Attorneys
The International Law Firm: A Global Marketing Approach
Sumeet Chugani & Margaret Perez
June 1, 2010
Location is everything, or is it? A “global” law firm need not have offices in all of the world’s financial capitals. Although there are many advantages to having a bricks and mortar presence in key cities around the world, the fact remains that an office in China or Dubai is not a precondition to building and marketing a global practice. Today, many law firms enter into working relationships – including non-exclusive cooperation agreements and more traditional joint ventures – to provide their clients with legal support in key markets. In addition, organizations like Primerus offer their members the ability to join forces with member law firms around the world to provide clients with legal services from trusted providers.
The importance of planning ahead. Regardless of whether you decide to team up with a foreign law firm or open up a branch office in a foreign jurisdiction, you must take the time to carefully plan your entry strategy. If you are interested in a joint venture or non-exclusive partnership with a foreign law firm, take the time to study the foreign market carefully. Identify potential law firms and learn as much as possible about their attorneys and reputation. If possible, travel to the jurisdiction and spend several days with the various law firms you are considering and get to know their working style and client base. You will find that foreign law firms will happily embrace a potential association with a U.S. law firm. In many jurisdictions, this collaboration will give them prestige and local bragging rights. As a U.S. law firm, however, you will want to ensure that the quality of the services the foreign law firm will provide your clients, especially those who may be new to the region, will be comparable to your own.
If your goal is to open a branch office in a foreign jurisdiction, the planning required will be intense. You will need to determine whether there are any specific licensing requirements governing the opening and operation of your branch office. The licensing procedure in China, for example, can take several months, and has many requirements. If you are hiring local staff, you will need to understand the local labor and employment laws, and how they will affect your hiring and termination decisions. You will also need to decide how you will staff the branch office. Will you send a team of lawyers from the home office or other branch offices to help open the office, or will you hire only local lawyers? To the extent that you do hire local lawyers, you may want to consider having them spend several weeks or even months in the home office so that they can absorb the firm’s working style and culture. These are only a few of the factors in a very long list that you will need to consider. Do not let this discourage you. Establishing a foreign presence can play a major role in your law firm’s future growth. Read more...