If the early 1990s was the era of the ‘one-stop shop’ law firm, the later part of that decade saw the rise of the law firm network. Responding to the dizzying pace of expansion set by the likes of Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters, firms that opted to steer clear of the Anglo-American advance found themselves lacking a strategy to deal with the globalisation of their clients and, consequently, their work.
The answer for many smaller firms was to join a network of law firms, some closer to the exclusive, one-stop shop model than others. With the post-Enron collapse of Andersen Legal fresh in the minds of many a managing partner, the founders and leading names of many law firm networks found themselves building their networks up on the premise of non-exclusivity: loose alliances of like-minded law firms across borders – even continents – were the order of the day.
