As Stroock seeks out a merger partner, the firm's accounting system and unfunded pension could add additional barriers to a deal. Merger experts say that while those elements add an additional level of complication to merger talks, it doesn't mean a deal can't be done.The firm has explored a merger with McGuireWoods, Steptoe and, most recently, Squire. Peter Zeughauser explains why pensions can become a potential impediment in any merger talks.

A hiring spree during recent years left many firms overstaffed. Citing economic headwinds and slowing demand, some large law firms are tightening their belts, shrinking their attorney ranks and eliminating professional staff. The decline in demand for legal work last year followed years of growth driven by a boom in mergers-and-acquisitions work, prompting hiring sprees accompanied by six-figure bonuses for even lower-level attorneys. Peter Zeughauser observes that the demand for legal work “has fallen off the cliff. The firms that were really red hot and significantly over-hired are the first movers to lay people off.”

Corporate clients increasingly are demanding diverse attorney teams and legal advice on their own diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) efforts. Mary K. Young observes that chief marketers are increasingly tasked with ensuring companies get a diverse team of attorneys, that their diverse lawyers are being promoted in the media and retained in-house, that law firms’ internal DE&I efforts are being promoted to attract new clients, and that companies are getting the proper legal advice surrounding their own DE&I efforts.