The partners at Ulmer and shareholders at Greensfelder voted to approve the merger on December 5, 2023, with an effective date of February 1, 2024.

The combined firm is known as UB Greensfelder. It is a name that honors the legacies of each firm while adding a modern element that will carry us forward. Our tagline – “Our business begins with you.®” perfectly embodies our shared commitment to client service.

The combined firm has approximately 275 attorneys (135 from Greensfelder and 140 from Ulmer) with nine primary office locations across five states and Washington, DC. Based on last year’s combined revenues and attorney headcount, UB Greensfelder would have ranked 181 in the 2023 Am Law 200, and 163 in the NLJ 500.

Approximately 165.

This combination created a super-regional firm with an expanded, diversified geographic platform. It is a combination of two strong, growth-focused firms of similar size that complement each other and are known for exceptional client service.

Critically important was the fact that each firm came to the table from a position of financial strength and strategic vision, not necessity. Our practice mix and industry expertise is now significantly deeper and broader than either firm individually, prior to the combination, enabling us to better serve our existing clients while positioning us to compete with bigger firms for work from larger companies.

Many of our core industries and practice areas align adding strength-on-strength where both legacy firms have outstanding reputations. Ulmer gained a franchise practice – a long-time Greensfelder strength – while Greensfelder benefitted from Ulmer’s existing immigration practice.

Our foundational values and cultures also are ideally aligned; we value and prioritize collaboration, excellence, respect for the individual, and a commitment to diversity and the community.

This truly was a merger of equals. In fact, our similarities brought us together for initial conversations after we were both recognized as ‘punching above our weight’. As we talked, it became clear that this was an opportunity to bring together two like-minded firms with complementary practices and geographic footprints, and similar operations and cultures. That shared vision included the desire to expand in our core markets while maintaining our cultures and foundational values. We both came to this from strong financial positions. We are aligned in attorney headcount, revenue, and compensation, and our management structure reflects that. Attorneys from each legacy firm now share responsibility for leading UB Greensfelder. Kevin McLaughlin (Greensfelder) and Scott Kadish (Ulmer) serve as co-managing partners; each firm has equal representation on the UB Greensfelder governing board and compensation committees; and the firms share leadership of key practice and industry groups.

Client needs were top-of-mind in all discussions, and a huge factor in moving forward with this combination was our ability to make their transition virtually seamless. Whether a legacy Ulmer or Greensfelder client or a new client, this combination provides them with enhanced depth and breadth of service. In UB Greensfelder, clients have a single law firm that can skillfully handle all their work and do so at the rates, operations, and culture they already know.

UB Greensfelder’s leadership is distributed across key locations. While the combined firm has no true headquarters, Ulmer and Greensfelder had overlapping offices in Chicago, one of the nation’s most important business hubs, and complementary strategic locations throughout the Midwest and in other top-tier business centers. This includes Ulmer’s offices in Cleveland; Columbus, Ohio; Cincinnati; New York; Washington, DC; and Florida, and Greensfelder’s offices in St. Louis and Southern Illinois.

There is still much to be accomplished as we work to integrate the two firms, and that is our primary focus for the time being. That said, strategic growth was a primary driver of this combination, and we will continue to explore additional opportunities as appropriate.