At first glance a merger between the UK’s Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) and Miami’s Greenberg Traurig would make a lot of sense. But there is considerable doubt that the two firms will succeed in pulling it off.

This is the verdict of London partners on yesterday’s news that the pair are in the early stages of exploring a union that could create a 2,500 lawyer firm with combined revenue of £1bn [see table below for more details].