Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP

Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
No. of offices31 (US), 39 (global) [1]
No. of attorneys860 (US), 1,300 (global) [2]
Major practice areasGeneral practice
Key peopleMerrick Benn, Chair and CEO (US)
Company typeLimited liability partnership
Websitehttps://www.womblebonddickinson.com/us

Womble Bond Dickinson (US) is an American multinational law firm founded in 1876.[3] In 2017, an agreement between UK-based Bond Dickinson LLP and US-based Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP created Womble Bond Dickinson, which now has more than 1,300 lawyers and is ranked in the Am Law 100.[4] Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP and Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP operate as separate legal entities with non-profit-sharing partners.[5]

History

The firm was founded in 1876 by William Bynum Glenn and Cyrus Barksdale Watson[6] to serve the growing tobacco business in Winston, North Carolina.[7] The firm had several names before becoming Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC in 1954.[6] Bunyan Snipes Womble, a senior partner with Womble Carlyle until his death in 1976, headed the committee that drove the 1913 consolidation of Winston and Salem into a single city.[8]

In the 1980s, the firm expanded in North Carolina with new offices in Raleigh and Charlotte,[6] followed by the opening of an Atlanta office in 1993 and Washington, D.C., in 1998 that both grew through subsequent mergers.[9][10]

International combination

In 2017, Womble Carlyle combined with UK firm Bond Dickinson after working together in an alliance for more than a year[11]. The two firms operate with independent management and a global board that was established after the combination and oversees cooperation between the British and American operations.[12]

Recent developments

Womble Bond Dickinson (US) has continued to grow in large and mid-sized cities. In January 2025, the firm combined with Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie,[13] adding approximately 220 lawyers.[14] A smaller merger with San Francisco’s Cooper, White & Cooper in 2022[15] and the addition of a 20-lawyer team in Nashville from Neal & Harwell in 2025[16] also contributed to the firm’s domestic growth, which saw a 42% increase in gross revenue from 2017 to 2023.[17]

Recent leadership

Betty Temple, who served as Chair and CEO of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) from 2017 to 2024,[18] was the firm’s first female leader and oversaw the implementation of the Bond Dickinson combination. Merrick Benn currently serves as US Chair and CEO.[19]

Notable attorneys & alumni

  • Jeff Jackson — Attorney General of North Carolina (2025-Present),[20] First U.S. House Representative for North Carolina’s 14th District (2023 -2024)[21][22]
  • Deborah J. Israel — Associate Judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia (2019 -Present)[23][24]
  • Joe Whitley — First General Counsel for the US Department of Homeland Security (2003 -2005)[25][26]
  • Charles B. Tanksley — Five-term member of the Georgia Senate (1995-2004)[27]
  • Jim Hunt — Governor of North Carolina (1977-1985; 1993-2001)[28]
  • Irving E. Carlyle — Chaired a commission on North Carolina higher education enrollment (1961-1962), which contributed to the creation of the North Carolina Community Colleges System[29]
  • Robert B. Glenn — Governor of North Carolina (1905-1909)[30]

References

  1. ↑ "Womble Corrals 36-Member Consumer Financial Team from McGlinchey". Bloomberg Law.
  2. ↑ "Womble Bond Dickinson to Combine With Lewis Roca Jan. 1". Law.com.
  3. ↑ "Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP". US News & World Report Law.
  4. ↑ "Womble Bond Dickinson | Rankings, Lawyers & Practice Areas | Law.com". www.law.com. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  5. ↑ "Travel Is a Must: With a New Global Law Firm Merger Brewing, Womble Bond Dickinson CEO Shares Keys to Success". Law.com. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  6. 1 2 3 "History of Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC". FundingUniverse. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  7. ↑ "Winston-Salem, North Carolina", Wikipedia, 2026-04-08, retrieved 2026-04-09
  8. ↑ "Obituary for Bunyan Snipes Womble (Aged 94)". The News and Observer. 1976-05-19. p. 32. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  9. ↑ "Betty Temple Takes Over Reins at Womble Carlyle". Law.com. December 31, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Washington firm merges into Womble Carlyle - Charlotte Business Journal". www.bizjournals.com. 2002-02-26. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  11. ↑ Murawski, John (June 1, 2017). "Womble Carlyle, NC's biggest law firm, combines with UK firm". The News & Observer. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  12. ↑ "What Makes a Successful Law Firm Merger? A Leader's View From Inside One of the Year's Biggest Combinations". Law.com. Retrieved 2026-04-07.
  13. ↑ "Womble Bond, Lewis Roca Seeing Competitive Advantages in Combined Firm". Law.com. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  14. ↑ "Womble Bond Dickinson and Lewis Roca announce merger". www.globallegalpost.com. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  15. ↑ Merken, Sara (July 13, 2022). "Latest U.S. law firm merger brings Southeast's Womble to San Francisco". Reuters. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Womble Bond Adds 20-Lawyer Team From 'Storied' Neal & Harwell Firm In Nashville". Law.com. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  17. ↑ Tribe, Meghan (May 15, 2024). "Womble Bond Dickinson Elects Merrick Benn as New US Chair". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Bettle Temple LinkedIn".
  19. ↑ "Womble Bond Dickinson Elects Merrick Benn as New US Chair (1)". Bloomberg Law. 2024-05-15. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  20. ↑ "NC SBE Contest Results". er.ncsbe.gov. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  21. ↑ "Democrat Jeff Jackson wins 14th Congressional District seat". WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source. 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  22. ↑ "Jeff Jackson resigns from Congress ahead of being sworn in as NC attorney general". WFAE 90.7 - Charlotte's NPR News Source. 2024-12-31. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  23. ↑ "PN705 - Nomination of Deborah J. Israel for The Judiciary, 116th Congress (2019-2020)". www.congress.gov. 2019-11-21. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  24. ↑ "Superior Court of the District of Columbia", Wikipedia, 2026-03-03, retrieved 2026-04-09
  25. ↑ "PN532 - Nomination of Joe D. Whitley for Department of Homeland Security, 108th Congress (2003-2004)". www.congress.gov. 2003-07-31. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  26. ↑ "PN355 - Nomination of Philip J. Perry for Department of Homeland Security, 109th Congress (2005-2006)". www.congress.gov. 2005-06-08. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  27. ↑ "Charles B. Tanksley", Wikipedia, 2025-12-05, retrieved 2026-04-09
  28. ↑ "North Carolina". National Governors Association. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
  29. ↑ "Irving E. Carlyle", Wikipedia, 2025-10-15, retrieved 2026-04-09
  30. ↑ "Robert Broadnax Glenn". National Governors Association. Retrieved 2026-04-09.
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