/9918578/Banner

/9918578/Banner_2

/9918578/Mid

section

articleId

product

orgType

parrefer

accountID

Consulting

Banking

Accounting

Fintech

Internships

Rankings

Internship Rankings

Intern Resource Center

Explore Internships

Vault Law Home

Practice Area Resource Centers

Regional Resource Centers

Summer Program Resource Center

Vault Law Culture & Inclusion Survey

Vault Law

Guides

Events

Financial Services

Technology

Grad School

Work Relationships

Productivity

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Social Impact

Remote Work

Negotiating

Changing Jobs

Workplace Issues

Blog

Resume Samples

Cover Letter Samples

Interview Tips & Questions

A Day in the Life

International

Career Readiness

Explore Professions

Research Industries

Search Companies

Career Advice

Employers

Schools

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;See update below&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It&amp;rsquo;s official. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer &amp;amp; Feld and Orrick Herrington &amp;amp; Sutcliffe are in merger talks. Both firms confirmed to the WSJ Law Blog and the Am Law Daily that they&amp;rsquo;re engaged in &amp;ldquo;exploratory discussions&amp;rdquo; about the possibility of a tie-up. Should the merger go forward, the new firm would house some 1,800 lawyers. While Orrick is larger (1,100+ lawyers, compared to 800+ at Akin), the two are fairly closely matched when it comes to profits and prestige (Akin Gump ranks No. 34 in the Vault Law 100;  Orrick isn&amp;rsquo;t far behind at No. 39).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Megamergers might be on the rise (see, e.g., new transatlantic giants Hogan Lovells and SNR Denton), but, with Orrick one of the parties, there&amp;rsquo;s no need to save the date just yet. As the Am Law Daily notes, Orrick has acquired a reputation as a runaway bride; it came closest to exchanging vows with then-Dewey Ballantine in 2006, but that wedding was called off amid bitter recriminations. The firm has also toyed with the affections of a number of other firms in the last decade, including Coudert Brothers, Cooley, Venture Law Group and Swidler Berlin.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Whether Orrick and Akin are just dating or building a true romance is not yet clear, but one has to wonder ... Will the world ever be the same if we see it through the eyes of Orrick Gump?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style=&quot;text-align: right;&quot;&gt;- posted by vera&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update, October 5, 2010:&lt;/strong&gt; Only days after confirming their budding romance, Akin and Orrick announced Monday that the wedding is off, issuing the following joint statement:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;ldquo;Orrick and Akin Gump have mutually agreed to conclude preliminary discussions regarding the possibility of a merger. The firms appreciated the opportunity to have the discussions, which confirmed their mutual respect for one another.  However, the firms have determined not to proceed.&amp;rdquo;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;

Vault Law Editors

Article

Day in the Life: Insights from Attorneys in General Corporate Practice

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day from Vault Law

Learning and Development for Junior Associates

The Summer Experience at Weil’s Boston Office

The Library