Law firms Ballard Spahr and Lindquist & Vennum will merge effective January 1, 2018. The combined firm will retain the name Ballard Spahr and will have more than 650 lawyers in 15 offices nationwide.

Ballard Spahr will bring expanded service offerings and a national platform to Lindquist & Vennum, which advises clients in corporate M&A, finance and litigation matters and is recognized as a leader in middle-market deal making.

The merger will enhance practice capabilities at Ballard Spahr, particularly in the areas of private equity and strategic M&A transactions. It also extends Ballard Spahr’s national footprint into the Midwest, giving the firm offices in Minneapolis and Sioux Falls, SD, and an expanded presence in Denver.

“Lindquist & Vennum is a first-rate law firm with considerable strength in areas we want to expand. A strategic priority of our firm is the continued growth of our corporate transactional practice. This merger will add a sizeable group of experienced corporate partners to our Business and Finance Department and significantly increase our M&A capabilities, particularly in the private equity space,” said Ballard Spahr Chair Mark Stewart.

Lindquist & Vennum Managing Partner Dennis O’Malley said, “We are excited to join a forward-thinking firm like Ballard, whose attorneys share our view that client relationships are strategic partnerships. Lindquist has been courted by a number of firms, and we have kept our clients’ interests front and center.”