'They’re on the verge of a merger,’ said one former lawyer at the Washington DC-based Patton Boggs.  The lawyer referred to a letter of intent which is said to have been signed between the two parties this month, saying that it ‘doesn't guarantee anything, just that they are moving forward at a very rapid speed’. 

Formal talks

Patton Boggs has about 380 lawyers and consultants, down from 600 in 2011. Squire Sanders has 1,300. The two firms announced that they were in formal merger talks on 26 February. Source: Reuters