Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders, one of Atlanta’s largest and oldest law firms, will merge at the start of 2025 with Texas-based Locke Lord to become a global powerhouse with more than 1,600 attorneys.
The firms, which had a combined revenue in 2023 of $1.5 billion, announced the merger Friday. It will take effect Jan. 1. The new firm, Troutman Pepper Locke, will have 33 offices around the country, including in Atlanta, as well as offices in Belgium and London.
Details about the new firm’s Atlanta office are still being worked out. Troutman Pepper has about 200 attorneys and 300 other employees based at its flagship office in the Bank of America Plaza on Peachtree Street. Locke Lord’s Atlanta office in Buckhead is considerably smaller, with just over a dozen lawyers.
Charlie Peeler, the managing partner of Troutman Pepper’s Atlanta office, said it’s likely that Locke Lord’s Atlanta attorneys will move into the Peachtree Street space.
“It just makes sense because there are so many more lawyers here,” Peeler told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “At the end of the day, we’re stronger together, and that includes hopefully being together in the same physical space.”
Peeler, in his first year as managing partner, will continue to have a leading role in the new firm’s Atlanta office. He said the merger is a win for both firms and their clients, in part due to the geographic reach that Troutman Pepper Locke will have.
Troutman Pepper, with a presence in Atlanta since 1897, has more than 1,100 attorneys in 22 offices nationwide. Locke Lord, headquartered in Dallas, has 20 offices and about 600 attorneys.
Both firms have offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Washington, D.C.
Locke Lord brings to the merger offices in major cities, including Austin, Texas; Dallas; Houston; Cincinnati; Hartford, Connecticut; Miami; New Orleans; Newark, New Jersey; Brussels and London.
Troutman Pepper additionally has major offices in Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; Detroit; San Diego; Princeton, New Jersey; Richmond and Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Wilmington, Delaware.
Peeler said the merger is not about growing for the sake of it. The move is strategic, taking into account how the two firms match up, he said.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
“We’re going to be in a better position together to offer a deeper bench of highly skilled lawyers, an increased level of subject matter expertise,” he said. “I think the merger is really good for Troutman as a whole, and the Atlanta office is really no exception to that. Firmwide, the clients who are Atlanta-based are going to be able to benefit from lawyers in other geographies where those clients do business.”
Tom Cole, chair of Troutman Pepper, will lead the new firm. Locke Lord’s chair, David Taylor, will serve as a vice chair of the new firm, alongside Troutman Pepper’s vice chair, Ashley Taylor. Troutman Pepper’s managing partner, Amie Colby, will hold that role at Troutman Pepper Locke.
Cole said the motivation for the merger extends beyond the firms’ shared strengths in multiple industries of economic importance, including energy, financial services, health care, insurance, private equity and real estate. He said the firms’ dedication to client service and excellence will offer increased value to clients.
“We are enthusiastic about collaboratively building upon our experience with the clients that we already serve and introducing Troutman Pepper Locke to new clients and markets,” Cole said in a news release.
Another law firm merger involving Atlanta attorneys was announced Monday. Ballard Spahr, which opened its Atlanta office in 2008, will absorb Pacific Northwest firm Lane Powell on Jan. 1. Ballard Spahr, which has almost 30 lawyers in Atlanta, will have more than 750 attorneys in 18 offices nationwide after the merger.
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