Herbert Smith and Freehills have announced a full equity merger.
Herbert Smith Freehills will be launched on October 1, 2012. The new firm will have 2,800 lawyers, an IP practice with 19 partners, and a total of 100 fee earners, including associates.
Mark Shillito will lead the Herbert Smith IP practice, while Sue Gilchrist will lead the team at Freehills.
Herbert Smith's CEO David Willis, said: "We are excited about bringing together two pre-eminent law firms to create a new and distinctive global law firm. We share with Freehills a strong belief that over the next few years the market for premium legal services will become increasingly dominated by a small number of truly global firms. This merger will therefore put us in a strong position to provide clients with the single global offering they increasingly demand."