Frost Brown Todd (FBT) is set to enter six new markets across the Northeastern US through a merger with New Jersey stalwart Gibbons, in a tie-up that will create a firm with around 800 lawyers.
The merger will go live on 1 January 2026, with the firm to be known as FBT Gibbons. It will have 25 offices across the US, including new locations for FBT in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware. It also sees the firm expand into Florida, where Gibbons has an office in West Palm Beach.
The two firms brought in more than $450m in gross revenue in 2024, an amount that would have placed the merged firm just outside the top 100 in the US, according to figures published by the American Lawyer.
Robert Sartin, chairman of FBT, will serve as chairman of FBT Gibbons while Peter Torcicollo, managing director of Gibbons, and Adam Hall, chief executive officer of FBT, will serve as co-managing partners of the combined firm.
“This combination is a transformational step for both firms, creating a best-in-class national platform with deeper resources,” Sartin said. “Together, we will be better positioned to partner with clients and grow in the markets that matter most.”
FBT said the tie-up delivered synergies in key industries for both legacy firms, namely finance, manufacturing and energy. The firm pointed to Gibbons’ strength in litigation, in areas including trial, commercial, white collar, investigations, class action, product liability, environmental and life sciences, adding that the merger would drive growth in corporate and transactional work, particularly in New York.
Hall said: “This combination gives us the scale to continue investing in the talent and technology needed to deliver exceptional service, while creating a stronger platform to attract and retain top talent in the markets where both firms excel. We’re bringing together two respected firms with complementary strengths to create something exceptional for our people and our clients.”
Cincinnati-based FBT is much the larger of the two firms – its roughly 650 lawyers brought in revenue of $336.6m in 2024, when profit per equity partner (PEP) stood at $638k. Meanwhile, Gibbons, which is headquartered in Newark, has 160 lawyers and had revenue of just over $115m in 2024 against PEP of $892k.
News of the tie-up comes amid increased merger activity among US law firms as they seek greater scale to outpace rivals and shore up profits. During the first nine months of 2025, 47 mergers were completed, according to Fairfax Associates, up from 43 in 2024.
Activity was focused on small and mid-size firms, though there was one large merger – defined by both firms having at least 100 lawyers – between McDermott Will & Emery and Schulte Roth & Zabel.
The deal created a top-15 US firm by revenue when it went live at the start of August.
Another large merger is on the horizon, with Indianapolis-based Taft Stettinius & Hollister set to combine with Atlanta-based Morris Manning & Martin (120 lawyers) in Q4, Taft’s third merger of the year.
The 1,000-lawyer firm completed its merger with Denver’s third-largest law firm, Sherman & Howard, at the start of the year, and it absorbed Florida litigation boutique Mrachek Law in June.
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