Mayer Brown and Johnson Stokes & Master merge !
Mayer Brown, a leading global law firm, and Johnson Stokes & Master (JSM), a leading Asian law firm, have agreed to combine as of January 28, 2008. The combined firm will provide a global service to clients through seven offices in Asia, six in Europe and eight in the Americas, including a recently opened office in Brazil.
“This is a truly transformational event that makes Mayer Brown unique among global law firms,” said Chairman James D. Holzhauer. “Our combination is an ideal strategic fit and offers enhanced global service to our multinational clients. JSM is the unquestioned leader among law firms in Asia, and the combination extends our capabilities geographically and broadens our exposure to the fastest growing economies in the world. The combined firm will have more than 1,000 lawyers in the United States, 500 in Europe and 300 in Asia.”
JSM is one of the oldest and largest law firms in Asia. It was established in 1863 in Hong Kong and has full-service offices in Hong Kong, mainland China (Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai), Thailand (Bangkok) and Vietnam (Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City). The firm has a multinational, multilingual team of 800 staff, including more than 260 lawyers who are qualified in local and international jurisdictions. JSM has been named Hong Kong Law Firm of the Year for the past eight years (2000-2007) by various leading legal publications, including International Financial Law Review, Asian Legal Business and Who’s Who Legal. JSM is also one of the top three foreign law firms in Thailand and Vietnam.
The combined firm will continue to be known as Mayer Brown outside of Asia. In Asia, it will be known as Mayer Brown JSM. The Asian offices will be managed by an Asia Board with Elaine Lo serving as Chairman of the Asia Board.
Currently, Mayer Brown has over 1,500 lawyers and offices in seven U.S. cities (Chicago, Charlotte, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto and Washington), six European cities (Berlin, Brussels, Cologne, Frankfurt, London and Paris), Hong Kong and Sao Paulo.