Herrick Feinstein and Crowell & Moring break off merger talks

The firms say they weren't the right fit for each other

Crowell & Moring's Angela Styles and Herrick Feinstein's Belinda Schwartz
Crowell & Moring's Angela Styles and Herrick Feinstein's Belinda Schwartz

It seems it wasn’t meant to be.

Midtown-based Herrick Feinstein and the Washington, D.C.-based Crowell & Moring have decided against merging, the New York Post reported. The Real Deal first reported in December that the two law firms were in late-stage negotiations to join forces, but talks broke down last week.

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“It’s like a marriage but infinitely complex,” a spokesperson for Herrick told the Post. “In the beginning, it was appealing, but as you went along you see the synergies are not there.”

Crowell, which also has a 60-person office in New York, is focused on politics but has been seeking to build up a more corporate and national practice. Herrick has one of the biggest real estate law practices in the city and counts the Lightstone Group, Fetner and Empire State Realty Trust among its recent clients. Herrick is still open to a merger but felt that Crowell wasn’t the right fit. [NYP]Kathryn Brenzel