Law firms Winston & Strawn, Taylor Wessing to merge in latest transatlantic deal

By Sara Merken

NEW YORK, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing said on Monday that they expect to combine in May 2026, adding to a wave of major transatlantic law firm tie-ups.

The deal unites Chicago-founded Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing’s UK business, creating a global firm with more than 1,400 lawyers in 20 offices. The new firm will operate under the name Winston Taylor.

The firm would have an estimated $1.75 billion in combined annual revenue, according to a fact sheet posted on a website for the proposed merger. The deal, announced days after Winston and Taylor Wessing said they were in merger discussions, is subject to a partnership vote at each firm.

A report released last week by Citigroup and Hildebrandt Consulting said c onsolidation in the legal market could gain steam in 2026, as many firms contend with “modest” demand growth and increasing cost pressures. UK firms’ interest in the U.S. legal market could also drive more transatlantic deals, the report said.

Winston & Strawn chairman Steve D’Amore, who will serve as chairman of the combined firm, in a statement said the merger will give it a “London-headquartered partner that fulfills our long-held ambition to grow in the UK.” Shane Gleghorn, managing partner of Taylor Wessing UK, will be the managing partner of Europe and Middle East for the new firm.

Taylor Wessing is structured as a Swiss verein, with regional divisions that operate under a shared banner but as largely separate legal entities.

Taylor Wessing’s UK business, which includes lawyers in the UK, Ireland, Dubai and San Francisco, would exit the verein to combine with Winston. Taylor Wessing's operations in the Netherlands and Belgium would also leave the structure and enter into an agreement to operate under the Winston Taylor brand, while the new firm would have a referral relationship with the rest of the verein, the fact sheet said.

The firms' announcement said the merger “responds to increasing client demand for seamlessly integrated US–UK–EU counsel for the businesses, people, and markets driving capital and innovation.”

There has been a string of U.S.-UK law firm tie-ups in recent years. Ashurst and Perkins Coie said last month that they plan to merge into a 3,000-lawyer firm, subject to a vote of partners at each firm. If approved, the deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.

A merger between Herbert Smith Freehills and Kramer Levin created a 2,700-lawyer firm this June, and Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling combined into a nearly 4,000-lawyer firm last year.

A&O Shearman said it advised Winston & Strawn on the deal. Jenner & Block advised Taylor Wessing, according to a spokesperson.