LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) -London-headquartered law firm Ashurst and U.S.-based Perkins Coie on Monday announced they have agreed a merger which would create a combined firm of 3,000 lawyers with $2.7 billion in revenue, putting it in the top 20 worldwide.
Perkins Coie was among four law firms that successfully sued U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration this year to block executive orders targeting them over their links to Trump’s perceived political enemies.
Ashurst’s global CEO Paul Jenkins told Reuters the two firms had been in merger discussions since February, and that “from the beginning our conversations have really focused on the future, not just the year or two, but the next decade and beyond”.
Perkins Coie’s managing partner Bill Malley said that Ashurst “complements our geographic reach”, adding that “we must strengthen our ability to deliver trusted legal guidance seamlessly across borders”.
He told Reuters that the combined firm will be “uniquely suited” to serve clients in areas including technology, financial services, and energy and infrastructure.
Jenkins and Malley will be global co-CEOs of the new firm, which will be called Ashurst Perkins Coie.
The announcement marks the latest major transatlantic merger of law firms in recent years, part of a move toward consolidation as firms seek scale to compete across major markets and practice areas.
It follows similar agreements between British and U.S. firms, including a deal between Herbert Smith Freehills and Kramer Levin announced last year, and the Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling tie-up announced in 2023.
The firms said the proposed merger is subject to approval by a vote of partners at each firm and, if approved, is expected to be completed in late 2026.
The combined firm will have 52 offices in 23 countries, and Jenkins told Reuters there was “no intention at this stage” to open more offices.
Perkins Coie, which had represented the campaign of 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, was targeted by Trump with an executive order in March that suspended security clearances for its employees and restricted their access to federal buildings and contracting work.
The order against Perkins Coie was struck down in May, though Trump’s administration is appealing. Similar executive orders against WilmerHale, Jenner & Block and Susman Godfrey were also struck down.
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(Reporting by Sam Tobin in London and Sara Merken in New York; Editing by Toby Chopra and Jan Harvey)
