Dentons and Salt Lake City-based Durham Jones & Pinegar announced today a future combination. This announcement continues the growth of Project Golden Spike, a series of combinations launched earlier this year dedicated to advancing the first truly national US law firm capable of serving clients across the United States and globally.

As the legal profession’s transformation accelerates because of the pandemic and global economic crisis, there is no “new normal” for any organization for the foreseeable future. Companies now confront a “New Dynamic” of constant, accelerated change. With global legal perspective and business insights, Dentons is well-equipped to provide its clients with the tools and talent needed to adapt in this fast, challenging environment.

“This combination with Durham Jones & Pinegar is a testament to our commitment to helping clients navigate this New Dynamic,” said Joe Andrew, Global Chairman of Dentons. “As the largest law firm in the world, we are constantly finding new ways to support our clients, wherever they may be. As we have seen from our initial Project Golden Spike combinations of Dentons Bingham Greenebaum and Dentons Cohen & Grigsby with Dentons US, when we work together, we are better able to help all our clients meet the evolving challenges they may face.”

“We are delighted to be combining with the talented professionals of Durham Jones & Pinegar in a key and growing market for our clients,” said Elliott Portnoy, Global CEO of Dentons. “The Salt Lake City metropolitan area is a model for the New Dynamic economy: a community with a history of strong economic growth and stability that continues to foster a vibrant, diverse group of innovative businesses and initiatives. We look forward to becoming the first global law firm with an office in the ‘Silicon Slopes.’”

Durham Jones & Pinegar is one of the largest and fastest growing top-tier law firms in Utah, with nearly 100 lawyers and offices in Salt Lake City, Lehi, Ogden and St. George. Known for its innovative and practical solutions, Durham Jones & Pinegar offers a spectrum of legal services in a number of specialized fields, including complex business and finance law, mergers and acquisitions, banking, commercial litigation, intellectual property, bankruptcy, real estate, tax, estate planning, employment, family law and immigration.

We are excited to be combining with Dentons, a widely respected law firm that, like us, clearly prioritizes innovation and adaptability, especially during these extraordinary times,” said Todd Leishman, Chairman and President of Durham Jones & Pinegar. “Our combination with Dentons will allow our clients to continue to be served by lawyers they know and trust, who can now connect them to colleagues across the country and around the world.”

Building on Dentons’ global polycentric model, Project Golden Spike increases the quality and breadth of service to clients on a national and global scale, while also enabling US member firms like Durham Jones & Pinegar to retain their defining characteristics and provide in and of the community insight wherever clients need it.

“In times of accelerated change, the model of law firm combinations needs to continue to transform,” said Toby McClamroch, Managing Partner of Dentons United States Region. “Through the Golden Spike model and this combination with Durham Jones & Pinegar, Dentons is able to foster true collaboration between member firms and continue its trajectory to better serve clients across our focus on the 100 largest legal markets in the US.”

At launch of the combination with what will be known as Dentons Durham Jones Pinegar, Dentons will extend its reach to 188 locations -with 37 in the US- in 76 countries.

In 2020 to date, Dentons has launched six combinations:

  • Dentons Bingham Greenebaum and Dentons Cohen & Grigsby, the inaugural member firms with Dentons US as part of Project Golden Spike;
  • Dentons Kensington Swan in New Zealand;
  • Dentons Lee in South Korea;
  • Dentons Jiménez de Aréchaga in Uruguay; and
  • Dentons Rattagan Macchiavello Arocena in Argentina.

Dentons has also opened offices in the British Virgin Islands and St. Lucia.