First it was on, then it was off and now the merger of Australian firm
Mallesons Stephen Jaques and Clifford Chance is back on.
In last week's The Lawyer, Clifford Chance's global head of finance
Stephen Popham said the merger was off because "we cannot agree on the
structure".
Now a senior source at the firm says the talks are back on - because of
The Lawyer article. The news story prompted Mallesons to push harder by
conceding ground.
The source says: "A combination of their own change in thinking and the
article may lead to some discussions being re-established.
"We are not going hunting, but we are always interested to hear what other
firms have to say. But our main job at the moment is integrating Rogers &
Wells and Punders."