The combined firm will have more than 1,300 lawyers and consultants, making it among the 50 largest firms in the US
The partnerships of Faegre Baker Daniels and Drinker Biddle & Reath have voted for the merger of the two firms, creating what will be one of the 50 largest firms in the US.
The firms will combine to form Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath, or Faegre Drinker, on 1 February. The new firm will have more than 1,300 lawyers and consultants working out of 22 offices in the US, China, and the UK.
The announcement of the positive partnership votes comes after the two firms confirmed in November that they were in advanced talks about a possible combination, a week after another pair of large firms in the US were reported to be negotiating a law firm merger.
Faegre Drinker will combine the two firms’ reputations in transactional, regulatory, and litigation work. Its top service areas by headcount will be business litigation, with 250 experts; corporate, with 225; product liability, with 160; and IP, with 130.
Faegre Drinker is expected to pull in nearly US$1bn in yearly revenues, the firms said. Its industries of focus will be financial services, food and agribusiness, health and life sciences, insurance, and retail.
Faegre Drinker will have two joint chairmen: Andrew Kassner and Tom Froehle. Kassner is chairman and CEO at Drinker Biddle, while Froehle is managing partner and chairman at FaegreBD.
“The combination expands our geographic reach, enhances our key practices and provides us with Am Law 50 strength and scale, enabling both firms to do even more for our clients. And most importantly, Faegre Baker Daniels shares a similar culture that values a true partnership with the overarching principles of civility, collegiality, respect and diversity,” Kassner said.
“Faegre Baker Daniels’ growth strategy has always focused on attracting and retaining top talent, and providing the counsel and collaboration required to help our clients meet their business objectives,” Froehle said. “We believe that a combination with Drinker Biddle advances these objectives for our firm, and we look forward to sharing the enhanced capabilities of a combined platform with our clients.”
The combined firm’s chief operating officer will be Jane Koehl, who currently holds the same role at Drinker Biddle. The new firm’s executive partners will be David Barrett, Bill Connolly, Gina Kastel, Judy Reich, and Jack Sperber.
The merger will also bring about changes to the subsidiaries of the firms. Faegre Baker Daniels Consulting, FaegreBD’s advisory and advocacy division based in Washington, DC, will become Faegre Drinker Consulting. Tritura Information Governance, Innovative Health Strategies and its government advocacy arm The District Policy Group – the ancillary businesses of Drinker Biddle – will also be integrated into the combined firm.
