PROVIDENCE – Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP – one of New England’s largest law firms – is expanding again through a merger with Chicago’s Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon LLP. As of Oct. 1, the united firms will be known as Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP.
There are now about 400 EAPD lawyers working in 11 East Coast locations, including Providence and Boston, as well as 90 in London and eight in Hong Kong. With the impending combination, Wildman Harrold will bring on board 115 lawyers in Chicago and nine or 10 in Los Angeles.
It’s the latest is a series of mergers that have kept EAPD on a six-year growth spurt. In February the firm announced a merger with Fleischman & Harding, a Washington, D.C., group specializing in communications law. In 2008 there was a merger with London-based Kendall Freeman. And prior to 2005, Edwards Angell and Palmer & Dodge existed as separate firms, each with a long history in New England.
According to Walter G. D. Reed, managing partner at EAPD, the latest merger plans were sparked by clients’ demands. “They’re looking for the firm to provide services across a broader range of specialties and a broader range of geographies,” he said.
Reed will serve as the managing partner of Edwards Wildman Palmer. Robert Shuftan, currently managing partner at Wildman Harrold, will serve as deputy managing partner and chair of the firm’s strategic planning committee. Judith Hurley will serve as chief operating officer.
