US firms in the UK

 

As many US firms in London offer training contracts, students looking for a City firm with a transatlantic twist have plenty of choice. There are roughly 100 US and transatlantic firms with a presence in the UK. Around half offer training contracts – they offer roughly 700 between them. The table below can be used as a starting point for finding out more about firms that operate in the UK market, having originated in the States.

By looking at Chambers UK, Chambers USA, Chambers Europe, Chambers Asia-Pacific, Chambers Latin America and Chambers Global you can track each firm's performance across the various countries in which it works. Our sister publication Chambers Associate gives detailed analysis of firms' reputations in the US recruitment market.

The overview of firms below is split into two sections. The first part lists US firms that have opened up an office London and grown it from scratch, while the second part lists US firms that have entered the UK market via a merger with an established British firm. There are significant differences between the two types, which we detail below. Bear in mind that certain firms in the second category had their own office in London prior to merger (sometimes well established).

New London office openings by US firms in 2017/18 included Californian tech specialist Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; Goodwin and Fried Frank launched training contracts after salvaging trainees from the wreckage of King & Wood Mallesons' European arm. Another transatlantic titan was formed in November 2017 when American Womble tied the knot with UK national firm Bond Dickinson, forming a 26 office global operation, Womble Bond Dickinson. Merger fever continued into 2018 as UK-based Berwin Leighton Paisner joined forces with American Bryan Cave; the two firms' existing London offices fused under the new name Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner.

Remember, while many of the firms below happily embrace the term ‘US firm’, others do not describe themselves as such, preferring the term ‘international firm’. You’ll get a sense of what to call them from the terminology used on their websites or from the True Picture.

Firms in the table below which feature in the True Picture have their name highlighted in red. Click the link to find out more. If the firm features in Chambers Associate, you can click the link "Read about the firm in the US" to find out about its activities stateside. We endeavour to keep this as up to date as possible, based on the latest information we've received from firms.

 

Part 1: US firms in London

These are firms with American origins that have opened up a brand new office in London, usually with the hire of just one or two partners at first, and grown it from scratch. Some (like White & Case or Baker McKenzie) have been here for many years and are large and significant operations in their own right. Others (like McDermott or Vinson & Elkins) have chosen to remain small boutique operations, while yet more (like Locke Lord or Holland & Knight) only arrived on the scene recently.

Pros: Often smaller and more intimate; salaries tend to be higher to match New York market; no merger-related culture clashes.

Cons: The firm needs to break into the UK market and find a place in it, and it can take ages to build up the office (assuming management in the US even has the desire to do that).

		History in the the UK	Worldwide profile (office locations)	Size in UK	Main UK activities	Training contracts?
	Akin Gump	London office of US firm. Opened 1997. Hired 44 lawyers from Bingham McCutchen in 2014.	Nearly 1,000 lawyers in this Texas-founded but Washington DC-headquartered firm. Ten US offices plus ten outside the US.	122 lawyers	Chambers UK-ranked for banking & finance, construction, energy and very finance-related areas.  Ex-Bingham lawyers are chiefly finance/restructuring specialists.	Yes (6 pa)	Read about the  firm in the US
	Arnold & Porter	Arnold & Porter's UK office opened in 1997. Merged with US firm Kaye Scholer in January 2017 which had a smaller London office since 2001.	Washington DC firm with 1,000 lawyers practising across eight other US offices plus London, Frankfurt and Brussels outposts.	38 lawyers	Focus on IP, life sciences and tech deals, alongside arbitration, telecoms, competition and corporate. Kaye Scholer mostly did private equity M&A and insolvency.	Yes (2 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Baker McKenzie	London office of multinational firm. Opened 1961.	Headquartered in Chicago, but a massive global presence with 4,000+ lawyers across 77 worldwide offices.	530 lawyers	Full service.	Yes (33 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Baker Botts	London office of US firm. Opened 1998.	Texas firm with seven US offices plus others in London, Beijing, Brussels, Dubai, Hong Kong, Moscow and Riyadh. Around 725 lawyers worldwide.	36 lawyers	Energy specialists with growing dispute resolution abilities.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Boies, Schiller & Flexner	London office of US firm. Opened 2013.	New York firm founded by high-profile litigator David Boies. More than 300 lawyers across 14 US offices plus a base in London.	18 lawyers	Finance-related disputes.	No
	Bracewell	London office of US firm. Opened 1995.	Texas firm with 500 lawyers in eight US offices plus Dubai and London.	31 lawyers	Focuses on energy sector – upstream finance, project development and finance and energy M&A.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Brown Rudnick	London office of US firm. Opened 1997.	Mid-size Boston-based firm with 250 lawyers scattered across six US offices, London and Paris.	54 lawyers	Full service with notable private equity, financial regulation and fraud practices.	Yes (4 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Buckley Sandler	London office of US firm. Opened 2014.	Small Washington DC firm with 160 lawyers; other offices include Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Chicago.	1 US-qualified lawyer	White-collar crime and financial services litigation.	No
	Butler Snow	London office of US firm. Opened 2013.	Mississippi-headquartered firm with a 23 US locations in addition to London, Hong Kong and Singapore.	4 US-qualified lawyers	Focused on tax.	No
	Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft	London office of US firm. Opened 1997.	Wall Street firm founded in 1792, now with more than 350 lawyers, three US offices and outposts in Brussels and London.	54 lawyers	Handles capital markets, corporate/M&A, financial restructuring, global finance, litigation and tax matters.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Cahill Gordon & Reindel	London office of US firm. Opened 2000.	New York firm also in DC and London. Roughly 300 lawyers worldwide.	11 lawyers	High-yield debt specialists.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Clausen Miller PC	London office of US firm. Opened 2002.	Chicago-based firm with more than 100 lawyers in eight US offices, as well as London (and affiliates in Brussels, Düsseldorf, Paris and Rome).	4 lawyers	Mainly insurance/reinsurance litigation, with commercial litigation practice as well.	No
	Cleary Gottlieb	London office of US firm. Opened 1971.	1,200 lawyers across two offices in America (NY and DC), two in South America, eight in Europe (some very long-standing), three in Asia and one in Abu Dhabi.	80 lawyers	Capital markets, finance, M&A, tax, competition, litigation/arbitration and IP.	Yes (10-15 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Constantine Cannon	London office of US firm. Opened in 2013.	70 lawyers in NY, DC, San Fran and London.	12 lawyers	Art law and competition/antitrust	No
	Covington & Burling	London office of US firm. Opened 1988.	1,000+ lawyers across five US offices plus Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Johannesburg, London, Seoul and Shanghai.	119 lawyers	Regulatory specialists alongside focusing on life sciences, technology and corporate finance.	Yes (up to 9 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Cozen O'Connor	London office of US firm. Opened 1998.	Philadelphia-based firm with 700 lawyers in 24 US offices, plus Toronto, Vancouver and London.	6 lawyers	Insurance and reinsurance coverage, subrogated recoveries and general commercial litigation.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Cravath, Swaine & Moore	London office of US firm. Opened 1973.	500+ lawyers. Highly prestigious New York corporate firm with a London office.	40 US-qualified lawyers	Corporate specialists.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Crowell & Moring	London office of US firm. Opened 1991.	Nearly 500 lawyers. DC firm with four more US offices plus London and Brussels.	14 lawyers	Cross-border M&A and litigation/arbitration related to energy, finance, insurance and competition.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Curtis	London office of US firm. Opened mid-1970s.	Around 300 lawyers. NY firm with three US offices, two in Latin America and 12 others in Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia.	18 lawyers	Finance, investment management, private equity, oil & gas, natural resources and international arbitration.	Yes (2 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Davis Polk	London office of US firm. Opened 1972.	Large, prestigious NY firm with two other US offices and a presence in Tokyo, Beijing, Hong Kong, Paris, Madrid, São Paulo and London.	68 lawyers	Capital markets and M&A; particular abilities in technology-slanted transactions.	Yes (4 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Debevoise & Plimpton	London office of US firm. Opened 1989.	Elite NY firm with around 700 lawyers in NY, DC, London, Paris, Moscow, Frankfurt, Shanghai and Hong Kong.	126 lawyers	Cross-border acquisitions, international arbitration, private equity, banking and finance, tax, insurance, construction, dispute resolution.	Yes (9 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Dorsey & Whitney	London office of US firm. Opened 1986.	Minneapolis-based firm with nearly 500 lawyers across 14 offices in the US and six offices in Canada, Asia and the UK.	21 lawyers	Full service. Chambers UK-ranked for AIM capital markets and lower mid-market M&A work.	Yes (2 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Drinker Biddle & Reath	London office of US firm. Opened in 2012.	600 lawyers. Headquartered in Philadelphia with ten other US offices.	5 US-qualified lawyers	Commercial insurance.	No
	Duane Morris	London office of US firm. Opened 2000.	Philadelphia-based firm with more than 750 lawyers across 21 US offices plus bases across Asia, the Middle East and Europe.	14 lawyers	Full service.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Faegre Baker Daniels	London office opened in 1985 and boosted in 2003 by merger with UK firm Hobson Audley.	750-lawyer firm, the result of a 2012 merger between Minneapolis' Faegre & Benson and Indiana's Baker & Daniels. ten US offices, as well as Beijing, Shanghai and London.	28 lawyers	Corporate finance, M&A, business litigation, finance and restructuring, commerce and technology, IP, employment and real estate.	Yes (2 pa)
	Finnegan	London office of US firm. Opened 2013.	DC-based IP firm with five US offices and outposts in Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo, Taipei, plus London. More than 350 lawyers.	7 lawyers	European patent work.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Fragomen LLP	London office of US firm. Opened in London 2003. Has a strategic alliance with PwC.	1,000-strong specialist immigration. Went international in 1999 and has 16 offices in the US plus more than 25 across Europe, Asia, South America, Australasia, the Middle East and Africa.	70 lawyers (+5 in Sheffield)	Immigration only.	No
	Fried Frank	London office of US firm. Opened 1970.	NY corporate firm also in DC, Frankfurt, Paris and London with 450 lawyers worldwide.	80 lawyers	Funds, M&A, private equity, finance, litigation, tax, competition and restructuring.	Yes (3 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Gibson Dunn	London office of US firm. Opened 1979.	Five Californian offices and five others in the US; also in five European offices including London, three in Asia, Dubai and Sao Paulo. More than 1,200 lawyers worldwide.	92 lawyers	Full service with a focus on corporate and finance.	Yes (6-7 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Goldberg Segalla	London office of US firm. Opened in 2012.	Founded in 2001. More than 300 lawyers. 21 US offices, seven of which in New York state.	No lawyers permanently based in London	Commercial insurance disputes.	No
	Goodwin	Formerly London office of collapsed firm Heller Ehrman; joined Goodwin Procter in 2008. 26 lawyers, including 5 trainees, joined from KWM in 2017.	Boston-headquartered firm with nearly 1,000 lawyers in six US offices plus London, Paris, Frankfurt and Hong Kong.	122 lawyers	Real estate, private equity, investment funds, M&A and tax.	Yes (8-10 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Greenberg Traurig Maher	London office of US firm. Paul Maher, previously global vice chairman at Mayer Brown, launched the office in 2009.	1,900 lawyers and 38 offices offices worldwide, 29 in the US. Known in the US for being highly entrepreneurial and giving its partners ('shareholders' in Greenberg-speak) lots of freedom to manage their own affairs.	60+ lawyers	Focus on M&A, capital markets and real estate work.	Yes (4 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Haynes and Boone	Relatively new-kid-on-the-block-type status in London. Entered the London market in 2016, doubled its headcount there within a few years.	Founded in Dallas just over 50 years ago, Haynes and Boone is very much one in its first generation. A further ten bases Stateside, with an additional three across London, Mexico City, and Shanghai.	40 lawyers	Reputation for shipping and offshore oil and gas. Chambers UK rankings in banking and finance including fund finance and lenders.	Yes (3 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Holland & Knight	London office of US firm. Opened 2016.	25 offices in the US, plus Mexico City, Bogotá and London.	9 lawyers	Aviation and shipping.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Hunton Andrews Kurth	London office of US firm formed from merger of Hunton & Williams and Andrews Kurth in 2018. Both had a small London office.	Based in Houston, Texas with two offices there; others include 16 more in the US and several in Europe and Asia.	20 lawyers	Chambers UK-ranked for data protection law; other focuses include energy, projects and international arbitration.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Husch Blackwell	London office of US firm.	Missouri-based with 600 lawyers and 19 offices. London is the only one outside the US.	No lawyers permanently based in London	Corporate/M&A, securities and litigation.	No
	Jenner & Block	London office of US firm. Opened 2015.	500+ lawyer Chicago-based firm with offices in LA, NY, DC and London.	17 lawyers	White-collar, commercial litigation and arbitration.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Katten Muchin Rosenman	London office of US firm. Opened 2005.	Chicago-headquartered firm with 600 attorneys in 11 US offices plus London and Shanghai.	37 lawyers	Financial services: investment funds, regulatory, corporate, banking and real estate finance.	Yes (2 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	King & Spalding	London office of US firm. Opened 2003.	Over 850 lawyers work in the Atlanta HQ and 19 other offices in the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.	48 lawyers	Energy, project finance, M&A, private equity, international arbitration and Islamic finance.	Yes (2 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Kirkland & Ellis	London office of US firm. Opened 1994.	Approx 1,900 lawyers in the Chicago HQ plus eight more US offices, London, Munich, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing.	340 lawyers	Best known for finance; lots of the clients are private equity houses. Corporate, banking, investment funds and international arbitration are the main seat options.	Yes (10 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Kobre & Kim	London office of US firm. Opened 2009.	About 110 lawyers across ten offices: NY, DC, Miami, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, the Caymans, BVI and London.	18 lawyers (inc. barristers)	All-litigation firm devoted entirely to disputes and investigations.	No
	Ladas & Parry	London office of US intellectual property firm. Opened 1969.	52 lawyers across NY, Chicago, LA, DC, London and Munich.	4 lawyers	IP specialists.	No
	Latham & Watkins	London office of US firm. Opened 1990.	Around 2,100 lawyers in 31 offices: 11 in the US, 12 in Europe, six in Asia and two in the Middle East.	480 lawyers	Full service.	Yes (24 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Lewis Baach	Small London outpost.	Four offices with 37 lawyers: Washington DC, New York, London and Buenos Aires	No lawyers permanently based in London	Litigation boutique.	No
	Locke Lord	London office of US firm. Opened in 2012 with nine lateral hires from Salans.	Texas-based firm with more than 600 lawyers in 18 US offices plus Hong Kong and London.	28 lawyers	Corporate and commercial. Strengths include insolvency, financial services and consumer finance.	Yes (2 pa)
	McDermott Will & Emery	London office of US firm. Opened 1998.	Around 1,000 lawyers in 11 US and seven European offices, as well as Seoul and an alliance firm in Shanghai.	64 lawyers	Private client and corporate specialisms.	No (recently ended trainee recruitment)
	Milbank	London office of US firm. Opened 1979.	Wall Street firm with around 700 lawyers in three US offices, two in Europe, five in Asia and São Paulo.	115 lawyers	Corporate, finance, energy and litigation. Band-one ranked in Chambers UK for projects, aviation finance, mining and outsourcing.	Yes (4-5 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo	London office of US firm.	Boston-headquartered; 500 lawyers in seven US offices and London. A liaison office in Israel.	1 full-time UK lawyer	Risk management and life sciences.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Morgan Lewis	London office of US firm. Opened 1981. Expanded with 18 lawyers from defunct Dewey & LeBoeuf in 2012.	Almost 2,000 lawyers in 30 offices in the US, Asia and Europe. Headquartered in Philadelphia.	98 lawyers	Banking, finance, corporate, employment, tax, competition and litigation.	Yes (6 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Morrison & Foerster	London office of US firm. Opened 1980.	Over 1,000 lawyers in eight US and five Asian cities plus London, Berlin and Brussels.	83 lawyers	Full service, but London has strong transactional focus on financial services, life sciences and technology.	Yes (7 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Morrison Mahoney	London office of US firm.	Ten US offices on the East Coast plus London. About 200 lawyers.	5 lawyers	Litigation. US law only.	No
	Nixon Peabody	London office of US firm. Opened 2007.	13 US offices plus London, Hong Kong. Singapore and Shanghai.	2 lawyers	Private client. US law only.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	O'Melveny	London office of US firm. Opened 1986.	West Coast firm with seven US offices, six in Asia, plus London and Brussels. 700 lawyers worldwide.	25 lawyers	Transactional and litigation capabilities, but finance and private equity are the drivers.	Yes (4 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe	London office of US firm. Acquired London office of Coudert Bros in 2005.	1,300 lawyers in 26 offices worldwide.	84 lawyers	Full service.	Yes (6 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Paul Hastings	London office of US firm. Opened 1997.	Around 950 lawyers in 22 offices; 11 in the US, five in Europe and five in Asia and São Paulo.	100 lawyers	Strongest in real estate finance and capital markets.	Yes (7-8 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison	London office of US firm.	New York litigation powerhouse with a presence in DC, Wilmington, Toronto, London and three Asian offices. 800+ lawyers globally.	21 lawyers	US law only. Chiefly corporate M&A, private equity, capital markets.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman	London office of US firm. Opened 1972.	16 US offices, as well as outposts in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Taipei and London. 700 lawyers.	40 lawyers	Corporate and commercial; big on global sourcing and IT.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Proskauer Rose	London office of US firm. Opened 2007.	NY firm with 750+ lawyers in 13 offices: eight branches in America, plus Beijing, Hong Kong, Paris, Sao Paulo and London.	83 lawyers	Corporate & finance. Concentrates on private equity.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan	London office of US firm. Opened 2008.	800-lawyer California firm with nine US offices and eight in Europe plus Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Perth and Sydney.	58 lawyers	Litigation-only firm, with particular specialism in cases against financial institutions.	No
	Richards Kibbe & Orbe	London office of US firm.	58 lawyers in New York, DC and London.	5 lawyers	Corporate and finance.	No
	Ropes & Gray	London office of US firm. Opened in 2010 and has grown massively since.	1,200-lawyer Boston-headquartered firm. Six US offices, plus London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul.	109 lawyers	Focus on banking, finance and private equity.	Yes (7 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Schulte Roth & Zabel	London office of US firm.	A 330-lawyer New York firm with a presence in DC and London.	16 lawyers	Mostly investment management.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Scott & Scott	London outpost of US firm. Opened 2015.	72 lawyers across New York, Connecticut, Ohio, Los Angeles, Omaha, Connecticut and London.	7 lawyers	Competition enforcement litigation.	No
	Seyfarth Shaw	London office of US firm. Opened in 2011.	850+ lawyers in ten US offices as well as London, Melbourne, Sydney, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Employment and immigration experts.	8 lawyers	Employment only.	No
	Shearman &  Sterling	London office of US firm. Opened 1972.	800 lawyers in 22 offices worldwide – eight in the Americas, six in Europe, five in Asia and three in the Gulf states.	122 lawyers	Full service; especially strong in finance.	Yes (15 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Shook, Hardy & Bacon	London office of US firm. Opened 1989.	Nearly 500 lawyers in 11 US offices plus London.	7 lawyers	Litigation, mostly product liability.	No
	Sidley Austin	London office of US firm. Opened 1974.	Nearly 2,000 lawyers worldwide; ten offices in the US, six in Asia Pacific, four in Europe.	142 lawyers	Mostly transactional, geared towards finance matters.	Yes (12-14 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Simpson Thacher & Bartlett	London office of US firm. Opened 1978.	New York private equity powerhouse with offices in DC, LA, Palo Alto and Houston plus São Paulo, London,and four in Asia. 900 lawyers worldwide.	87 lawyers	Mainly finance, corporate, capital markets.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Skadden	London office of US firm. Opened 1988.	Around 1,700 lawyers across eight US offices and 14 others worldwide.	115 lawyers	Full service; strongest on corporate in London. Chambers UK band-one ranked for international arbitration.	Yes (12 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Smith Gambrell & Russell	London office of US firm. Opened 2017.	Full-service 220-lawyer Atlanta-headquartered firm with five other US offices plus London, Southampton and Munich.	5 lawyers	Aviation finance.	No
	Steptoe & Johnson	London office of US firm. Opened 2001.	500+ lawyers in six US offices plus London, Brussels and Beijing.	39 lawyers	Property, corporate, private equity, insurance, international disputes, white-collar crime.	No
	Sullivan & Cromwell	London office of US firm. Opened 1972.	Blue-chip New York firm with three other US offices, three in Asia, two in Australia and four in Europe. 875+ lawyers.	72 lawyers	Mainly transactional, best known for capital markets, corporate, energy and projects work.	Yes (4-6 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Sullivan & Worcester	London office of US firm. Opened 2013.	Bostonians. 168 lawyers across offices in Boston, New York, DC and London.	11 lawyers	Trade and export finance.	No
	Thompson & Knight	London office of US firm. Opened 2005.	300+ lawyers. Originally from Texas and energy-focused. Six US offices as well as two in Mexico plus Paris, Algiers and London.	2 lawyers	Finance and energy.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Vedder Price	London office of US firm. Opened 2011.	300 lawyers in Chicago and four other US cities plus offices in London and Singapore.	17 lawyers	Corporate and transport finance.	No	Read about the firms in the US
	Vinson & Elkins	London office of US firm. Opened 1971.	Texas firm with seven US offices, four in Asia-Pacific plus Moscow, Riyadh, Dubai and London. 600+ lawyers.	61 lawyers	Especially strong in energy and projects matters.	Yes (5 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Weil, Gotshal & Manges	London office of US firm. Opened 1996.	1,100 lawyers in eight US offices, six in Europe and three in Asia.	169 lawyers	Full service, especially good in private equity.	Yes (10-15 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	White & Case	London office of US firm. Opened 1971.	Approx 2,200 lawyers in 44 offices worldwide.	316 lawyers	Full service; heavy on projects, corporate and finance.	Yes (50 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Willkie Farr & Gallagher	London office of US firm. Opened 1988. Also have a strategic alliance with UK firm Dickson Minto.	New York and Washington DC plus six European offices. 700 lawyers.	55 lawyers	Primarily corporate advice on international finance, cross-border M&A and private equity.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	WilmerHale	Formed by merger of two US firms in 2004, one of which had been in London since 1972.	900+ lawyers in seven US cities, four in Europe plus Beijing.	49 lawyers	Focus on international arbitration, white-collar crime, regulatory and IP work.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati	London office of US firm. Opened 2018.	California-based with 750+ lawyers. 11 offices in the US, three in Asia, Brussels and London.	1 US-qualified lawyers	Corporate, tech and life sciences.	No	Read about the firm in the US
	Winston & Strawn	London office of US firm. Opened 2003.	Chicago-based with nine US offices, four in Europe and two in Asia plus Dubai. 900+ lawyers.	34 lawyers	Cross-border transactions and disputes, as well as IP, energy and competition.	Yes (2 pa)	Read about the firm in the US

 

Part 2: Firms created through transatlantic mergers

These can be either a large firm taking on a smaller one specifically to gain a London office (as with McGuireWoods' absorption of Grundberg Mocatta Rakison), or two of a similar size combining to form a larger one, with better global coverage the goal (as with the Hogan Lovells or Dentons tie-ups)

Pros: New firm has ready-made UK client base and established reputation; culture of legacy English firm usually remains post-merger.

Cons: Mergers can breed ill-feeling due to unforeseen culture clashes or if US headquarters starts to dictate to London office from afar.

		Merger history	Worldwide profile (office locations)	Size in the UK	Main UK activities	Training contracts?
	Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner	English City firm Berwin Leighton Paisner merged with US firm Bryan Cave, which had a 40-lawyer London office and 4 trainees.	1,500 lawyers in 35 offices across the US, Europe, Africa and Asia.	498 lawyers	Full service. BLP was known as the top property firm in the City, and this is still a core strength.	Yes (35 pa)
	Cooley	Office part of Edwards Wildman Palmer prior to prior to January 2015. That firm merged with London's Kendall Freeman in 2008.	Silicon Valley headquartered firm with 10 US offices as well as Beijing, Shanghai and London. Nearly 900 lawyers worldwide.	91 lawyers	Litigation, insurance, corporate, IP, technology and employment.	Yes (4 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Dechert	Long-standing English firm Titmuss Sainer merged with a Philadelphia-based outfit in 2000.	900+ lawyers working from 27 offices across the US, Europe and Asia.	147 lawyers	Full service.	Yes (10 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Dentons	Result of five major global mergers since 2010. Dentons Wilde Sapte was the City arm.	World's biggest firm by headcount. 7,000+ lawyers in more than 125 locations across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, China, Africa and Australia.	562 lawyers in London, Watford and Milton Keynes	Full service.	Yes (42 pa)
	DLA Piper	Well-established UK national DLA merged with American Piper Rudnick in 2005.	4,300 lawyers located across 85+ offices worldwide.	844 lawyers across the UK	Full service.	Yes (up to 70 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Eversheds Sutherland	UK firm Eversheds merged with Americans Sutherland in 2017. Sutherland had a 10-lawyer London office since 2014 after merger with Arbis LLP.	2,300 lawyers worldwide in 66 offices.	1,223 lawyers across the UK	Full service.	Yes (50 pa)
	Hogan Lovells	US firm Hogan & Hartson merged with major City player Lovells in 2010.	Over 2,500 lawyers in 47 offices worldwide.	548 lawyers (London and Birmingham)	Full service.	Yes (up to 50 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Jones Day	Merger between Jones Day (which already had a London office) and UK firm Gouldens in 2003.	2,500 lawyers in 43 offices worldwide.	150 lawyers	Full service.	Yes (15-20 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	K&L Gates	Merger between US firm Kilpatrick & Lockhart and UK firm Nicholson Graham & Jones in 2005 (followed by 2007 merger with US firm Preston Gates & Ellis).	2,000+ lawyers across 46 offices worldwide.	105 lawyers	Full service.	Yes (number TBD)	Read about the firm in the US
	Mayer Brown	Merger between US firm Mayer, Brown & Platt and London mid-sizer Rowe & Maw in 2002.	More than 1,600 lawyers across 26 offices worldwide (including an alliance in Brazil). Asia presence bolstered by merger with JSM in 2008.	227 lawyers	Full service.	Yes (15 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	McGuireWoods	Small 2009 merger between US firm McGuire Woods and London firm Grundberg Mocatta Rakison.	Based in Virginia with 1,100 lawyers in 22 offices: 20 in the US plus London, Brussels and an alliance in Shanghai.	28 lawyers	Full service.	Yes (1 pa)
	Norton Rose Fulbright	Merger between US firm Fulbright & Jaworski and London-founded Norton Rose in June 2013	Approx 3,500 lawyers in over 55+ offices worldwide.	506 lawyers	Full service.	Yes (up to 45 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Reed Smith	Small UK firm Warner Cranston merged with US firm Reed Smith in 2001. In 2007 Reed Smith merged with UK mid-sized firm Richards Butler.	Approx 1,700 lawyers in 26 offices.	321 lawyers	Full service, including niches like shipping and media.	Yes (25 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Squire Patton Boggs	UK firm Hammonds and US firm Squire, Sanders & Dempsey merged in 2011. Merged with DC firm Patton Boggs in 2014.	47 offices across 20 countries containing over 1,500 lawyers worldwide.	416 lawyers across the UK	Full service.	Yes (23 pa)	Read about the firm in the US
	Womble Bond Dickinson	National firm Bond Dickinson (itself a merger of Newcastle and Bristol firms) combined with North Carolinian Womble Carlyle in 2017.	1,100 lawyers in 18 US and eight UK locations.	647 lawyers across the UK	Full service.	Yes (up to 25 pa)	Read about the firm in the US