Foley & Lardner LLP and Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP Complete Combination
Foley & Lardner LLP and Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP today announced the successful combination of the two firms, effective April 1, 2018.
The combined firm will have approximately 1,100 lawyers in 24 offices in the United States, Mexico, Asia and Europe. More specifically, Foley will now have a presence in Texas (Austin, Dallas and Houston), Denver and Mexico City—a gateway into Latin America to the benefit of clients and attorneys in transactional and cross-border matters. Similarly, Gardere clients and attorneys will benefit from Foley’s strong presence in the Midwest, the East and West Coasts and Florida, as well as Belgium and Tokyo.
“In short, Foley and Gardere are better together,” said Jay Rothman, firm Chairman & CEO. “As the demand for legal services evolves, so must the legal providers. With that top of mind, the most important reason for this combination is the enhanced capacity it provides our attorneys to better serve our clients. We expect a seamless transition, in part because the core values of both firms overlap in significant ways, but also because Foley and Gardere have a long relationship by way of referrals, and so our clients will be able to consolidate their legal providers and tap a deeper bench of talent and expanded capabilities.”
As a result of the combination, Foley will expand geographically in several service areas including corporate, litigation, intellectual property (IP), energy, government solutions and financial restructuring and reorganization. Additionally, Foley’s energy practice will be strengthened and deepened by adding enhanced capabilities in both oil and gas and renewables, as well as infrastructure and project finance.
Foley will also deepen its private equity, venture capital and IP practices to better serve clients in Texas. The robust business climate in Texas creates opportunities for the combined firm to expand its corporate, intellectual property and health care practices throughout the market, for the benefit of both clients and attorneys.
The combination also means that Gardere will have access to Foley’s extensive experience in the automotive, life sciences, sports and technology sectors – as well as its deep bench of government affairs talent in Washington, D.C.
“The synergies between the firms are clear,” said Holland N. O’Neil, chair of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, who will be a Foley Gardere partner and a member of the combined firm’s Management Committee. “Both Foley and Gardere have historically been recognized for a commitment to client service and an ability to counsel clients through their most multifaceted legal and business challenges. By integrating our resources, we’ll have distinctive capabilities and channels to provide our clients with strategic and innovative counsel, ultimately continuing to enable our shared client-first culture.”
The combined firm will be known as Foley Gardere in Austin, Dallas, Denver, and Houston and as Foley Gardere Arena in Mexico City. All other offices will operate as Foley & Lardner LLP. With joint revenues of $830 million, the combined firm will be among American Lawyer’s Top 50 U.S. law firms.
