Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC said Thursday that it will become the largest law firm in the Carolinas after its merger with Buist Moore Smythe McGee PA of Charleston, S.C.
Womble Carlyle, which has a major office in Winston-Salem, said it will gain 44 lawyers from the merger, which becomes effective April 30. It will have 550 attorneys at that time, including 382 in the Carolinas.
With the merger, Womble Carlyle will have 12 offices in six states and Washington, including Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Research Triangle Park and Greenville, S.C.
The law firm said it will gain in particular the expertise of Buist Moore's Admiralty and Maritime practice area — "a strong position to serve the currently under way expansion of the Panama Canal."
"The combining of Buist Moore and Womble Carlyle will provide Womble Carlyle clients access to a wider network of strategically important relationships," said Keith Vaughan, the chairman of Womble Carlyle's firm management committee.
"Charleston has emerged as a high-growth area within the pro-business state of South Carolina."
Among recent developments there are Southwest Airlines launching low-fare service and Boeing opening a manufacturing hub.
"We understand that the Boeing plant will do for Charleston what the BMW plant has done for Greenville-Spartanburg," Vaughan said.
Henry Smythe, the managing partner for Buist Moore, said that the merger gives its attorneys "a much broader platform to serve our clients within the Southeast region and beyond."
Vaughan said that the firm's goal has been growing market share in existing markets and entering markets that make sense from a geographic, client opportunity and strength of services opportunity.
"The legal industry has grown through a pretty tough time economically the last few years, but we believe we have emerged in a position of strength that should bode well for us," Vaughan said.
(336) 727-7376
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement