K&L Gates and Bell Boyd to Wed in Early ‘09

If all goes according to plan, the world will have a new megafirm with the merger of K&L Gates and Chicago's Bell, Boyd & Lloyd.

The couple announced today that they would merge in the first quarter of 2009, creating a 2,000-lawyer behemoth with 30 offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia, according to a joint statement.

"We believe that K&L Gates and Bell Boyd share an appreciation for the communities in which we reside, a passion for the practice of law, and an enthusiasm for the growing global market for legal services," K&L Gates chairman Peter Kalis and Bell Boyd chairman John McCarthy said in the release. "Together, we believe that we will be in an unsurpassed position to deliver value to clients and to compete in the market for talent."

The firms began discussing a merger during the summer. Formal proposals are expected to be presented to partnerships early next year.

The American Lawyer notes that merger is a continuation of a K&L Gates expansion. It comes on the heels of the firm's merger earlier this year with Charlotte, N.C.'s Kennedy Covington Lobdell & Hickman. And in January, K&L Gates merged with the Dallas firm Hughes & Luce.