Reports: Orrick and Pillsbury on verge of mega-merger, deal could be announced as soon as next week
A new megafirm may be about to be born: Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman are in advanced merger talks, and an agreement to combine the two law firms could be reached as early as next week, the New York Times’ DealBook blog reports.
Reuters was the first to break the story about the possible deal, which would create a firm of approximately 1,700 attorneys, one of the ten largest in the U.S. Leaders of both firms have confirmed the merger talks.
Both Orrick and Pillsbury have longtime roots in California, making the potential partnership of the two a force to be reckoned with in Silicon Valley, the Times points out. Pillsbury is also known for its strong presence in New York and Washington, D.C.
“More often than not, when I hear about these mergers, my reaction is ‘another ho-hum deal,’ ” principal Thomas S. Clay of legal consultant Altman Weil tells the Times.
“But these are two very well-branded firms, and it could a be blockbuster merger as long as they get the integration and acculturation right.”
