After a slowdown in 2020, law firms of all shapes and sizes are exploring merger talks now and some common trends are emerging among the ongoing talks. Specifically, matching place with practice is becoming more important in merger considerations, firm leaders and observers said.

“There’s increasingly an interest in aligning geographic priorities with industry sectors and practice priorities, meaning if you’re prioritizing life sciences, that would cause you to prioritize geography that sees greater investments and deals in that sector, like Boston, like New York, like Northern California,” said Kent Zimmermann, a law firm management consultant at the Zeughauser Group. “And if you’re looking at energy, Texas is frequently part of the mix.”