Editor’s Note: This is the first in a three-part series from Hugh Simons on law firm mergers.

Mergers between Big Law firms don’t succeed because of the enhanced appeal that the new entity’s offerings have to clients. They succeed because the mergers involve paring back the equity partner ranks to those with higher-revenue practices. In principle, this is something a firm could do onto itself without the trouble of merging. However, for many, a merger is the catalyst needed to get it done.

The Data