Gouldens and Jones Day join forces

UK City law firm Gouldens is to merge with international law firm Jones day. The merged firm will practice in London under the name Jones Day Gouldens. The merged office in London, with over 200 lawyers will provide a strong base for the future development of the London practice as an integral part of the global law firm. Following the merger, the law firm will be the sixth largest in the world with 12 offices in the US, 7 offices in Europe (Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan, Munich and Paris) and 8 offices in Asia.

The firm anticipates an increase in private equity deal flow and is keen to build on its private equity expertise. The Jones Day private equity group is headed by Daljit Singh and has a strong team spanning deals in the UK, France, Germany and Spain. Gouldens has a strong private equity client base domestically, but hopes to add to its firepower with Jones Day’s expertise across Europe.

Adam Greaves, head of the private equity group at Gouldens said: “Gouldens is strong in the UK. What we are hoping through the merger with Jones Day is to move Goulden’s domestic scope to look at bigger ticket European deals. The idea is that private equity should become one of the biggest areas in the practice. It makes sense at the moment – we are busier with private equity than corporate work.”

Gouldens currently has three partners and four assistants on its private equity team and also draws upon professionals from its M&A team to also work across private equity deals. Jones Day has six partners and 10 to 15 assistants focusing on private equity in London with additional professionals in its European markets.

Greaves says the two firms are still in discussions with regards to the private equity team. “It’s a discovery channel at the moment. We’re hoping it will give us the chance to get into much bigger ticket deals.”