Brisbane-based Shine Lawyers and Melbourne-based Slater and Gordon, the second- and third-largest plaintiffs law firms in Australia, recently discussed a possible merger, according to The Australian Financial Review.

Senior board members of the two Australia-listed law firms, including Shine chairman Tony Bellas and Slater chairman James MacKenzie, met in a cafe in Brisbane for more than an hour two weeks ago to discuss a tie-up, the newspaper reported after its reporter overheard the discussions.

The merger discussions included competing with Melbourne-based Maurice Blackburn, the largest plaintiff firm in Australia, which is not listed. Maurice Blackburn is currently considering filing lawsuits against Monsanto Co., the manufacturer of weedkiller Roundup, for damages from long-term use of Roundup. The weedkiller has been linked to the blood cancer non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.