The world’s largest law firm to combine with ACAS-Law in Nigeria
Dentons’ combination with ACAS-Law would position Dentons as the principal global law firm in Africa’s leading economy and accelerate its momentum to become the leading Pan-African law firm owned and controlled by Africans across 17 locations on the continent.
In 2020, Dentons accounted for 85% of all cross-border law firm combinations and is now the second best-known law firm in the world according to Acritas
April 1, 2021 – Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, is announcing today a combination with leading law firm, Adepetun, Caxton-Martins, Agbor & Segun (“ACAS-Law”) on the 30th anniversary of the Nigerian firm’s founding. The combination will give Dentons a presence in the key locations of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.
ACAS-Law’s outstanding reputation as a leading service provider, coupled with Dentons’ worldwide reach, will create the primary gateway to connecting worldwide services to Nigeria-based clients and companies. This historic combination – the first of its kind in Nigeria – marks the zenith of a solid and longstanding partnership between the two firms, culminating in the world’s largest law firm serving Africa’s leading economy.
ACAS-Law and Dentons have served clients collaboratively for many years, in sectors such as Energy, TMT and Banking and Finance. Dentons’ proposed combination with this established and prestigious firm which celebrates its 30th anniversary on April 1, 2021, is a meaningful testimony to years of successful collaboration.
In the New Dynamic Decade, clients will continue to be confronted with constant, accelerated change and want to work with a law firm that has the experience and confidence to help them thrive wherever they are located. Dentons’ combination with ACAS-Law would further advance Dentons’ strategy to become the leading Pan-African law firm owned and controlled by Africans and position Dentons as the only global law firm in Nigeria from launch, helping clients to navigate the New Dynamic Decade in 17 locations in Africa, and 203 locations across 80 countries around the world.
On a continent scarred by the legacy of colonial domination and in a market where the operations of every leading law firm are hierarchical, Dentons’ unique polycentric and anti-colonial approach has been a stark differentiator, disrupting the traditional model for providing legal services in Africa.
“The combination with ACAS-Law builds upon our strategy to become the leading Pan-African law firm owned and controlled by Africans and located in key markets,” said Elliott Portnoy, Global CEO of Dentons. “Nigeria, as Africa’s leading economy, is a priority market for our clients. Combining with ACAS-Law, with whom we have shared years of significant collaboration, will allow us to connect clients to leading talent in Nigeria and to more than 19,000 people around the globe.”
“Dentons’ distinctly anti-colonial approach continues to disrupt the traditional model for providing legal services in Africa – combining with one of Nigeria’s leading law firms will allow Dentons to serve Africa’s largest economy, and is a distinctive example of our polycentric approach”, said Joe Andrew, Global Chairman of Dentons.” As we enter the New Dynamic Decade, our clients will continue to be confronted with constant, accelerated change and this combination with ACAS-Law – with a presence across three key locations in Nigeria – positions Dentons to help clients thrive.”
ACAS-Law has seven partners and 52 lawyers. It is 60% female owned and led by a female Managing Partner. ACAS-Law enjoys a prestigious reputation for world-class legal services in Nigeria. It is highly recognized in the market in Corporate and Commercial, Energy, Project Finance, Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, and Tax, with numerous rankings across these practices. The combination would lead to significant synergies in light of Dentons’ strengths in each of these areas.
“Dentons’ strategy is focused on finding combination firms who have the proven ability to offer sophisticated, high-quality legal services and business solutions in their home markets,” said Noor Kapdi, CEO of Dentons’ Africa Region. “We quickly identified ACAS-Law by virtue of its preeminence in Nigeria and our combination continues Dentons’ momentum in Africa, enabling Dentons to, once again, maintain and improve its quality as it grows.”
“ACAS-Law and Dentons share the vision of building the leading Pan-African law firm owned and controlled by Africans,” said Felicia Kemi Segun, Managing Partner of ACAS-Law. “Our future combination with Dentons means that our clients benefit from continuing to be served by lawyers that they know and trust while also having access to an unrivalled talent pool around the globe.”
In Africa, Dentons now has offices in:
So far in 2021, Dentons has announced combinations with:
- Ecuadorian law firm Paz Horowitz Abogados; and
- Bolivian law firm Guevara & Gutierrez.
The Firm has also launched combinations with:
- East African Law Chambers (EALC) in Tanzania;
- Davis Brown in the United States.
