Mergers among U.S. law firms continued at their rapid clip in the first quarter, setting a new record with 29 announced combinations, according to legal management consultancy Altman Weil Inc.

Among them was the largest-ever merger to take place between law firms: 2,600-lawyer Dentons with 4,000-member Dacheng Law Offices in China in a deal announced in January, as reported by The Am Law Daily.

Other large international law firm merger announcements in the first quarter included the tie-up between Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, a firm with more than 1,800 lawyers, and Singapore firm Stamford Law Corp., with 80 attorneys. Also, DLA Piper, a firm with 4,200 lawyers, revealed in March that it would acquire Vancouver-based Davis, with 260 lawyers.