Emerging markets fuel Mayer Brown's global growth

Mayer Brown's global ambitions received a much-needed boost late last month when the Chicago law firm announced it will join forces with a 260-lawyer Hong Kong-based firm Johnson, Stokes and Master (JSM). The deal, a rare trans-Pacific legal merger, reflects how the forces of globalization and consolidation are transforming the business models of the largest U.S. law firms. Mayer Brown joins an elite group of firms with major offices in some of the world's financial centers: New York, London and Hong Kong. They are jockeying for position on the world stage, a battle that shows signs of heating up in 2008 as concerns about the American economy grow. Mayer Brown's merger capped a busy year for global expansion, especially in Asia. McDermott, Will & Emery, a 1,000-lawyer firm founded in Chicago, kicked off 2007 by entering a strategic alliance with law firm MWE in mainland China.

Emerging markets fuel Mayer Brown's global growth chicagotribune.com Fri, Jan 4, 2008