The ‘good, bad, & ugly’ of law firm mergers is described quite well in this article:
"For top lawyers at big-name firms, a prestigious megamerger can look like the beginning of happily ever after.
"But for professional staff like paralegals, legal secretaries, administrators and law librarians, merger news may prompt a serious case of wedding-night jitters. Largely left out of the loop and fearful of having changes imposed, nonlawyers often view mergers as a threat rather than an opportunity.
"’There’s fear of chaos, fear of losing their jobs, fear of dramatic changes that make their jobs no longer desirable,’ says Andrea Hunolt, branch director at the Robert Half Legal staffing company’s San Francisco office.
"’Mergers are not a good thing for support staff,’ adds Hunolt, ‘at least in the short run. I know a lot of people who have stuck through it and found great success, but they have to be prepared for a period of uncertainty and the change with that. It’s scary.’"