Ince & Co and Gordon Dadds are closing in on a decision on their proposed merger, with Ince partners voting on the deal this week. 

The vote follows Ince's partner conference in London last week, at which the potential tie-up was discussed.

The voting process has been open this week to allow partners around the world to cast their vote, with the final outcome expected to be announced next week.

Should the talks succeed and the firms combine, it would create a business with total revenues nearing about £114m – the largest listed firm to date.

The firms announced that they were in merger talks last month following months of speculation around Ince, which has in recent years discussed a tie-up with a number of other firms, including Hill Dickinson and Watson Farley & Williams.

One ex-partner said there was a "positive vibe" over the vote, while another also viewed the potential combination positively: "It's a good thing. The firm was always looking at a merger to join two different-shaped practices together. The fact it could be joining a different type of practice preserves the shipping piece, but adds more of a business function."

Ince has seen a number of partners opt to leave the firm in recent weeks, including Singapore managing partner John Simpson, who is leaving to join Stephenson Harwood in May next year alongside corporate partner Martin Brown, who will make the move next week.

The firm has appointed shipping finance partner Devendran Karunakaran to replace Simpson as head of its Singapore office.

News of Simpson and Brown's moves came after Stephenson Harwood also recently announced the hire of Ince's global insurance head Joe O'Keeffe.

Ince has gone through a period of upheaval in recent years, including a restructuring of its partnership and a review of its partner remuneration model, while earlier this year it cut 25 business services and seven fee-earning roles.

Both Ince and Gordon Dadds declined to comment.