Pinsents is set to decide whether to recommend its proposed merger with 54-partner Nicholson Graham & Jones (NGJ) by late December in a move that would pave the way for a partners vote in early 2004.

The process is currently in the hands of a merger committee comprised of six partners from each firm. The group is due to decide whether to formally recommend the merger in a matter of weeks, although sources close to the talks have told Legal Week the result will be finely balanced.