Small firm acquisitions were the driver in an active second quarter of law firm mergers and acquisitions, according to a report released Wednesday by Altman Weil MergerLine. Twelve new combinations were announced from April 1 through June 30, putting the total number for the first two quarters of the year at 28, up 47 percent over the same period in 2010.
Ten of the 12 deals reported in the second quarter of 2011 involved acquisitions of firms with 20 or fewer lawyers and the other two involved acquisitions of firms with fewer than 50. Seven of the 12 acquiring firms had fewer than 200 lawyers. MergerLine tracks law firm combinations as they are announced and reported in the media.
