The Southfield-based Taft law firm has completed its merger with Sherman & Howard in Denver. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The expansion gives Taft a total of 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.
“We are honored to welcome the remarkably talented attorneys and staff from Sherman & Howard to our team,” says Robert J. Hicks, chairman and managing partner of Taft. “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 announced the Sherman & Howard combination in September 2024, noting both firms’ dedication to client service excellence, along with a shared vision for the future and a like-minded culture. This expansion into the Mountain West region brings new talent and resources to the firm, creating a super middle-market firm and strengthening Taft’s position as a leading modern law firm, according to Taft.
“We are excited to embark on this new chapter,” says Stefan Stein, former CEO of Sherman & Howard 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.
One of the fastest growing firms in the Am Law 100, Taft now has 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).
