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One of the last things I intend to do with this blog is to report on breaking news, but the Wilmer-Cutler/Hale & Dorr merger is worth a few words. The merger is being commonly described as "offensive," to differentiate it from the more common opportunistic acquisition of a weakened player.  Neither firm had to do it, and the odds of its success appear at first blush better than average:  Cultures at the two firms seem a good match, profits per partner are within 5% of each other, and practice area and geographic overlaps appear synergistic.

But there's another aspect that, to my mind, is the real news. "This will catch attention at every law firm in the country," said John Coates, a professor at Harvard Law School, quoted in The Wall Street Journal.  I agree.  I think this deal announces that the trend towards consolidation of firms was only taking a breather the last couple of years, and is by no means over.  Common wisdom has been that firms need to be quite large, indeed multinational, or else boutiques (the "dumb-bell" distribution curve).  This deal says that even firms of 500—600 lawyers may be an endangered species.

And no, that mouthful of a name won't last. [My prediction for the final name: Wilmer Hale.]

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