Here Comes McDermott Will & Schulte
Tom Borman, LawFuel contributing editor
In a deal that underscores Big Law’s relentless consolidation, McDermott Will & Emery (approximately 1,400 lawyers, ~$2.2 b 2024 revenue) and Schulte Roth & Zabel (~350 lawyers, ~$618 m) voted last month to merge effective August 1, 2025, creating a combined firm of around 1,750 attorneys and global reach across 20+ offices.
As reported in May, lawyers watching deals like this will see the merger as a clear signal: scale, specialization, and strategic alignment are driving the next era of Big Law.
This merger follows the recent formation of Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (>2,700 lawyers) last June and A&O Shearman (~4,000 lawyers), last year, signaling a global race for scale among the biglaw rivals.
McDermott’s strength in health care, energy and regulatory work pairs with Schulte’s hedge‑fund/finance track record, which serves to broaden the client base for the merged firm and cross‑sell opportunities.
Firms merging at this scale must also align governance, equity allocation, integration timelines, and leadership teams, which can create tensions and issues. It will be a question of watching for how partner classes reconcile differences in compensation philosophy and tie‑in business generation credit.
Snapshot of the Merger Deal
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Effective date | August 1, 2025 |
| Total lawyers | ~1,750 |
| Combined revenue (2024) | ~$2.8 billion |
| Offices worldwide | 20+ |
| Cross‑practice synergies | Healthcare/regulatory + private capital |
The merger move signals pressure on mid‑sized firms to merge or elevate their platform if they want to compete with the newly expanded BigLaw firms dominating market share.
