Troutman Sanders, now in tie-up talks with Philadelphia’s Pepper Hamilton, is no stranger to large mergers. Troutman undertook three sizable combinations from 2001 to 2009 that expanded the firm far beyond its Atlanta roots.

Those combinations, with help from lateral recruitment, increased Troutman’s revenue almost fourfold during that period, and it boosted its Am Law ranking from No. 145 in 2000 to No. 72 by 2009.