Complex sentence: Herbert Smith and Freehills first announced that they were in merger talks in February 2012, and the partners of Herbert Smith and Freehills voted to approve a merger of the two firms in June 2012.
Split into simpler sentences: Herbert Smith and Freehills first announced that they were in merger talks in February 2012. The partners of Herbert Smith and Freehills voted to approve a merger of the two firms in June 2012.