Led by a strong wave of cross-border combinations, law firm merger activity in the first quarter of 2017 continued to accelerate as legal services shops gained growth and market share through acquisitions, according to reports by legal consultancies Altman Weil Inc. and Fairfax Associates.

The first three months of 2017 saw 28 combinations, two of them between Am Law 100 firms, five of the cross-border variety and other acquisitions of smaller U.S. firms, said Altman Weil’s report.