To start thinking about setting up on their own, lawyers must either see a major opportunity or be utterly dissatisfied with their current situation. When both aspects come together, this is a good starting point.
For many, the German legal market provides that starting point. At the higher end, it has been characterised for the last 15 years by an over-whelming UK and US influence. This has resulted in most major German firms ending up as outposts of non-German organisations – their cultures transformed from traditional true partnership structures to those of legal businesses.
