US giant Brobeck Phleger & Harrison, one of the icons of California’s once surging legal technology market, is hunting for a domestic merger as the firm looks to retrench after a traumatic year.

Brobecks sources have confirmed to Legal Week that the firm is now looking for a merger as the San Francisco firm moves to stabilise its practice, with Washington DC-based Hogan & Hartson emerging as a leading contender.