Taft Stettinius & Hollister (Taft), one of the fastest growing law firms in the nation, and Morris, Manning & Martin, a highly regarded firm with offices in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., today announced their plan to combine effective Dec. 31, 2025. The Morris Manning combination is Taft’s latest move in becoming one of the leading middle-market firms in the United States and reflects Morris Manning’s evolution in partnering with a national Am Law 100 firm.
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The merger will bring more than 100 lawyers and nearly 50 years of exceptional client service to the Taft platform, expanding its position in the Southeast. The firm will gain a significant presence and talent base in the competitive Atlanta market and deepen its presence in Washington, D.C. Following this merger, Taft will have more than 1,200 lawyers in 25 offices across the country with projected combined revenues in excess of $1 billion.
“From our very first conversation, it was clear that Taft was the right match for our firm. We immediately connected on the things that matter the most — culture, core values, client service, and strategic vision,” said Simon Malko, who is Managing Partner of Morris Manning. “We’ve been thoughtfully exploring ways to accelerate our growth for some time, and Taft’s innovative, modern, non-headquarter model stood out as a perfect fit for our long-term goals. For nearly 50 years, our firm has provided exemplary service to our clients. This merger and Taft’s comprehensive national platform create new opportunities to serve our clients with broad service offerings throughout the United States. We are excited and confident that the Taft combination will be a tremendous move for our future.”
Morris Manning is a nationally recognized Am Law 200 firm with a nearly 50-year legacy of excellence in real estate, litigation, and corporate law. The firm has earned many national and regional accolades, including top-tier rankings in the 2025 Chambers USA guide for International Trade, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), Emerging Companies, and Hospitality, as well as Corporate/M&A, Real Estate, and Litigation. Morris Manning was named the #1 real estate law firm in Atlanta by The Daily Report and received Tier 1 national rankings in the 2024 Best Law Firms report for Real Estate and Commercial Litigation. With a strategic, client-first approach and a nationally recognized practice, Morris Manning delivers sophisticated counsel to clients across multiple industries and geographies. Starting in 2026, the combined firm will operate under the joint brand of Taft and Morris Manning in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. through a long transition as the Taft name gains recognition in both markets.
“We are excited to welcome this talented group of lawyers to Taft, that represent the bedrock of Morris Manning & Martin and its reputation as one of the top firms in Atlanta,” said Taft Firmwide Chairman and Managing Partner, Robert J. Hicks. “They share our collaborative and client-driven approach, are outstanding lawyers and people, and are deeply embedded in the Atlanta and Washington, D.C. legal and business communities. This strategic combination continues our successful tradition of merging with highly respected, established firms in new markets for Taft that bring exceptional lawyers interested in growing their firm and practices together with us. Combined with our recent momentum in Florida, we will soon have more than 100 lawyers in the Southeast—a region which has been part of our long-term strategic plan for several years.”
The merger with Morris Manning represents the latest in a series of geographic expansions for Taft in 2025:
- Florida: On June 30, the firm completed its merger with Mrachek Law, an 18-attorney litigation boutique in Florida with offices in West Palm Beach and Stuart, marking Taft’s entrance into the Southeast. Complementing this move, Taft also launched an office in Naples in June, expanding its Private Client practice to Florida.
- Mountain West: Effective Jan. 1, 2025, Taft combined with Sherman & Howard, Denver’s oldest and third-largest firm. As a result of this merger, Taft expanded its footprint to the Mountain West region (Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada), adding approximately 125 lawyers and annual revenues in excess of $100 million. Since the announcement of the Sherman & Howard merger in September 2024, more than 20 additional lawyers have joined Taft throughout the Mountain West.
As one of the fastest growing Am Law 100 firms, and as part of Taft’s long-term strategic plan to become one of the leading national middle-market firms, Taft has substantially expanded its client service offerings and increased its lawyer headcount by more than 300% and revenues by more than 500% since the beginning of 2017. Taft was recognized as the 79th largest law firm in the Am Law 100 (prior to taking into account Taft’s 2025 expansions or the Morris Manning combination).
“The Taft platform is built on a collaborative, value-driven approach toward expansion, one that Sherman & Howard quickly aligned with,” said Stefan Stein, Mountain West Chairman and Partner-In-Charge of Taft’s Denver office. “This entrance into the Southeast region reinforces our shared vision to deliver exceptional services to the clients and communities we serve. We’re very pleased to welcome Morris Manning and their teams in Atlanta and D.C. to Taft.”
About Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
Morris, Manning & Martin is an Am Law 200 law firm with national and international reach whose lawyers dedicate themselves to the constant pursuit of their clients’ success. To provide clients with optimal value, the firm combines market-leading legal services with a complete understanding of their needs to maximize effectiveness, efficiency and opportunity. Morris Manning enjoys national prominence for its real estate, corporate, litigation, technology, capital markets, environmental, and international trade practices. Morris Manning has offices in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Learn more at mmmlaw.com.
About Taft
Founded in 1885 with a 140-year legacy rooted in the historic Taft family, today Taft is one of the nation’s fastest-growing law firms. As a modern law firm with a non-headquarter operating model and more than 1,200 attorneys (following the MMM combination), Taft is fully committed to delivering the highest level of service to today’s organizations and individuals. The legal performance of Taft attorneys is recognized nationally, with inclusion in the Am Law 100, Chambers USA, Best Lawyers®, Super Lawyers, and more. Learn more at Taftlaw.com.
