The Latest Law Merger – Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing

Partners at Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing have voted decisively in favour of their landmark transatlantic merger, clearing the path for the creation of Winston Taylor—a new legal powerhouse set to launch in May 2026.

The combination, reported last month, will create a firm with more than 1,400 lawyers worldwide and combined revenue exceeding $1.75 billion, positioning the newly-formed entity just outside the Global 200’s top 40 firms.

The merger responds to increasing client demand for seamlessly integrated US–UK–EU counsel for the businesses, people, and markets driving capital and innovation. By uniting two firms with over 400 years of combined history, Winston Taylor will establish one of the largest transatlantic practices with a footprint spanning the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Steve D’Amore, (pictured) Winston & Strawn’s chair who has led the firm since 2024, will continue as chair of the combined firm. Taylor Wessing UK managing partner Shane Gleghorn will serve as managing partner for Europe and the Middle East at Winston Taylor and join the executive committee.

The structural changes will see Taylor Wessing UK and Taylor Wessing the Netherlands and Belgium depart the Taylor Wessing verein, with Winston Taylor seeking to establish a cooperation and referral relationship with the remaining verein to ensure continuity for clients.

The merger would increase Winston & Strawn’s Partner headcount in London by 118, while also expanding into several new locations including Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Dublin, Dubai, and Cambridge. The combined business will operate from 20 offices across key commercial centres including Chicago, London, New York, Paris, São Paulo, Silicon Valley, and Washington DC.

Major IP Law Platform

The deal represents a strategic play to dominate transatlantic work in critical sectors. The combination of Taylor Wessing UK’s Tier 1 UK–EU holistic IP practice with Winston & Strawn’s premier U.S. intellectual property litigation practice will establish a market-leading transatlantic IP platform. The merged firm will also leverage significant strength in major litigation, transactions, private wealth, and regulatory matters.

Taylor Wessing UK has demonstrated strong financial performance recently, with revenue growing 15% to £283.7m in FY2025, while profit per equity partner jumped 20% to push past £1m for the first time, hitting £1.1m.

The merger adds to a particularly active year for legal industry consolidation, following similar transatlantic combinations including Ashurst’s planned merger with Perkins Coie and the completion of the Kramer Levin and Herbert Smith Freehills merger in June 2025.

Completion remains subject to final regulatory approvals, with both partnerships operating as separate firms until the May 2026 go-live date.