Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky and Ohio. Believe it or not, those are some of the hottest states for law firm mergers this year. And the trend continued this week when two firms expanded in the Hoosier State.

The U.S. heartland may not be the first option on the wish list for some large firms, but the market for legal services in the Midwest is being rearranged by a series of combinations, mergers and acquisitions.

Of the 50 mergers tallied so far this year by legal consultancy Altman Weil Inc.'s MergerLine, 11 of the firms being scooped up have been based in Midwest states. By comparison, the Middle Atlantic region—New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and neighboring states that typically see more merger activity than the Midway—have seen 12 firms acquired in 2017.