Inside the Patton Boggs and Squire Sanders Merger

Patton Boggs and Squire Sanders announced on Friday that they're combining firms. This morning we heard more from firm leadership about Squire Patton Boggs. (We expect Sandy Boggs sounded too much like a maritime practice.)

Squire Sanders global CEO Jim Maiwurm, here in a past Bisnow photo, will be chair of the combined firm until Jan. 1, 2015, when Mark Ruehlmann takes over for a three-year term. Jim said this morning that the combination will be a game-changer for both firms. This is about building not a bigger firm, but a better firm, he said. Thomas Boggs is chair emeritus of Squire Patton Boggs, Stephen Mahon is global managing partner for clients and strategy, Ed Newberry is global managing partner for regulatory and policy solutions, and Peter Crossley is European managing partner. The new firm will have 1,573 lawyers between 45 offices in 21 countries. Fewer conflicts came up than anticipated in a merger of this size, firm leadership said. There's a focus on melding Patton Boggs' top public policy practice—along with its strong commercial and litigation work—with Squire Sanders' global reach.

In DC, Squire Sanders lawyers will move into Patton Boggs' office at 2550 M St, above, with exact timing TBD. In NY, both firms will reside in Squire Sanders' space at 30 Rock by the end of this year. Firm leaders emphasized a good cultural fit between the two firms, part of which includes Patton Boggs' decision earlier this year (independently of talks) to move to a compensation system similar to Squire Sanders', which isn't origination-driven but focuses on "contributions to the global good of the law firm." Patton Boggs DC managing partner Ed Newberry said that about a year and a half ago, the firm's chairman challenged them to use its strong brand to expand its platform. This combination allows them to do that.