Seattle legal heavyweight Perkins Coie is officially going global. Partners at the firm voted overwhelmingly on Monday to approve a proposed combination with London-based Ashurst, clearing a major hurdle for a transatlantic merger that will reshape the Seattle-founded outfit. The deal would create a new global firm, Ashurst Perkins Coie, and significantly expand its reach across Europe, Australia and Asia while keeping Seattle as a flagship hub. For the city that helped build Perkins Coie's national reputation, the vote signals a pivot toward a much more global game.
Partners approve transatlantic tie-up
Perkins Coie said in a Perkins Coie statement that partnerships at both firms "voted overwhelmingly" to approve the combination, noting that the transaction is still subject to customary closing conditions. The firms said they expect the deal to close in Q3 of 2026, assuming regulatory approvals and other usual steps fall into place.
Scale and sector strengths
Ashurst's announcement says the combined firm will have roughly 3,000 lawyers across more than 50 offices and will post combined annual revenues of about US$2.8 billion. Leaders at the firms say the tie-up is designed to link Perkins Coie's technology, IP and litigation firepower with Ashurst's experience in energy, infrastructure and financial-services work in order to pursue larger, cross-border mandates.
What this means for Seattle
Perkins Coie, founded and still rooted in Seattle, is slated to remain one of the new firm's flagship hubs while Ashurst gains a stronger U.S. foothold, Bloomberg Law reported. The vote comes on the heels of several partner departures from Perkins Coie's Seattle offices in recent months, a trend tracked by The Lawyer, underscoring that retention and integration are expected to be early priorities for the combined firm.
Timeline, leadership and next steps
According to firm statements, leaders plan to run the combined business as co-CEOs, and both firms will keep operating independently until the deal closes. They have also set up a joint information hub at firmoftomorrow.com with additional details. Until regulatory sign-offs arrive and an integration plan is locked in, clients should expect Perkins Coie and Ashurst to maintain current staffing and service arrangements while teams work through the merger checklist.
