Mid-size law firm mergers are no longer just tuck-ins

Fairfax Associates tracked 31 completed law firm mergers in Q1 2026, up from 28 in Q1 2025, including eight mid-size combinations where the smaller firm had 20 to 100 lawyers. The mix matters: mid-size activity rose from one deal in the prior-year quarter, suggesting consolidation is increasingly about platform scale, geography and practice depth rather than only small-firm absorption.