For the three big Texas firms that merged with national firms last year, the honeymoon is over.  But the leaders of the those combined firms said the effort to join together was well worth it, as they look forward to even greater gains.

In interviews earlier this year, the firm leaders pointed to strong financial results for 2018 and tangible benefits of cross-selling and collaboration. Looking ahead, they said they expect to build on that growth as they wrap up the first year of integration, which is necessary but financially costly and time-intensive.

“The mood around the firm is really, really upbeat. The opportunity for our firm has never been stronger in our 129-year history,” said John Hern Jr., chief executive officer of Clark Hill, the Detroit firm that merged with Dallas-based Strasburger & Price. The firm is known as Clark Hill Strasburger in Texas.