Do You Need an International Footprint?
May 9, 2014 | Published by Law Practice Today
Thinking about international strategy is no longer the preserve of a small minority of firms. More than 200 law firms now have international offices, including 119 of the largest US firms (as reported by the National Law Journal). The approaches adopted by these firms vary dramatically. The most global have 20-40 overseas offices and 75+ percent of their lawyers working outside their home jurisdiction. Others have just a single international office staffed by a handful of lawyers. Over the last 20 years, we have seen a massive increase in the number of international offices and lawyers in those offices: In 1992 the US firms with international offices had 273 international offices with around 4,000 lawyers practicing in them—today those firms have 766 offices with more than 20,000 lawyers in residence.