UK law firm Allen & Overy and New York’s Shearman & Sterling, have announced plans to merge in one of the largest transatlantic legal deals in history.
The proposed merger into Allen Overy Shearman Sterling or A&O Shearman for short will create one of the world’s largest legal practices with combined revenues of $3.4bn and about 3,900 lawyers across 49 offices, including expert shipping lawyers.
Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling have 250 years of combined experience and will be the only global firm with US law, English law, and local law capabilities in equal measure, the two companies said in a joint statement.
“Both firms have a history of excellence, and together we think A&O Shearman will be a firm unlike any other in the world,” said Wim Dejonghe, senior partner at Allen & Overy, which is a member of Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping.
The tie-up if approved by a vote of partners at both firms would mark the first combination between an elite London law firm and a US rival since Clifford Chance merged with Rogers & Wells in 2000.
