The talks [between SJ Berwin and Proskauer Rose] remain at a relatively early stage but with the UK firm’s strategy becoming increasingly public, neither party is expected to needlessly draw the process out.”

That line from a blog in May certainly isn’t going to go down as one of my more astute predictions because, of course, the pair did go on to draw the process out, before today (12 November) announcing the end of the protracted merger discussions.