While competition and talent pressures are forcing more law firms to consider mergers, the experience in one Midwestern market suggests combining forces doesn’t always yield growth and deeper attorney benches.

Minnesota’s twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul have name-brand businesses, low overhead and prestigious universities for research and talent incubation, all factors that have enticed firms to open or grow in the region in recent years. But several native firms that completed mergers within the last handful of years saw decreases in their lawyer head count in the city, according to ALM Intelligence.