One thing lawyers are excellent at is building relationships, not just with clients but also with colleagues in the industry. Law firms, by extension, leverage these “best friends” relationships and sometimes form networks to help them compete at the cross-border level.
In the world of multi-billion dollar law firms, some believe these informal relationships and loose associations may not be strong enough to withstand disruptions in developing markets where the Big Law has shown interest. Late last year CMS partner Duncan Weston emphasised that the future of large-scale law in Africa is for those merging with foreign firms.
