Womble Bond Dickinson Elects Merrick Benn as New US Chair (1)

Womble Bond Dickinson has elected a new US chair, Merrick Benn, in its first leadership change since the firm’s creation seven years ago.

Benn will take the post Jan. 1, Womble Bond Dickinson announced Wednesday. He succeeds Betty Temple, who has led the US arm of the firm since 2016.

Benn will lead the Womble Bond’s management committee, which oversees the firm’s domestic strategy, operations, profitability, and structural organization. He will also co-chair the firm’s global board alongside UK managing partner Paul Stewart.

North Carolina’s Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice and UK’s Bond Dickinson completed their trans-Atlantic merger in 2017, creating a creating a firm with more than 1,000 lawyers across 32 offices. Though unified by a single name, the firm operates as two non-profit-sharing partnerships with independent boards.

To be selected for the roles “was quite an honor,” Benn said in an interview. “I’m very proud of it and really looking forward to this next chapter for the firm and continuing us on the path that Betty put us on to begin with.”

Benn, a global finance partner, joined Womble Carlyle in 2009. After the combination, he was elected to the firm management committee in 2017, serving for three terms. Since then, he was also appointed to the firm’s executive committee, named US vice chair, and served as capital markets practice group leader and co-chair of the diversity committee.

Focusing on strategic growth and adding depth where the firm can serve its most important clients will be a priorities, Benn said. Womble Bond particularly wants to focus on areas where it can differentiate itself from others in financial services, IP, complex litigation and technology, he said.

Stewart, former head of the firm’s commercial disputes and regulatory team, took over as Womble Bond’s UK managing partner in 2022, succeeding Jonathan Blair.

Blair, along with Temple, helped guide the merger process and served as co-chairs of the combined firm. “I’m really proud of what the firm and really our partners have accomplished over the last over the last nine years,” said Temple, who was the first female CEO in the firm’s history.

Under Temple’s tenure, the firm saw a 42% increase in gross revenue and a 30% increase in revenue per lawyer. It also opened new offices, including Boston, Denver, Houston, Nashville, New York, and San Francisco.