offering, global reach and scale means we will be able to deliver more effectively for our clients, whose needs are evolving rapidly in a complex environment.”
The HSF Kramer merger follows another transatlantic fusion, when Allen & Overy combined with US firm Shearman & Sterling last year to create A&O Shearman, a Magic Circle titan with £2.9 billion in revenue.
