Husch Blackwell to merge with Texas firm

The partners of Husch Blackwell LLP and Austin, Texas-based Brown McCarroll LLP yesterday agreed to merge the two law firms, moving forward under the Missouri firm's name.

The partner ballot process concluded yesterday, approving a merger with an effective date of July 1, according to a news release.

Husch Blackwell, which has headquarters in St. Louis and Kansas City, operates a Springfield practice inside Hammons Tower at 901 St. Louis Street. The local practice, led by managing partners Virginia Fry and Gary Powell, isn't expected to be affected by the merger.

The merger would add 128 employees, including 65 attorneys, to Husch Blackwell's ranks, bringing the combined firm's workforce to 1,363 with 608 attorneys. Husch Blackwell would add practices in Austin, Dallas and Houston, Texas, expanding its presence to 16 cities, with combined annual revenues of roughly $319 million, according to the release.

“As early as our very first meeting with representatives from Brown McCarroll, we saw that culturally, strategically and geographically, the combination of our two firms was a significant opportunity,” Husch Blackwell CEO and Managing Partner Greg Smith said in the release. “Their industry strength in health care, real estate and energy aligns perfectly with three of our strongest strategic industry groups.”

The Husch Blackwell firm was created via mergers in 2008, between St. Louis-based Husch & Eppenberger and Kansas City-based Blackwell Sanders LLP, and later Chicago-based Welsh & Katz.