Dozens of law firms worldwide exceed 1,000 lawyers, and several behemoths have cracked $2 billion in revenue. Despite the current economic downturn, growth is likely to continue for even the largest law firms in both size and earnings.
A first reaction to this development is probably that bigger firms bestow more blessings on the law departments that hire them. Perhaps, and there are certainly ways in which size matters. That acknowledged, growth of mega-firms presents a mixed picture for law departments. Whether law firms merge or grow organically, disadvantages resulting from that growth pile up apace with the increases in lawyers.
