Law Firms Merge: Who Cares?

Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft just merged into a 3,100-lawyer firm pulling $3.6 billion in annual revenue.

The Boise Gun Club isn't a legal trade publication, and frankly this kind of Wall Street law firm consolidation usually has nothing to do with your range bag. But the legal industry is consolidating fast, and the firms getting bigger are the same ones that end up on both sides of firearms litigation.

The big picture: Large law firm mergers concentrate legal firepower — and not the kind we like. Firms this size take on the corporate clients, government contracts, and lobbying work that shape federal firearms policy. Hogan Lovells in particular has an active government regulatory practice. When ATF writes a new rule, firms like this are in the room.

Between the lines: This is the second major law firm merger to close in a single week. The legal industry is following the same playbook as banking and healthcare — scale up or get absorbed. Fewer, larger firms means the attorneys who influence firearms regulation are increasingly concentrated in a handful of institutional players.

By the numbers:

• 3,100 lawyers combined across both firms
• $3.6 billion in projected combined annual revenue
• 2nd major merger finalized in one week

Reality check: This doesn't change any law, any regulation, or any pending case today. If you're a competitive shooter in Boise, your match schedule isn't affected. But the long game in firearms rights is fought in courtrooms and regulatory comment periods — and knowing who the major players are matters.

What to watch: Whether the merged firm picks up or expands any federal agency representation, particularly ATF, DOJ, or DHS regulatory work. That's the thread worth pulling.