Mayer Brown merger negotiations with Simmons fail

US firm Mayer Brown has suffered a setback in its effort to establish a merger with a UK firm as talks with Simmons & Simmons end without an agreement. The proposed merger would have created a £1bn global business. Mayer Brown is reportedly continuing to pursue a union with a UK firm, as the firm is unsatisfied with the growth of the London office it acquired in a 2002 tie-up with Rowe & Maw.