Bond Dickinson backs combination with US ally Womble Carlyle

Bond Dickinson has voted to combine with its US ally Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice.

The new entity, to be known as Womble Bond Dickinson, will have more than 420 partners and 1,000 lawyers across 8 offices in the UK and 15 offices in the US. Combined revenues will be in excess of £340m.

In a statement the firms said: “The agreement represents a union of like minds that will champion the domestic and international ambitions of clients with a continued emphasis on local, regional and national legal services enhanced by extensive international capabilities and more integrated access than ever before.”

The new entity will be a company limited by guarantee of which Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP and Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP will be the members with each firm continuing to operate as a separate and autonomous partnership with its own independent management.

Four members of each firm will be appointed to the board of the new entity. That board will be co-chaired by Betty Temple, Chair and CEO of Womble Carlyle, and Jonathan Blair, Managing Partner of Bond Dickinson.

Blair said: "We are delighted by this transformational development which would not have been possible without the support of our clients, the inherent cultural alignment between our firms and the enthusiasm of our people in driving the success of our exclusive strategic alliance with Womble Carlyle.

“The agreement creating Womble Bond Dickinson marks the achievement and culmination of our vision to be a Top 20 law firm by 2020. This combined firm enables us to provide an enviable transatlantic platform for further expansion and growth in the UK, where London remains a priority for investment, along with Edinburgh and other regional areas important to US and UK clients. Most importantly, we believe this new platform will better serve the needs of all our clients and provide the environment to retain and nurture the best talent in the business.”