The number of law firm mergers in 2005 topped that of 2004, with international and large-scale deals representing a big piece of last year’s action.

Forty-nine law firm mergers occurred in 2005, according to Hildebrandt International’s Merger Watch, compared with 47 in 2004. And although the number of deals in 2005 did not soar above those in 2004, the size of the firms merging was greater, the law firm consultancy reported.