Top 50 US firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham has entered merger talks with Seattle's Preston Gates & Ellis in a tie-up that would create a 1,400-lawyer firm with 21 offices.

The two firms, which confirmed the talks in an official statement issued on Monday (25 September), entered discussions in July and are hopeful of closing the deal over the autumn.

In 2005, 1,000-lawyer Kirkpatrick saw its turnover rise by 26% to $469m (£247m) while profits per equity partner (PEP) stood at $730,000 (£384,000).

Preston Gates' PEP stands at a reported $350,000 (£184,000), with revenue of $182m (£96m). The firm has 11 offices including three in Asia in Beijing, Hong Kong and Taipei.

Kirkpatrick significantly increased its UK presence when it merged with 135-lawyer London firm Nicholson Graham & Jones in January 2005, one of a slew of UK/US mergers over the last few years.

The 420-lawyer Preston Gates has previously been involved in an unsuccessful merger bid in 2003 with San Diego practice Luce Forward Hamilton & Scripps.

The current talks are the second major US merger bid to go public after New York's Dewey Ballantine and San Francisco giant Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe this month confirmed they were discussing a tie-up.