Herbert Smith Freehills, Kramer Levin Set Merger Vote This Month

Herbert Smith Freehills and Kramer Levin partners will begin voting later this month on the firms’ planned merger.

Herbert Smith will open its partner ballot March 24 and intends to close it April 4, according to two people familiar with the matter. Kramer Levin partners will follow a similar timeline, the people said.

Herbert Smith and Kramer Levin announced they were in advanced merger talks in November 2024. If successful, the merger would create one of the 20 largest law firms in the world with more than $2 billion in revenue, over 2,700 lawyers and 25 offices globally.

The proposed new firm name would be Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, known in the US as HSF Kramer, according to a joint statement. The firms are working towards a launch date of May 1.

Herbert Smith is set to hold partner briefings on the tie-up between March 26 and April 1, kicking off in Singapore for its Asia-Pacific based partners, according to the people familiar. Jurisdictional leaders will host the online sessions.

Since the merger announcement, Kramer Levin’s Paris office has joined US rival Morgan Lewis, while Herbert Smith has opened a Luxembourg base. The firm also hired 10 lawyers from Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe in January to grow its German operations.

UK and international firms have attempted to penetrate the US market in a variety of ways in recent years. The UK ‘Magic Circle’ firms had generally focused on team hires across the East and West Coasts, but Allen & Overy merged with struggling US outfit Shearman & Sterling last year to create A&O Shearman.

A&O previously held failed discussions with O’Melveny & Myers, while Hogan Lovells also held exploratory talks with Shearman, called off in 2023.