City firm Denton Wilde Sapte and US firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal will merge to form SNR Denton this autumn, after partners approved the tie-up in a vote today.

The new transatlantic firm, which will launch on 30 September, will comprise more than 1,400 lawyers spanning 18 countries, and have a combined turnover of around £500m.

Dentons chief executive Howard Morris said: ‘We are delighted that our partners have recognised and embraced the unique opportunity presented by SNR Denton. With a strong client service culture at both firms, our integration provides us with the opportunity to have lawyers working together seamlessly on shared clients.’

SNR chair Elliott Portnoy said: ‘Today’s votes will create a truly international firm that will focus on the needs of our clients and on the quality of our service. The response of our clients since we shared our intent to combine the firms has been exceptional.’