While dealmakers have been talking up the legal merger market all year, three D.C.-area firms sprang into action, making combinations that significantly change the game for their firms, and their competitors.

Crowell & Moring made M&A headlines twice in 2021. First with a combination in March with New York-headquartered financial services boutique Kibbe & Orbe, adding 24 lawyers in three cities; then again in June with 61-attorney intellectual property boutique Brinks Gilson & Lione in Chicago. The addition of high-profile lawyers in two key practice areas was a serious injection of talent, reputation and clout in two major legal markets. With Kibbe, Crowell firmly established its Wall Street chops, while with Brinks, it established a long-sought-after Midwest foothold and a significant boost in its tech practices.