Squire Sanders merges with Miami's Steel Hector

US law firm Squire Sanders & Dempsey has merged with Miami-based Steel Hector & Davis to create one of the first international law firms with a strong presence in Latin America.

Squire Sanders indicated that Steel Hector’s offices in Caracas, Buenos Aires, Santiago and Santo Domingo were a key driver behind the merger. Squire Sanders previously only had a presence in Rio de Janeiro.

The merger, announced today, sees the creation of an 800-lawyer firm with 31 offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. The combined firm, which will retain the Squire Sanders name, has a further six independent associated offices globally, including Riyadh.

Ohio-headquartered Squire Sanders previously reported gross revenues of $393.5m for the 2004/05 financial year.

However the tie-up with 150-lawyer firm Steel Hector is expected to push the firm’s combined revenues above the $400m mark, propelling the firm into America’s top 50 law firms based on revenue. Squire Sanders ranked 52nd in this year’s AmLaw rankings.