McKenna Long & Aldridge, one of Atlanta’s largest law firms, is in merger talks with Dentons, a legal behemoth with offices in 50 countries.

In a statement released Monday evening, McKenna said: “While we continue to have discussions about the future, we do not have a relationship to announce.”

Dentons, with practices in energy, intellectual property, real estate and regulatory issues, tallies 2,500 lawyers. McKenna, which emphasizes litigation, corporate law, finance and government contracts, counts 575 attorneys and public policy advisers in 15 offices scattered around the U.S., Europe and Asia.

A Dentons-McKenna firm would rank as one of the three largest law firms in the world, based on number of attorneys, as compiled by American Lawyer magazine.