Denton Wilde Sapte is to merge with US law firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal.
London-based law firm Denton Wilde Sapte is to merge with US firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal in a deal that will create a firm with 1,400 lawyers across 18 countries.
Both firms’ partners will be asked to vote on the matter in early June. If agreed, they will combine in September as SNR Denton and will be structured as a Swiss Verein.
Under the deal, Denton CEO Howard Morris and SNR chairman Elliott Portnoy will become co-CEOs of SNR Denton, and Martin Kitchen of Denton and Joseph Andrew of SNR will serve as the co-chairmen.
Morris says: ‘This is a unique opportunity for us to dramatically increase our business momentum and growth. Neither of us was interested in pursuing a combination just for the sake of increasing head count and offices – this is not about dots on a map.’
Portnoy adds: ‘Our decision to combine was far from serendipitous – we each had strategic reviews that led us to each other,’
Although the two firms cover similar practices, their distinct geographic coverages mean that they have no overlap, and plan no office closures as a result of the merger.
