China wasn’t the end.
Continuing a spate of acquisitions for Dentons, the firm’s U.S. branch and McKenna, Long & Aldridge LLP have agreed to a combination that will bring Dentons’ lawyer count to roughly 6,600 — lengthening its lead as the largest law firm in the world.
After a historic merger in January with Dacheng Law Offices, whose roughly 4,000 lawyers were mostly based in China, Dentons’ latest move will bolster its presence in America when it takes effect later this year.
Less than five years ago, the firm was based in Chicago and known as Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal.
McKenna, Long has about 430 attorneys in 15 offices — all but two of which are in the U.S.
The addition will bring Dentons to 1,100 lawyers and professionals in 21 U.S. cities. Dentons US LLP is one of five financially separate entities that create the Dentons brand in a verein corporate structure.
McKenna, Long is itself the result of a series of mergers.
After being formed in 2002 by firms from Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, it merged with California firm Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP in 2012. It is best known for its work representing businesses in government interactions.
The firm’s federal government practice counsels clients by drafting statutory language for Congress or other regulatory bodies. It advises on procuring government contracts. And it engages directly with members of Congress and other officials on legislative and regulatory matters, among other lobbying-type roles.
Jeff Haidet, chairman of McKenna, Long, said the firm first discussed a merger with Dentons in 2013. But the timing wasn’t right, he said, because “we needed to get our strategic house in order.”
He said the firm spent 2014 developing a business plan, and that process reached two conclusions: The firm wanted to become more global, and Dentons was the right firm to help it accomplish that.
“The big overlay, and the theme of what we’re about, is helping businesses deal with government,” Haidet said. “And that’s a strength that Dentons has.”
Haidet will become co-CEO of Dentons US with current CEO Peter Wolfson.
The merger will add U.S. offices for Dentons in Denver, San Diego, Orange County, Calif., and Albany, N.Y. McKenna, Long also has international offices in Brussels and Seoul.
Mike McNamara, the Washington, D.C.-based managing partner of Dentons US, said the firm’s corporate clients will benefit from the addition of a strong government relations practice.
And he said it would bolster the firm’s litigation practice and other corporate group capabilities.
“This is really all about clients, and it really is about our ability to take the great team we have in Chicago and combine with folks in Denver, San Diego, California” and other offices, said McNamara, who will remain managing partner after the merger.
“Chicago will be a big winner of the Dentons-McKenna merger.”
Some McKenna, Long partners will not be making the transition, according to a statement.
The statement says an “overwhelming percentage of economic interest” at both firms approved the deal. But in a rare public allusion to the castoffs that regularly result from mergers, it says “by mutual decision, not all lawyers and professionals will join the combined firm.”
Haidet said he did not yet know how many lawyers would not be making the move to Dentons.
“So often it is made such a big deal that it’s some negative measure of the merger when it’s not,” he said. “Look, there may be some people who don’t stay with the combined firm going forward for several different reasons. We know that. We’re not surprised by it.”
Kent Zimmermann, a principal at law firm management consultancy the Zeughauser Group, lauded the firm’s frankness about the fact partners often make decisions not to participate in mergers.
“I give them credit for being candid about that,” he said. “It does happen in some deals, but typically, it’s not in the press release.”
Later this year, Dentons is slated to move into a new office space at Willis Tower, where its roughly 130 Chicago lawyers have long resided.