Addleshaw Goddard has continued its European expansion, entering the Dutch market with a merger with full-service corporate firm Florent.
The acquisition will see Addleshaws welcome a total of 104 legal and business services professionals, including 17 partners and 44 lawyers, into what will become the firm’s 22nd office. Florent currently holds a total of six Legal 500 rankings in the Netherlands, including tier 3 spots in commercial litigation, employment, and restructuring.
‘Florent fills an important missing piece in our European platform,’ managing partner Andrew Johnston said in a statement. ‘Our clients increasingly operate across borders and expect consistently high quality advice wherever it is required. For many, the Netherlands is a key jurisdiction and gateway to Europe. The addition of Florent significantly strengthens our ability to support clients on their most important strategic, transactional and contentious matters.’
Florent managing partners Chris Jager and Kees van de Meent, added: ‘Joining Addleshaw Goddard represents an exciting new chapter for our firm, our people and our clients. We are proud of our achievements in the Dutch market and are confident that, as part of Addleshaw Goddard, we will be able to offer even greater service to our clients and opportunities for our team.’
Addleshaws has been growing its European footprint in recent years, as part of its AG2030 strategy, which targets £1bn in turnover by the end of the decade.
Last year, the firm took on Linklaters’ Warsaw office and also opened in Abu Dhabi. The year prior it hired 13 partners to launch in Madrid and also opened an office in Riyadh.
Speaking to LB at the start of the year, Johnston commented on the firm’s plans for European growth. ‘Building out a relatively unique, high-quality and well-delivered UK, European and Middle Eastern platform is the priority, rather than looking further afield at a US deal,’ he said, adding: ‘I want to make sure that the work we’re doing is, wherever possible, multi-jurisdictional. It’s one of the practice areas that will make the international platform hang together.’
The merger is set to complete on 1 July, subject to partner votes and regulatory approvals.
