Am Law 50 law firms are separating from the pack in revenue and demand. But several law firms in the Second 50 are gaining scale quickly through game-changing mergers, becoming more competitive with the top firms.

Ballard Spahr (No. 99 in the Am Law 100) and Womble Bond Dickinson (No. 88) announced mergers this week that will increase revenue by hundreds of millions of dollars. Meanwhile, Troutman Pepper (No. 51) and Locke Lord (No. 97) officially approved a combination on Thursday that will likely result in an Am Law 50 firm with more than 1,600 lawyers across 33 offices.