Womble Bond Dickinson (U.S.) and Lewis Roca have approved a combination, creating a firm of more than 1,300 attorneys in 37 offices in the United States and the United Kingdom. Through the combination, the firms aim to provide clients with enhanced capabilities across practices and sectors, as well as the resources of an expansive geographic platform.
Starting on its planned effective date of Jan. 1, 2025, the new firm will operate as Womble Bond Dickinson (U.S.) under the leadership of chair and CEO Merrick Benn and vice chair Kenneth Van Winkle.
“One of the first parallels that emerged between our two firms was a shared strategic vision for serving clients in fast-growing cities and innovation hubs,” Betty Temple, chair and CEO of Womble Bond Dickinson (U.S.), and Benn, said. “The combined firm’s platform will offer greater depth in these high-growth markets and beyond, empowering our attorneys to deliver sophisticated and multi-faceted legal counsel to companies at the forefront of change and disruption. We have been energized by the strong cultural alignment and connections we’ve experienced already and look forward to further integrating our teams.”
The combined firm’s practice areas include finance, bankruptcy and restructuring; intellectual property; real estate; complex litigation and disputes; and corporate and securities.
“This combination is a natural fit and a clear win-win, with both firms placing a high value on genuine and long-term relationships with clients and colleagues, a shared focus on collaborating with transparency and integrity and a wide range of complementary practices that offer a unique value proposition for clients,” Van Winkle, managing partner of Lewis Roca, said. “Bringing together our vast capabilities, resources and experience is a rare opportunity to take both firms to new heights and chart a path for our ongoing success. We could not be more excited about the many opportunities that lie ahead for our clients, attorneys and professional staff.”
