Law Firm Merger Mania In Texas

It began in January when Holman Fenwick Willan of London acquired Legge Farrow Kimmett of Houston; Then Jackson Walker acquired Hays & Owens, an Austin boutique in April; In June Houston-based Norton Rose Fulbright merged with New York-based Chadbourne Park. Back in 2016, Kelley Drye & Warren entered Texas by acquiring Jackson Gilmour & Dobbs, Andrews Kurth combined with New York-based Kenyon & Kenyon and Houston-based Coats Rose merged with Wright Ginsberg & Brusilow of Dallas. Spurred by stagnant demand for legal services and more competition from firms expanding into the state, Texas-based law firms are on pace to record the most corporate law firm mergers in the state’s history this year. Gardere Managing Partner Holly O’Neill says she gets calls regularly from firms looking to merge. “We don’t want to grow just to grow,” she says, but admits to looking for the right expansion fit.