Mergers and Affiliations 

As they mature and adapt to market conditions, individual law firms and other professional service firms consider structural options to increase the depth and breadth of their practices and assure the stability of their organization. A merger or affiliation with other firms may be considered as the means to achieve this goal.

Such a process can cause cultural disruption and financial risks and often partners are very concerned about its impacts, particularly on governance and compensation. Finding the best solution to maximize potential and minimize downside is crucial.

Among the services Edge has been called upon to provide are:

• Merger planning
  Assisting in the formulation of plans that are consistent with strategic needs, providing our objective insights and experience as different options are considered. For example, an affiliation strategy, rather than a merger, may be considered as an option to reduce exposure and possible negative consequences.

• Identification and analysis of potential targets
  Systematically assisting clients in seeking and evaluating potential merger partners. This includes definition of the profile of targets, research of the market and evaluation of the suitability of candidates.

• Negotiation and implementation
  Facilitating mergers and affiliations and providing support to clients to obtain the highest possible long-term benefit from a deal. This will inevitably involve the design of structures that will result in synergies from a consolidation and avoid potential pitfalls (e.g. permanence of diverse compensation systems for partners).

• Post-merger integration 
  Assuring that planned organizational and operational changes are implemented smoothly and in a coordinated manner and assisting management in dealing with key issues.