Taft completes merger with Sherman & Howard

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Taft has completed its merger with Denver’s oldest and third-largest law firm, Sherman & Howard LLC, effective Jan. 1, according to a news release Thursday.

With this expansion, Taft now has more than 1,000 attorneys, spanning from the Mountain West region to Washington, D.C. All of Sherman & Howard’s offices with approximately 125 attorneys will join Taft’s nine primary markets.

Taft announced the Sherman & Howard combination in September, noting a shared vision for the future and a like-minded culture.

“We are excited to embark on this new chapter,” said former Sherman & Howard CEO Stefan Stein, who is now Taft Mountain West Chairman and Colorado Partner-In-Charge. “We anticipate that the transition will be very smooth for attorneys and staff, and our clients are the ones who will ultimately benefit the most from the combined deeper and more comprehensive services. Legacy Taft attorneys have also expressed their enthusiasm for the expanded capabilities extending into the Mountain West.”

Since the merger announcement, 12 lawyers have accepted offers to join Taft’s Mountain West offices with additional lateral attorneys at various stages of the interview process in this region.

“We are honored to welcome the remarkably talented attorneys and staff from Sherman & Howard to our team,” said Taft’s Chairman and Managing Partner Robert J. Hicks. “Together, we share a common mindset to deliver exceptional service to our clients. With our unified focus on client engagement, community support, and firmwide collaboration, we look forward to the tremendous opportunities this merger brings for our clients and the communities we serve.”

Taft has now successfully completed seven mergers in 17 years across key expansion markets, including Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss (Detroit), Briggs & Morgan (Minneapolis), Shefsky & Froelich (Chicago), Chester Willcox & Saxbe (Columbus), Kahn Kleinman (Cleveland), and Sommer Barnard (Indianapolis).

According to the news release, the firm’s experience in combining teams, operations, and services has made each merger a success in terms of expanded client services, headcount, and revenue growth. Notably, Taft’s Minneapolis lawyer headcount has grown nearly 120%.