Southern US firms agree merger

JONES, WALKER, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrère & Denègre L.L.P (Jones Walker) and Miller, Hamilton, Snider & Odom LLC (Miller Hamilton) have agreed a merger that extends both firms’ stature in the southern US legal market.

Effective 1 September 2008, the combined firm will have more than 270 lawyers, including 32 new lawyers joining Jones Walker in three states as well as capital Washington D.C. It will continue under the Jones Walker banner and the leadership of Jones Walker managing partner William H. Hines.

The firm also gains former Miller Hamilton offices in Alabama and Georgia, as well as extra capabilities in the banking sector in particular.

“The addition of capabilities to our banking practice offers a wider range of services and locations to our corporate and financial-services client base,” said Hines. “One of Jones Walker’s larger clients, International Shipholding Corporation, recently relocated to Mobile, and we can service them more efficiently with a local office.”

Name partner Ron Snider commented: “Together, our firm will become one of the largest regional firms in the southern U.S., offering a full range of legal services. The combination of the two firms fits well with both firms’ strategic business objectives and allows us to take advantage of a number of opportunities throughout the South.”

Founding partner John C.H. Miller added: “Our lawyers have had the privilege and pleasure, on many occasions, of working with, and alongside, lawyers from the Jones Walker firm. These experiences over the years, I believe, have bred in both firms a great deal of mutual respect, and that, among other things, makes the prospect of this combination something that we look forward to with great excitement.”

Miller Hamilton was founded in Mobile in 1977, predominantly as a banking regulatory firm.