Ashurst and Perkins Coie have formally approved their proposed merger, paving the way to create a top 20 global law firm by gross revenue.
Announced last November, the merger will create a firm with more than 3,000 lawyers across more than 50 global offices and revenue in the region of $2.8bn. It is expected to close in Q3 of 2026.
The partnerships of both firms voted “overwhelmingly” in favour of the tie-up, Ashurst said Monday.
“The approval follows consultation from both firms and reflects strong support for the combination of two law firms with complementary geographic reach, sector depth and practice strength,” the firm added in a statement.
The combined firm – to be known as Ashurst Perkins Coie – will be led by Ashurst CEO Paul Jenkins and Perkins Coie managing partner Bill Malley as global co-CEOs. It will focus on the technology, energy and infrastructure and financial services sectors.
“This vote confirms the strong alignment between our firms and our joint ambition for the future,” Jenkins said. “Through our engagement with partners, our people and clients since announcing our intention to combine, it has become clear that our two firms are a natural fit. Our complementary expertise across sectors and practice areas, together with our shared commitment to innovation, will deliver greater scale and global reach for our clients, while creating a compelling platform for top legal talent.”
The tie-up is the latest in a string of large transatlantic law firm mergers, following Allen & Overy’s $3.5bn combination with New York’s Shearman & Sterling in 2024 and the formation of HSF Kramer last June, as firms seek greater scale to outpace rivals and shore up profits.
The $1.6bn merger of Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing’s UK-led business is set to go live in May, while the partnerships of Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft are set to vote on their planned $3.6bn tie-up later this spring, a proposed deal they have dubbed the “largest law firm combination in history”.
Perkins Coie’s merger with Ashurst will combine the former’s focus on tech, fintech, environmental and life sciences with the latter’s prowess in cross-border transactions, particularly in the energy, financial services and real estate sectors.
Jenkins told the Financial Times last November the merger would be “50-50” in all respects, including membership of the combined firm’s board and leadership team, and that the firms would be fully integrated and pool profits.
The two firms are broadly similar in terms of revenue – Ashurst’s 1,600 lawyers brought in just over £1bn ($1.3bn) in FY25, its ninth consecutive year of growth, while Perkins Coie reported turnover of just under $1.3bn in 2025, according to data published by Law.com. Profit per equity partner was also close – £1.39m ($1.83m) at Ashurst compared to $1.9m for Perkins Coie.
The merger hands Ashurst the footprint in the lucrative US market so valued by international law firms. Almost all of Perkins Coie’s roughly 1,060 lawyers are based across 17 US offices, alongside small teams in Taipei, London and a Beijing base the firm is set to close as it refocuses its Chinese operations on the booming southern city of Shenzhen.
Malley commented: “Our partnership’s approval reflects a shared belief that combining to form Ashurst Perkins Coie will create a truly differentiated global legal platform – one with the scale, sector depth and technological leadership to meet our clients’ increasingly complex, cross-border needs.”
Ashurst Perkins Coie’s leadership will also include co-chairs Karen Davies, Ashurst’s chair, and Brian Eiting, co-chair of Perkins Coie. Mark Birnbaum, the current chair of Perkins Coie’s executive committee, whose regular term expired at the end of 2025, will continue serving in that role until the deal is closed.
It is envisaged that the combined firm will not have a single headquarters and will instead have “hubs” in Seattle, London, Sydney and New York.
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