The Connecticut Law Tribune is reporting that Hartford’s Pepe & Hazard has begun merger talks with McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney and Carpenter. Pepe & Hazard has 50 lawyers and 35 partners, making it the smaller of the pair, while MDM&C has about 200 lawyers with 90 partners, making it New Jersey’s 3rd largest firm. Pepe & Hazard has offices in Hartford, Southport and Waterbury, Connecticut, and in Boston, and MDM&C has six total offices in New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia and suburban Denver.