The merger of Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing’s UK-led business officially launched on Monday (1 June), creating one of the largest transatlantic law firms in the market.
The combined firm – known as Winston Taylor – houses more than 1,400 lawyers across 20 global offices and boasts revenue in the region of £1.2bn ($1.6bn), putting it just outside the top 40 in the Global 200 according to data published by Law.com. Its lawyers span the US, UK, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
The firm is led by chairman Stephen D'Amore, who was also chair of Winston & Strawn. Shane Gleghorn, the former managing partner of Taylor Wessing UK, will serve as managing partner of Europe and Middle East.
D'Amore said the legacy firms had been integrating teams and offices at "record speed" ahead of the merger going live.
Winston Taylor is built around four "core defining capabilities" of litigation, transactions, IP and private wealth and identified TMT, life sciences and healthcare, financial services, and projects, energy and infrastructure as key industry sectors.
As part of the combination, Taylor Wessing partners in the Netherlands and Belgium voted to operate under the Winston Taylor brand, with full integration expected over time subject to regulatory approvals.
Winston Taylor also agreed a cooperation and referral arrangement with the legacy Taylor Wessing verein, including the German business, to provide continuous service to clients.
Gleghorn said the combined firm was focused on "attracting the best practitioners in the major hubs of innovation and capital.
"Our lawyers have already identified dozens of new cross-border opportunities to serve clients, advising global innovators in key sectors and winning work that is possible because of our newly combined footprint and capabilities,” he added.
Two other major transatlantic mergers have been agreed in recent months. In April, Ashurst and Perkins Coie secured partner approval for their tie-up to create Ashurst Perkins Coie, with the combination expected to complete in the third quarter of 2026.
Meanwhile, Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft have also approved their merger, with Hogan Lovells Cadwalader scheduled to launch on 1 July 2026.
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