Wragge and Gowlings announce merger

Law firm Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co (WLG) and Canadian law firm Gowlings have announced that they will merge in January 2016.

WLG and Gowlings both have intellectual property practices.

The merged firm will be known as Gowling WLG and have more than 1,400 lawyers in locations including Canada, the Middle East, the UK, and Africa.

Before agreeing the merger, WLG and Gowlings had worked together for a number of years.

David Fennell (pictured below), WLG’s chief executive, said: “Clients’ legal issues are increasingly international so we want to put ourselves in the strongest position to meet that demand.”

Scott Jolliffe (pictured below), Gowlings’s chairman, said: “Gowling WLG will be a true coming together of equals. As a result of this combination, we will be able to offer a broader range of services and a deeper pool of legal expertise in key sectors.”