International firm Eversheds has confirmed a merger with US firm Sutherland. The new firm, Eversheds Sutherland, will have 2,300 lawyers in 29 countries and will come into being on 1 February 2017.

The two firms announced last month that they were in discussions about a potential combination. The firms’ respective partnerships voted through the merger today.

Bryan Hughes, Eversheds’ chief executive, said: ‘Eversheds Sutherland will give each firm’s clients a truly global platform, including strong US coverage. The feedback from colleagues and clients has been overwhelmingly positive, with many opportunities already identified, and we are very confident that this will be a great outcome for our clients and our people.’

According to Eversheds, there are ‘no significant internal structural changes anticipated’ in either firm.