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Faraway, so close – two visions of nearshoring

With even Freshfields unveiling plans to put hundreds of staff in Manchester, we teamed up with Scottish Development International to assess the rush to nearshore. Is it driven by costs or a deeper rethinking of the legal industry?

To say Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s launch of a support and legal services centre in Manchester was one of the biggest stories of 2015 would be an understatement. While back-office outsourcing and legal process outsourcing had legal process outsourcing had been the subject of much debate within the profession for years and the modern era of northshoring by global law firms was pioneered by Allen & Overy (A&O) and Herbert Smith in 2011, news that the 270-year-old Freshfields is to house up to 300 support and legal staff in Manchester by next year sent reverberations around the City. A&O had done that already in Belfast – and delivered significant cost savings to boot – but this was Freshfields, the most conservative of London’s Big Four.

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Up in the air – As Brexit looms, GCs face leap into the unknown

Business is struggling to find a response as the Brexit vote looms. We team up with Herbert Smith Freehills to explore the impact… and GCs’ options.

‘One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. “Which road do I take?” she asked. “Where do you want to go?” was his response. “I don’t know,” Alice answered. “Then,” said the cat, “it doesn’t matter.”’
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

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BLP on the hunt for a US tie-up as talks with Miami giant Greenberg Traurig confirmed

 

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) is hunting for an ambitious union with a major US practice, with the City real estate leader currently in discussions with Greenberg Traurig. According to three separate sources, the talks between BLP and Greenberg have been taking place over the past three months as the London firm looks to secure a US merger.

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Simpson Thacher, Davis Polk and Bär & Karrer win mandates on $43bn ChemChina-Syngenta deal

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, Davis Polk & Wardwell, and Swiss firm Bär & Karrer have landed key advisory roles on China National Chemical Corp’s (ChemChina’s) $43bn bid for Swiss seeds and pesticides group Syngenta, in what will be the largest ever acquisition by a Chinese firm.

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Future UK chief Millar lays out expansion plans as CMS becomes first international firm in Iran

CMS Cameron McKenna‘s incoming managing partner Stephen Millar (pictured) has outlined his key priorities as the firm’s next UK chief, a plan which will focus both domestic and international strategic expansion. Millar’s plans for global development come as CMS Hasche Sigle has launched a new office in Iran, the making it the first international firm to do so.

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Remuneration overhaul: DLA Piper votes to increases bonus pool and launches mini-lockstep

DLA Piper International partners have approved an overhaul of its pay structure, introducing a points-based remuneration system and a larger bonus pot as it targets greater profitability, while bringing in a separate lockstep for new partners while they grow their practices.

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