Maher of London

For a man who projects such a big image, Paul Maher is surprisingly slight in person. Recently turned 50, and with a barely perceptible hunch in his walk, he is nevertheless both restless and defensive when he talks. But sitting in his new firm’s short-term home near the top of the iconic Gherkin, it is clear that this is his domain and that he is in control.

Were there any doubters, he need only point them to the firm’s name – Greenberg Traurig Maher (GTM). End of argument. In an age in which the custom is to shorten cumbersome firm names, here is a founding partner. Here is the chair.

‘Greenberg Traurig’ may signify that this is one of America’s largest firms – with 1,655 lawyers Stateside – but in London it is the suffix that really matters. Whether Greenberg Traurig succeeds or fails in London, the buck stops with Maher.

Which may be why he reacts badly to criticism of what he is aiming to achieve. ‘It’s typically English that people would rather see me fail than welcome the investment,’ he counters. In his view, it should say a lot about the strength of the London market that a US firm is willing to commit so much to it.

The extent of that commitment has already attracted a lot of interest; some positive, some less so. But three months since launch, GTM can boast 30 lawyers on the ground, while management in the US expects to have ‘at least 100’ within three years. Even at its current size, GTM has managed more growth than some US firms have achieved in a decade.

To read the rest of this article subscribe to Legal Business.