As the rich get richer in the Am Law 50, a trend that continues to force consolidation among the nation’s largest law firms, two partner search firms fueling those moves are taking that strategy in-house.

Big Law recruiters Johnson Downie and Lippman Jungers have merged, the search firms jointly announced on Thursday, combining recruiting networks in New York, California and Texas for a 20-recruiter national outfit that seeks to become the Am Law 20’s top headhunter.