A pair of major Southeast law firms will form a practice that stretches coast-to-coast and employs more than 550 attorneys.

Birmingham-based Maynard Cooper & Gale and Nexsen Pruet of South Carolina announced their merger Thursday. Maynard & Cooper specializes in financial services litigation and internet service laws. Nexsen Pruet mainly works on construction, labor, legislative and international business cases.

Leadership at both companies said the merger makes sense because of their similar philosophies and their desire to work with larger law firms.

Maynard Nexsen will have offices in Huntsville, Birmingham, Mobile, and Montgomery; California; Florida; Georgia; Iowa; New York; North Carolina; South Carolina; Tennessee; Texas; and Washington, D.C.

The leadership at the new firm will be from both original practices.

Maynard Chairman Greg Curran, will be board chairman and head of client relations for the combined firm.

Leighton Lord, the Nexsen Pruet chairman, will be Maynard Nexen’s president and chief strategy officer.

“This is an incredibly exciting new chapter of growth as we come together as one,” Lord said. “Maynard Nexsen is the result of two firms that share a client-centered culture and commitment to continued growth and evolution.

“Together, we are a powerful national force-broadening our capabilities and service to clients.”

Jeff Grantham, the managing shareholder at Maynard Cooper & Gale, will be CEO.

Grantham and Lord met at Vanderbilt University and, over the years, they shared admiration for one another’s firm.

Eventually, the two met to discuss the idea of a merger between the companies, which would become Maynard Nexsen.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.