Bond Dickinson, the national law firm with a large office in Bristol, has combined with US-based Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice to create a major transatlantic legal player with operations in 23 cities.
The merger, which takes effect from October, will create one the world’s 100 largest law firms and a top 20 UK firm. Partners of the two firms voted this week to combine as equal members in the new entity under the name Womble Bond Dickinson.
They said the agreement represented “a union of like minds” that would champion the domestic and international ambitions of clients with a continued emphasis on local, regional and national legal services. These would be enhanced by extensive international capabilities and more integrated access than ever before.
Womble Bond Dickinson will have more than 420 partners and 1,000 lawyers across eight offices in the UK and 15 offices in the US. Bond Dickinson employs around 250 staff in its Bristol office at Temple Quay. Bond Dickinson is itself the result of the 2013 merger between Bond Pearce and Newcastle-based Dickinson Dees.
The combination will put Womble Bond Dickinson in the UK’s top 20 and in the top 80 in the US listings with combined revenues in excess of $410m (£340m).
Four members of each firm will be appointed to the board of the new entity, co-chaired by chair and CEO of Womble Carlyle, Betty Temple, and Bond Dickinson managing partner Jonathan Blair, pictured.
Jonathan Blair said: “We are delighted by this transformational development which would not have been possible without the support of our clients, the inherent cultural alignment between our firms and the enthusiasm of our people in driving the success of our exclusive strategic alliance with Womble Carlyle.
“The agreement creating Womble Bond Dickinson marks the achievement and culmination of our vision to be a Top 20 law firm by 2020. This combined firm enables us to provide an enviable transatlantic platform for further expansion and growth in the UK, where London remains a priority for investment, along with Edinburgh and other regional areas important to US and UK clients. Most importantly, we believe this new platform will better serve the needs of all our clients and provide the environment to retain and nurture the best talent in the business.”
