Richards Butler And Reed Smith Agree To Transatlantic Merger

by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London

19 June 2006

Following a vote on Thursday, US-based Reed Smith, and London-based Richards Butler announced that both partnerships have approved the merger of the two firms, which will create one of the 20 largest law firms in the world, with offices on three continents.

The international law firms (boasting 1,100 lawyers and 250 lawyers respectively) will now begin to integrate their operations over the next six months, culminating in the legal combination of the firms on January 1, 2007.

According to Gregory Jordan, Reed Smith’s Managing Partner, the changes expected from the merger are significant and reflect a continuation of the firm’s strategy to grow in key business markets.

“This move is transformative for us. It will make London Reed Smith’s largest office and result in more than twenty percent of the firm’s total business being conducted in Europe,” he stated.

He added that:

“The response from the clients of both firms just to the news that we were thinking about joining forces has already resulted in additional work for both firms."

“This is work that neither of us would have secured if the impending merger were not underway. In addition, our two firms are already collaborating on joint projects, and have referred clients to one another. Our experiences to date are a clear reaffirmation of our international expansion strategy, which has us consistently moving to and expanding in the markets where our clients most need and want us to be.”

The merged firm will be known as Reed Smith, although there will be variations in some European markets, including the UK, where the name Reed Smith Richards Butler will be used. The merger will more than double the number of lawyers in Reed Smith’s Paris office and the firm will gain its first offices in Greece and the Middle East, in Abu Dhabi.

Discussions with Richards Butler Hong Kong, which is a separate entity, are ongoing. Reed Smith hopes to continue the cooperation agreement currently in effect with Richards Butler UK; however, nothing has been finalized at this time.

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