Six months after the Squire Patton Boggs merger, the firm brought together more than 300 lawyers and clients last night for its first combined holiday reception.

In the Park Hyatt, we snapped current Squire Patton Boggs chairman and global CEO Jim Maiwurm, with global managing partner for clients and strategy Steve Mahon. The 1,500-lawyer firm with 44 offices in 21 countries came from the merger of Squire Sanders and Patton Boggs, completed on June 1.

Squire Patton Boggs senior counsels and former Sens. John Breaux and Trent Lott flank National Association of Broadcasters CEO and former Sen. Gordon Smith (second from right), with Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities VP Bruce Leftwich. The firm announced today that Breaux and Lott will be joined in the public policy practice in January by David Schnittger, Deputy Chief of Staff to House Speaker John Boehner.

Mark Ruehlmann, second from right, becomes chairman of Squire Patton Boggs when Jim Maiwurm's term expires on Jan. 1. He's with SPB's Richard Stolbach, Tom Reems, Alethia Nancoo, Robert Labes and his wife, and DC co-managing partner Michael Nardotti. Guests enjoyed hand-rolled sushi, a mashed potato bar and baby lamb chops.

We spotted Nick Allard, who co-chaired Patton Boggs' public policy practice before joining Brooklyn Law School as its dean in 2012 (though he still has an office at Squire Patton Boggs), with Squire Patton Boggs' Donald Ensenat, a former Ambassador to Brunei and Chief of Protocol at the White House and State Department.

SPB partner and former Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater caught up with Navigant DC managing partner Steve Stanton, SPB's Amy Brown, SPB DC co-managing partner John Burlingame and The Sugar Association CEO Andy Briscoe.