Many who have been through law firm mergers say that the quality of the canteen is crucial. As flippant as that may sound, the fact is that notwithstanding the many other critical issues – such as integrating partnership and support structures and getting merged departments to work well together – at the end of the day the ‘feelgood’ factor across the two firms will be a fundamental determinant of whether or not a merger will be smooth and successful.
True mergers are in fact rare. Mostly the term is used as a euphemism for takeover. One firm struggling financially or strategically may be absorbed into a safe new home. Or a successful smaller firm might find its lack of size or breadth is hindering its development. The larger firm might covet the other’s client base or niche areas of expertise.
