Salans, FMC and SNR Denton Partners Approve Combination to Form Dentons

NEW YORK, Nov. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The partners of Salans LLP, Fraser Milner Casgrain (FMC) LLP and SNR Denton today approved combining to create a new global law firm driven to give its clients a competitive edge in the world's largest legal markets.  The new firm will be known as:

DENTONS
Salans FMC SNR Denton

As a law firm not born out of the union of UK and US firms and as the first combination involving a leading Canadian firm and a firm with a substantial US presence, Dentons is uniquely positioned to offer clients inventive, business-oriented solutions while delivering value.

Polycentric: Dentons fully embraces the diversity of its geography, cultures and legal traditions, qualities that make it truly polycentric.  It will have no headquarters, no dominant national culture, and will proudly offer clients talent from diverse backgrounds and countries with deep experience in Civil Law, English Common Law and US Common Law.

Multinational: This is the most significant law firm combination not born out of the merger of a UK and a US firm.  It is the first law firm combination involving substantial operations throughout all of Europe, Canada, the UK and the US.  While previous law firm mergers in Europe have involved firms with a primary focus in one European jurisdiction, the depth and breadth of Salans' presence across Central and Eastern Europe makes this combination unique in both scope and size.  In addition to a legacy of high-quality service in the UK and the US, SNR Denton's well-known practices in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa will provide clients access to talent on four continents.

Extensive Canadian and US Operations: When Dentons launches, FMC will become the first leading Canadian firm to combine with a firm that has a substantial presence in the US, allowing the new firm to meet the needs of clients operating on both sides of the world's largest trading relationship between countries.

Dentons will connect clients to the skill and expertise of more than 2,500 talented lawyers and professionals in 79 locations and 52 countries across Africa, Asia Pacific, Canada, Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East, the UK and the US.  It will be the seventh-largest law firm in the world, measured by number of lawyers and professionals.

While the new firm will provide clients a seamless delivery of complex, multi-jurisdictional work, it will maintain its commitment to the valued clientele each foundational firm has built by remaining agile and responsive to the local, regional and national needs of a broad spectrum of clients of all sizes – individuals; entrepreneurs; small businesses and start-ups; local, regional and national governments and government agencies; and mid-sized and larger private and public corporations.

The new firm will be structured as a Swiss Verein and led by a global board and leadership team including:

Elliott Portnoy, Global Chief Executive Officer
Joe Andrew, Global Chair
Francois Chateau, Global Vice-Chair
Bill Jenkins, Global Vice-Chair
Matthew Jones, UK, Middle East and Africa Chief Executive Officer
Dariusz Oleszczuk, Europe Chief Executive Officer
Chris Pinnington, Canada Chief Executive Officer
Peter Wolfson, US Chief Executive Officer
Jana Cohen Barbe, currently SNR Denton's Financial Institutions and Funds Sector Co-Chair
Michael Barr, currently SNR Denton's US Senior Partner
Neil Cuthbert, currently SNR Denton's Middle East Senior Partner
Mike Kaplan, currently Managing Partner of FMC's Toronto Office
Martin Kitchen, currently SNR Denton's UK Senior Partner
Evan Lazar, currently Salans' Global Real Estate Co-Chair

The new firm will be effective in the first quarter of 2013.

For more information: www.dentonscombination.com

Contact Information:

Salans is a full service international commercial law firm built on a pioneering spirit, with 930 fee earners and over 1,500 staff operating from 20 offices. The firm prides itself on its independent and entrepreneurial spirit, combining extensive international capabilities with solution-oriented local expertise, market intelligence and experience in each jurisdiction in which it operates. Salans has established offices in financial hubs and capital cities in 17 countries across Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia/CIS, North America and Asia. The offices are listed here alphabetically: Almaty, Baku, Barcelona, Berlin, Bratislava, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Kyiv, London, Madrid, Moscow, New York, Paris, Prague, Shanghai, St. Petersburg and Warsaw.

Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP (FMC) is one of Canada's leading business and litigation law firms with more than 500 lawyers and professionals in six full-service offices located in the country's key business centers. The firm focuses on providing outstanding service and value to its clients and it strives to excel as a workplace of choice for its people. Regardless of where clients choose to do business in Canada, FMC's strong team of professionals possess knowledge and expertise on regional, national and cross-border matters. FMC's well-earned reputation for consistently delivering the highest quality legal services and counsel to its clients is complemented by an ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusiveness to broaden its insight and perspective on its clients' needs.

SNR Denton is a client-focused international legal practice delivering quality and value. It serves clients in key business and financial centers from more than 60 locations worldwide, through offices, associate firms and special alliances across the US, the UK, Europe and Central Asia, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Africa, making it a top 25 legal services provider by lawyers and professionals.  SNR Denton offers business, government and institutional clients premier service and a disciplined focus to meet evolving needs in eight key industry sectors: Energy, Transport and Infrastructure; Financial Institutions and Funds; Government; Health and Life Sciences; Insurance; Manufacturing; Real Estate, Retail and Hotels; and Technology, Media and Telecommunications.

On 28 November 2012, the partners of Salans, FMC and SNR Denton voted to combine to create Dentons—a new top ten international law firm with more than 2,500 lawyers and professionals in 79 locations in 52 countries—to provide clients a competitive edge in an increasingly complex, interconnected and competitive marketplace. The new firm will launch in the first quarter of 2013. For more information, visit dentonscombination.com.

Legal Notice

This information relates to a proposed combination of Salans LLP, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP and SNR Denton Group (A Swiss Verein), and their members and affiliated undertakings, which has not yet become effective.

SOURCE SNR Denton