In the largest corporate law firm merger of 2022, Houston-based personal injury defense law firm Lorance Thompson announced Thursday that it has merged with Mayer LLP, a Dallas-based business law boutique.
Lorance Thompson’s 22 attorneys officially started June 1 with Mayer, a three-and-a-half-year-old law firm that now has more than 90 lawyers in Dallas, Houston, Albuquerque and Fayetteville.
Mayer founding partner Zach Mayer told The Texas Lawbook in an exclusive interview that discussions with leaders at Lorance Thompson have been going on for about a year and a half.
“We have known key partners at their firm for years and we have mutual clients and a bunch of synergies,” he said. “We’ve done the due diligence and our Houston folks are moving in their offices. I have been impressed by how loyal their lawyers are to their firm and to each other. We are getting some great lawyers.”
Lorance Thompson is a 50-year-old firm that specialized in defending businesses in personal injury and commercial business claims. The lawyers also handled regulatory compliance and insurance issues for several companies.
“The founders of Lorance Thompson retired many years ago and the current leaders were looking for their next chapter,” Mayer said. “It is heartbreaking to see Texas legacy law firms continue to disappear but the partners at Lorance Thompson saw how well we have done.”
Melanie R. Cheairs, a partner at Lorance Thompson and now at Mayer, said the merger “gives our clients access to great depth of knowledge in additional areas of law such as corporate securities, tax and immigration.”
“This was a great cultural fit for us as both firms believe in taking a team approach and matching clients with the best team of attorneys for their needs,” Cheairs said.