The acquisition will see Thornton Davis Fein’s entire team of five partners and 35 lawyers and staff join Clydes, bringing Clydes’ total headcount to 160 fee-earners in the US and 200 across the Americas. The firm will also be relocating London partner Ricardo Lewandowski to Miami to launch a Latin American liaison service at the new office. News of the acquisition very nearly coincides with the 10-year anniversary in June of Clydes’ first step into the US market, a journey which has since seen six office openings in New York, Atlanta, New Jersey, San Francisco, Newport Beach, and now Miami.

Eyeing future growth

The merger between the two firms is expected to be completed by 1 July. Thornton Davis Fein has built a reputation on handling complex litigation matters for corporations and insurers, with particular strength in core Clydes sectors such as aviation, insurance and marine as well as in product liability and construction. Senior partner Barry Davis believes that joining forces with Clydes will offer ‘huge potential’ for further expansion in Florida and across the US. ‘The landscape of law in the US is changing,’ he commented in The Lawyer. ‘Law firms are consolidating in order to provide greater national and international bench strength to their clients. With our shared approach to sectors and its commitment to building a sizeable US presence, joining Clyde & Co has been a very natural decision.’