More than a half-dozen big law firms looking for merger partners have had their eyes set on the West in 2024.

To wit, Taft Stettinius & Hollister; Womble Bond Dickinson; Ballard Spahr; Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner; Ogletree Deakins; Spencer Fane; Lathrop GPM and Thompson Hine are among the firms that have combined or have announced combinations this year, with firms in the Mountain West, Southwest and on the West Coast, as firm leaders and analysts point to a mix of agreeable rate structures in secondary markets, population increases, friendly tax codes, certain client industries and a desire to fill holes in their footprints.