Thousand-partner CMS announces merger completion

CMS UK, Nabarro and Olswang have completed their three-way merger, the new enlarged CMS confirmed today, creating the sixth largest law firm in the UK by revenue and the sixth largest globally by headcount.

The last six months have seen a successful integration programme led by an in-house management team at CMS in London. All staff in London will be located in CMS’s office at Cannon Place. Internationally, teams in Germany, Belgium and Spain are already integrated, and new office plans are underway in Dubai and Singapore, with full integration of legacy CMS, Nabarro and Olswang offices intended to take place in the coming months.

Globally, CMS now has over 1,000 partners and 4,500 lawyers in 70 offices across 39 countries. Its six specialist sectors are Energy, Financial Services, Infrastructure & Project Finance, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Real Estate, and Technology, Media and Telecommunications. 

Penelope Warne, senior partner for CMS in London commented: “Today is an important day for the firm and for our clients. We have made this bold move with one goal in mind: to build a new kind of future-facing law firm. By combining top quality sector expertise with international scale and a strategy to become a progressive technology driven firm, we are better equipped to deliver excellence for our clients in a rapidly changing market."

She added: “We are focused on building a successful, dynamic and modern law firm with a supportive culture so that careers at CMS can thrive. Diversity and inclusion, CSR and top quality training through our CMS Academy will continue to be a priority for the firm.”

Stephen Millar, managing partner in London said: “I look forward to seeing our firm make the most of the opportunities that the merger presents; in particular exploring the opportunities that arise from both the cross fertilisation of our market-leading practices and sectors and our expanded global footprint.

“It has been an exciting journey so far and we have been impressed by the high level of collaboration between colleagues, not only in London but also across the UK and internationally."