Olswang has confirmed that its offices in Madrid, Brussels and Paris will close ahead of its merger with CMS Cameron McKenna and Nabarro.

There had been much speculation over Olswang’s European operations, with many of its offices overlapping with CMS’ geographic spread.

The Lawyer revealed that Olswang’s Paris office had been shut out of merger negotiations, with the team expected to disband.

The fate of Olswang’s Munich office is still unknown, with both Cooley and Fieldfisher understood to be in talks to take over the office.

Today (24 February) the firms confirmed that Olswang’s Paris office will close on 28 February. Olswang’s Paris office had been led by Guillaume Kessler, with a team of seven partners. Kessler joined Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe last month. It is not known whether Olswang’s remaining 16 fee-earners are joining CMS in Paris.

Olswang also closed its Madrid office at the end of January as a result of its integration with CMS Spain.

Three lawyers from Olswang have already started roles at CMS in Madrid, including partner Blanca Escribano, who will lead the TMT and IP teams.

In Brussels, all six Olswang lawyers will join CMS, including its chairman and Brussels managing partner Dirk Van Liedekerke. He will start his position at the end of April when the Olswang office will close.

CMS’ thee-way merger with Nabarro and Olswang goes live in May. The firm announced the heads of its new practice groups last December, with CMS taking the bulk of leadership roles.