Big law firm merger brings new name to downtown legal scene

Troutman brick signage Cropped

The name “Locke” was recently added to Troutman Pepper’s building downtown.

The completion of the merger of two large firms from Georgia and Texas became visibly evident in Richmond earlier this month.

Atlanta-based Troutman Pepper, which through various incarnations has for years maintained a sizable office downtown Richmond office, merged on Jan. 1 with Dallas-based Locke Lord.

The resulting firm has 1,600 attorneys and 33 offices – and a new name: Troutman Pepper Locke. And the “Locke” part of the new name was added in recent days to the signage at the firm’s local office at 1001 Haxall Point in the Riverfront on the James building.

Brooks Smith, managing partner of the firm’s Richmond office, said the new signage for now marks the merger’s most immediate ripple effect to its local operations. Smith said that was also the case when Troutman Pepper was created in 2020 through the merger of Troutman Sanders and Pepper Hamilton.

Troutman Riverside vertical

The firm’s local office is in the Riveside on the James building.

“It’s oddly similar in the respect that Richmond isn’t directly affected, but it definitely adds to our bench strength and a lot of collaboration opportunities across the other offices.”

And like that prior merger five years ago, the firm’s Richmond office remains among the largest across its entire footprint with 150 attorneys and 150 staffers.

“Even with this huge new firm, we’re still the second largest office in the country,” Smith said of the Richmond outpost, adding that it’s neck-and-neck in terms of size with the firm’s Philadelphia office.

The Richmond office also continues to pack a punch in terms of the number of leadership roles that are based here. Two department chairs – Mason Bayler and John West – continue to be based in the downtown office.

“We have an outsized share of firm leadership here in Richmond,” Smith said. “It’s a testament to the fact that we’re a powerhouse office. We’re very productive and have a lot of interesting work going on.”

The firm has grown steadily in Richmond since the Pepper merger in 2020, when it had around 130 attorneys here at the time. Smith similarly doesn’t expect an immediate boost to the local headcount from this merger since Locke Lord didn’t have an office here, but he hopes for continued long-term growth and expects attorneys firm-wide to be passing through Richmond for work.

brooks smith troutman

Brooks Smith

“There’s not an individual or set of people that I know today will be relocating to Richmond, but I expect a steady flow of our new colleagues in and out of the office. Just as it will likely bring some of our Richmond lawyers to other offices for work,” he said.

Smith said one of the advantages that Locke Lord brings is its offices in markets where Troutman didn’t have a presence. Those include Texas, Miami, New Orleans, London and Brussels.

With around 300 employees total in Richmond, Smith said the firm is tight on space down on the canal and is considering its options as its lease comes due in couple years, though they prefer to stay in Riverside.

“We don’t have a spare office to be found in our building,” he said, adding that, as they’ve looked around, they’ve found that comparable space nearby is slim pickings.”

“I would have expected there would be a lot of Class-A office space available… there is very little,” he said. “It has been very difficult.”

Troutman brick signage Cropped

The name “Locke” was recently added to Troutman Pepper’s building downtown.

The completion of the merger of two large firms from Georgia and Texas became visibly evident in Richmond earlier this month.

Atlanta-based Troutman Pepper, which through various incarnations has for years maintained a sizable office downtown Richmond office, merged on Jan. 1 with Dallas-based Locke Lord.

The resulting firm has 1,600 attorneys and 33 offices – and a new name: Troutman Pepper Locke. And the “Locke” part of the new name was added in recent days to the signage at the firm’s local office at 1001 Haxall Point in the Riverfront on the James building.

Brooks Smith, managing partner of the firm’s Richmond office, said the new signage for now marks the merger’s most immediate ripple effect to its local operations. Smith said that was also the case when Troutman Pepper was created in 2020 through the merger of Troutman Sanders and Pepper Hamilton.

Troutman Riverside vertical

The firm’s local office is in the Riveside on the James building.

“It’s oddly similar in the respect that Richmond isn’t directly affected, but it definitely adds to our bench strength and a lot of collaboration opportunities across the other offices.”

And like that prior merger five years ago, the firm’s Richmond office remains among the largest across its entire footprint with 150 attorneys and 150 staffers.

“Even with this huge new firm, we’re still the second largest office in the country,” Smith said of the Richmond outpost, adding that it’s neck-and-neck in terms of size with the firm’s Philadelphia office.

The Richmond office also continues to pack a punch in terms of the number of leadership roles that are based here. Two department chairs – Mason Bayler and John West – continue to be based in the downtown office.

“We have an outsized share of firm leadership here in Richmond,” Smith said. “It’s a testament to the fact that we’re a powerhouse office. We’re very productive and have a lot of interesting work going on.”

The firm has grown steadily in Richmond since the Pepper merger in 2020, when it had around 130 attorneys here at the time. Smith similarly doesn’t expect an immediate boost to the local headcount from this merger since Locke Lord didn’t have an office here, but he hopes for continued long-term growth and expects attorneys firm-wide to be passing through Richmond for work.

brooks smith troutman

Brooks Smith

“There’s not an individual or set of people that I know today will be relocating to Richmond, but I expect a steady flow of our new colleagues in and out of the office. Just as it will likely bring some of our Richmond lawyers to other offices for work,” he said.

Smith said one of the advantages that Locke Lord brings is its offices in markets where Troutman didn’t have a presence. Those include Texas, Miami, New Orleans, London and Brussels.

With around 300 employees total in Richmond, Smith said the firm is tight on space down on the canal and is considering its options as its lease comes due in couple years, though they prefer to stay in Riverside.

“We don’t have a spare office to be found in our building,” he said, adding that, as they’ve looked around, they’ve found that comparable space nearby is slim pickings.”

“I would have expected there would be a lot of Class-A office space available… there is very little,” he said. “It has been very difficult.”

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David Humphrey
David Humphrey
3 days ago

Interesting comments about office space at the end of the article.

Salim Chishti
Salim Chishti
2 days ago
Reply to  David Humphrey

Interesting and accurate.