International Law Firm Network

Transcription

1 Chater 3 International Law Firm Network Carole Basri President, The Cororate Lawyering Grou LLC Brian S. Cousin Jonathan Evan Goldberg José M. Jara Dentons US LLP 3:1 Introduction 3:2 Law Firms As Providers of International Legal Services 3:3 Affiliations As Providers of International Legal Services 3:4 Creating an International Law Firm Network to Provide International Legal Services 3:5 Other Resources for Creating an International Law Firm Network 3:5.1 Consultants 3:5.2 Accountants 3:5.3 Bar Associations 3:5.4 Foreign Legal Consultants 3:6 Conclusion Aendix 3A Checklist for Creating an International Law Firm Network (The Secial Teams Structure) Aendix 3B Mas Illustrating International Law Firm Networks (Basri, Rel. #7, 10/13) 3 1

2 3:1 INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE PRACTICE 3:1 Introduction 1 We live in interesting times, 2 fueled in large art by the everexanding global economy. 3 Indeed, one would be hard ressed to oen a daily newsaer without concluding that much of the world s economy is integrated. In the real estate section, for examle, you read about the tremendous rise in foreign investments. Or, fliing to the business section, you learn about the lanned merger between multinational comanies. Or you are still digesting the front section, which is reorting on the release of the latest and greatest smart hone and its roliferation throughout the world. In that last examle, the news reorts that the devices are made by a comany located in Country A, using a factory and workers located in Country B, with arts sulied by a comany located in Country C, with many other vendors and comanies throughout the world in the business suly chain! Regardless of the rise and fall and rise again of the economy, we believe that globalization is here to stay. Perhas unsurrisingly, in light of the global economy, among other things, there continues to be an increasing need for international legal services, 4 esecially if delivered efficiently and cost-effectively 1. This chater contains citations to materials located on the Internet, identified by web addresses. To the extent that any materials cited herein are no longer available through the listed web addresses, lease note that many older materials on the Internet are being archived at org, an otherwise very useful resource for lawyers. 2. The hrase May you live in interesting times is believed to stem from a Chinese roverb and curse. See htt://en.wikiedia.org/wiki/may_ you_live_in_interesting_times. 3. World-wide economic activity between various countries that are considered intertwined and thus can affect other countries negatively or ositively. html#ixzz2fkqlyklz. 4. See Randall S. Thomas, et al., Megafirms, 80 N.C. L. REV. 115, 116 (Dec. 2001) (arguing that megafirms arise at least artially in resonse to the increased client demand for bigger rojects ); Paul D. Paton, Legal Services and the GATS: Norms As Barriers to Trade, 9 NEW ENG. J. INT L & COMP. L. 361, (2003) (discussing the globalization of the legal rofession and trade in legal services and stating that trade in legal services has grown even faster than the overall economic erformance of the services sector generally ); Larry E. Ribstein, Lawyers As Lawmakers: A Theory of Lawyer Licensing, 69 MO. L. REV. 299, (Sring 2004) (discussing the increasing nationalization and internationalization of law ractice, and the growth of multi-state law firms resulting from the increasing size and reach of the firm s clients and the increasing recognition of the governance advantages of large law firms ). Indeed, the largest law firms generally have continued to grow by size and by revenue. 3 2

3 International Law Firm Network 3:2 without sacrificing quality. For examle, among the myriad legal issues triggered by international mergers and acquisitions is the significant need to conform, to the extent ossible and desirable, the merging entities emloyment, benefits, executive mobility, and cororate comliance olicies throughout their worldwide offices. Large international litigations and arbitrations often similarly require international legal assistance, such as the re- or ost-judgment attachment of assets in various countries. Consequently, the question arises: How should a client go about assembling the otimal legal team to address such multinational legal issues? This chater seeks to answer that question by identifying several tyes of organizational structures to which a client, or lawyer on behalf of the client, could turn when faced with the need for international legal services and, in articular, the tye of services identified above. Those structures are: (1) multinational law firms, (2) affiliations (that is, reestablished associations of law firms), and (3) secially created international law firm networks (the secial teams structure). In selecting one of these organizational structures to address a secific multinational issue (or set of issues), clients should carefully consider the following factors: substantive ractice deth, geograhic resence, areciation for local culture and ractice, consistency, quality, and efficiency :2 Law Firms As Providers of International Legal Services Numerous law firms, including smaller firms with a boutique ractice, may have the ability to handle at least some tye of Comare, e.g., The AmLaw 100, AM. LAW., July 2002 (listing the highestgrossing law firms in the United States in 2002), with The AmLaw 100, AM. LAW., May 2013 (listing the highest-grossing law firms in the United States in 2012). 5. Not surrisingly, these factors are consistent with the concet that law firms often merge in order to maintain a cometitive advantage. See Zeughauser Grou, Why Firms Merge, ZGUIDE TO LEADING LAW FIRMS, ZEUGHAUSER GROUP S 2005 POCKET GUIDE TO THE AMERICAN LAWYER RANKINGS [Reserved.] (Basri, Rel. #7, 10/13) 3 3

4 3:2 INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE PRACTICE international work. Law firms may be thought of as standing on a continuum, with large, multinational and multile-office firms located on one end, and small, local firms on the other. 13 Here, our focus is on firms that have the size, deth, breadth, exerience, and resources required to handle comlex international roblems involving the laws and legal systems of multile jurisdictions While the issues mentioned above as well as a number of other global legal issues, including international bankrutcy, global rice-fixing, and international tax cannot be handled alone by a solo ractitioner, or small or mid-size law firms, such firms can lay a role in articiating in such matters (by, for examle, serving as counsel within a secial teams structure, as discussed below). However, these international issues often require resources human and financial that are simly not available in smaller structures. 14. The May 2013 issue of The American Lawyer, which lists the highestgrossing law firms in the United States (the Am Law 100 ), identifies five U.S. firms as vereins : Baker & McKenzie, then with 4,004 lawyers worldwide; DLA Pier, then with 3,746 lawyers worldwide; Hogan Lovells, then with 2,253 lawyers worldwide; Squire Sanders, then with 1,231 lawyers worldwide; and SNR Denton, then with over 1,200 lawyers. It identifies four other firms as international (where 40% or more of the firm s lawyers are located outside of the United States): White & Case, then with 1,900 lawyers; Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, then with 1,252 lawyers; Mayer Brown, then with 1,523 lawyers; and Shearman & Sterling, then with 842 lawyers. AM. LAW., May In addition, the 2012 Global 100 The American Lawyer s list of the highest-grossing law firms in the world lists firms not only by revenue and size, but also by the number of countries in which the firm has offices and the ercent of lawyers outside of the home country: for examle, Baker & McKenzie (4,004 lawyers in forty-four countries, 84% outside of the home country), DLA Pier (3,746 lawyers in thirty-two countries, 66% outside of the home country), Clifford Chance (2,518 lawyers in twentyfour countries, 71% outside of the home country), Skadden, Ars, Slate, Meagher & Flom (1,832 lawyers in thirteen countries, 16% outside of the home country), Latham & Watkins (2,014 lawyers in fourteen countries, 30% outside of the home country), Linklaters (2,151 lawyers in twenty countries, 64% outside of the home country), Allen & Overy (2,330 lawyers in twenty-seven countries, 65% outside of the home country), Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (2,014 lawyers in sixteen countries, 69% outside of the home country), Kirkland & Ellis (1,442 lawyers in four countries, 11% outside of the home country), and Hogan Lovells (2,253 lawyers in eighteen countries, 63% outside of the home country). Five U.K. firms (Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy, Linklaters, Freshfields, and Slaughter and May) are known as the magic circle firms. For a discussion of the market forces affecting the growth of the magic circle firms, see Partha Bose, Is the Magic Circle Becoming the Tragic Circle, AM. LAW., Nov For a discussion of some of the general financial and cultural differences between U.S. and U.K. law firms, see Mark Greene & Gavin Ingham Brooke, Self Identity, LEGAL WEEK, Ar. May 2004, available at As discussed therein, U.K. firms tend to comensate based on a lockste 3 4

5 International Law Firm Network 3:2 One structure which is, for the most art, unique to large multinational law firms is the Swiss verein, ioneered by Baker & McKenzie in 2004, in which multile national or regional artnershis form an association in which they share branding, administrative functions, and various oerating costs, but maintain searate revenue ools and often searate artner comensation structures. Other multinational law firms oerate as single worldwide artnershis, such as British or American limited liability artnershis, in which artners also articiate in local oerating entities in various countries as required by local regulations. The five U.S. firms currently identified by The American Lawyer as vereins are Baker & McKenzie, DLA Pier, Hogan Lovells, SNR Denton (the current Dentons rior to its 2013 combination with Fraser Milner Casgrain and Salans), and Squire Sanders Baker & McKenzie identifies itself as having defined the global law firm in the 20th century with 3,750 locally admitted lawyers in seventy offices worldwide DLA Pier, then with 3,746 lawyers in thirty-two countries around the globe, notes that its workforce ositions it to hel comanies with their legal needs anywhere in the world Hogan Lovells calls itself a global legal ractice that hels cororations, financial institutions, and governmental entities across the sectrum of their critical business and legal issues globally and locally, citing its more than 2,500 lawyers Squire Sanders, with 1,231 worldwide lawyers in sixteen countries, emhasizes that system and U.S. firms tend to use merit-based systems with an additional emhasis on origination of clients. Id. Moreover, the U.K. firms tend to have higher hourly rates, while the U.S. firms bill more hours. See id.; Telehone Discussion with Joy Martini, President of the Legal Marketing Association (Feb. 1, 2006). Cultural differences include the willingness of U.S. firms, and reluctance of U.K. firms, to exlore alternative billing arrangements. Greene & Brooke, sura; see also Douglas McCollam, The Future of Time; Almost Everyone Agrees That the Billable Hour is the Scourge of the Legal Profession. So Why Is It Still Around?, AM. LAW., Nov. 28, Another difference involves the very history of globalization. For examle, U.K. firms generally entered the Pacific Rim market, including Hong Kong, Singaore, and Jaan, long before U.S. firms. Telehone Discussion with Elizabeth Wall, Counsel, The Euroean Lawyer (Feb. 2, 2006). And large Australian firms, such as Minter Ellison, have generally gone further into the Pacific Rim than U.K. and U.S. firms. Id See Chris Johnson, Vereins: The New Structure for Global Firms, AM. LAW., Mar. 7, See See See (Basri, Rel. #7, 10/13) 3 5

6 3:2 INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE PRACTICE [e]xansion doesn t necessarily mean flooding a region with artners, but instead maximizing and strategically lacing resources On the other hand, Dentons is a global firm... driven to challenge the status quo in delivering consistent and uncomromising quality and value... in new and innovative ways, noting further that its [lack of a] single headquarters and no dominant national culture... [allows it to] offer clients talent from diverse backgrounds and countries with dee exerience in every legal tradition in the world The four U.S. firms currently identified by The American Lawyer as international law firms are White & Case LLP, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Mayer Brown, and Shearman & Sterling. 15 White & Case describes itself as one of the world s leading global firms with ractices, systems and eole... integrated across offices and jurisdictions, which allow[s] us to leverage our global knowledge and resources. 16 White & Case has aroximately 1,906 lawyers in twenty-four countries, 65% of whom ractice outside the home country. 17 As is true for many other mega firms, the headquarters of White & Case is located in New York City Shearman & Sterling, which more recently joined The American Lawyer s list as one of the international law firms, touts its groundbreaking transactions in all major regions of the world. 20 Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton See See htt://globalortal.dentons.com/en-us/overview/about/default.asx. 15. As noted above, international firms are defined by The American Lawyer as firms where 40% or more of the firm s lawyers are located outside of the United States. See AM. LAW., May The May 2010 issue of The American Lawyer also notes that in May 2010, Hogan & Hartson merged with Lovells to form Hogan Lovells, and that in Setember 2010, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal combined with Denton Wilde Sate to form SNR Denton. In March 2013, SNR Denton combined with the Canadian law firm Fraser Milner Casgrain and the Euroean law firm Salans to form Dentons, a global law firm structured as a Swiss Verein. Dentons has seventy-nine offices across fifty-two countries and is one of the world s ten largest law firms by number of lawyers, with more than 2,600 lawyers and rofessionals. See htt://globalortal.dentons.com/ en-us/overview/about/default.asx. 16. See See 2012 The Global 100, sura note See See also Paton, sura note 10, at (discussing New York as a center and a standard for international business transactions ). 19. [Reserved.] 20. See 3 6

7 International Law Firm Network 3:2 describes itself as an integrated global artnershi (rather than a U.S. firm with a network of overseas offices) and has more than 1,200 lawyers in fifty countries. 21 Mayer Brown, which combined with Johnson Stokes & Master in 2008, and which formed an association with Tauil & Chequer Advogados of Brazil in December 2009, describes itself as a global legal services rovider. 22 In considering articular law firms to handle global legal issues, it is imortant to consider the extent to which their various ractice grous, and their ractice grous across offices, function as integrated units. Centralized management generally results in greater consistency in the quality of the work across multile offices and ractice grous (such that the work roduct has the same look and feel), as well as efficiencies in the delivery of services to the client (by, for examle, eliminating dulicative or otherwise unnecessary work). However, while firms with centralized management of ractice grous generally rovide a very strong latform for the delivery of global legal services, one theoretical weakness of such firms is that centralization can foster bureaucracy and limit indeendence of the satellite offices (or the ractice grous in those offices), which, in turn, could limit flexibility and seed in resonse to matters requiring exedited action. 23 On the other hand, firms with loosely managed ractice grous may not be otimized for addressing comlex global matters. Such organization can lead to inconsistent work roduct and inefficiencies across offices. Undoubtedly, firms with this structure can and do deliver high-quality legal services. However, lawyers in these lawyer and country total obtained from overview. 22. [Reserved.] 23. Another otential weakness of a firm with a structure centralized in the United States can be a lack of understanding of the foreign local rules and customs, where the firm has simly sent its own lawyers to establish foreign outosts. Such firms have been labeled imerialist when they have oened offices abroad. Although its headquarters is located in New York, White & Case has earned a different reutation. See, e.g., Allison Frankel, Who s Going Global, AM. LAW., Nov ( [W]ith history to inform it, White & Case has imroved on the imerialist examle: Instead of merely sending its lawyers to lant the White & Case flag around the world, the firm has gone native. Management makes a habit of hiring local ractitioners and racticing local law in the many jurisdictions in which it has offices. ). Baker & McKenzie is also known for hiring local ractitioners. Id. (Basri, Rel. #7, 10/13) 3 7

8 3:3 INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE PRACTICE firms and their clients should be alert to the otential roblems that may arise when global matters involving multile jurisdictions are being managed out of searate offices without roer coordination. 3:3 Affiliations As Providers of International Legal Services Affiliations are existing organizations consisting of multile law firms that have associated with each other in order to comete against larger law firms. The association of these firms has had the effect of increasing their size, geograhic resence, and breadth of ractice areas. There are several such affiliations. To name a few: Lex Mundi, 24 the Emloyment Law Alliance, 25 the Law Firm Alliance, See Lex Mundi identifies itself as the world s leading association of indeendent law firms. According to its website, Lex Mundi has more than 21,000 lawyers in more than 160 member firms, with aroximately 600 offices in more than 100 countries. It also has the following ractice grous: agribusiness; antitrust, cometition, and trade; bank finance and regulation; business crimes and comliance; construction and infrastructure; cororate organization and securities; cross-border transactions; e-commerce, technology, outsourcing, and rivacy; emloyee benefits and ensions; energy and natural resources; environmental; government affairs; healthcare industries; immigration; insolvency, bankrutcy, and restructuring; insurance and reinsurance; intellectual roerty; labor and emloyment; life sciences; litigation, arbitration, and disute resolution; media, entertainment, and sorts; real estate; tax; and telecommunications. 25. See The Emloyment Law Alliance defines itself as the world s largest network of labor and emloyment lawyers. With leading emloyment, labor and immigration attorneys in more than 135 countries, all 50 U.S. states and each Canadian rovince, the ELA rovides multi-state and multi-national comanies seamless and cost-effective services worldwide. International businesses benefit from the ELA s reach and dee familiarity with both the local laws and the local courts. Clients also areciate a single oint of contact, consolidated invoicing and regional billing rates. 26. See The Law Firm Alliance romotes itself as a strategic alliance of mid-sized law firms that was established to rovide legal clients greater access to high quality and cost-effective legal services. The strength of the Law Firm Alliance s international network of member firms lies in the combined exerience of more than 50 firms and 2,500 attorneys throughout North America, Euroe and Asia, all with a dee commitment to client service. 3 8

9 International Law Firm Network 3:3 International Lawyers Network, 27 the Interlex Grou, 28 and the Pacific Rim Advisory Council (PRAC). 29 Affiliations routinely romote their size and geograhic resence, and can function as re-established law firm networks. However, one must be careful in assessing whether the affiliations serve merely as a referral service incaable of roviding a global team of lawyers, or whether they can serve roerly as a source for roviding coordinated legal solutions to international rojects. 30 One must also consider whether the affiliations have sufficient exerience in terms of resonding as a source for centrally managed, integrated global teams See As stated on its website, The International Lawyers Network is an association of 91 high-quality, full-service law firms with over 5,000 lawyers worldwide. The Network rovides clients with easily accessible legal services in 67 countries on six continents. ILN states that its member firms offer exertise in a broad range of ractice areas, including: cororate and commercial law; securities law; taxation; commercial litigation; emloyment and exatriate law; government contracting; intellectual roerty law; estate lanning and administration; and alternative disute resolution. 28. See As stated on its website, [t]he Interlex Grou is an association of leading law firms around the world that cooerate to rovide a comlete range of international legal and business services to clients.... Interlex firms are entirely indeendent of one another. Interlex is not a artnershi or joint venture, and each member firm is, and will continue to be, solely resonsible for its own work roduct and staff.... Interlex firms ay no referral fees to one another, and if a member firm does not secialize in a articular area of exertise, it will recommend another local firm that does.... In addition to highly selective membershi criteria, the strength of Interlex is derived from the ersonal relationshis fostered between lawyers in different countries. These relationshis are formed and cultivated by annual meetings of the grou as a whole, through eriodic meetings of secialists with one another, and, of course, by regularly working together for clients. Interlex members believe that close ersonal relationshis enable them to call uon one another with confidence, thus setting Interlex aart from many law firm associations which are mere collections of names in directories. 29. See PRAC defines itself as a unique strategic alliance within the global legal community, with unaralleled exertise on the legal and business issues facing not only Asia but the broader Pacific Rim region. PRAC consists of 30 to-tier, indeendent law firms, each of which rovides legal services to major international comanies conducting substantial business across the Pacific Rim region. Each PRAC firm maintains its indeendence and sole resonsibility for services to its clients while resonding to the needs of clients referred by other PRAC members. Since PRAC members are remier firms within their domestic jurisdictions, client referrals are made to them with the confidence that romt attention and quality exertise will be rovided. 30. Certain affiliations state that they function as a referral system. See, e.g., [Reserved.] (Basri, Rel. #7, 10/13) 3 9

10 3:4 INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE PRACTICE 3:4 Creating an International Law Firm Network to Provide International Legal Services This section focuses on the creation of an international law firm network as a solution to the roblem of obtaining international legal services. These networks have what we call a secial teams structure. In the secial teams structure, the client retains lead counsel, who then retains to ractitioners in various ractice areas and geograhic regions for secific, comlex international rojects. The structure is created by using established business and ersonal networks. This structure has several advantages. It is a flexible, hybrid structure that enables a client and its lawyer to cherry-ick secialist lawyers (or teams of lawyers) in whatever jurisdictions their services are required. The structure allows for the size, geograhic resence, consistency, quality, and efficiency to tackle even the most comlex legal matters. To be sure, creating this structure can be time-consuming and burdensome. It requires identifying and engaging each ractitioner or law firm in each of the multile jurisdictions. 32 Such engagements may be articularly difficult to arrange if, for examle, the client agrees to ay lead counsel a total or artial contingency fee that in turn needs to be divided among additional counsel. Desite the burdens of entering into multile engagements, creating the secial teams structure is quite simle in theory. 33 The client first selects lead counsel through whom all strategy will emanate, all work will be reviewed and aroved, and all efforts coordinated. The selection of lead counsel is the most imortant ste in creating the secial teams structure. Lead counsel should obviously ossess, among other things, the skills necessary to handle the lead role: intelligence, diligence, motivation, and excellent organizational and management skills. Moreover, lead counsel should, in the words of the journalist Malcolm Gladwell, be a connector, a erson who knows eole. 34 That last trait is articularly useful, because lead counsel will be charged with the task of assembling the secial team. 32. Using a single form retainer agreement for all such counsel will reduce some of the burden. 33. A checklist for creating a secial teams structure is rovided in Aendix 3A. 34. See MALCOLM GLADWELL, THE TIPPING POINT (2000). In many ways, the skills required of develoing business listening, being attentive to the needs of clients, maintaining relationshis are equally useful is establishing (and maintaining) the secial teams structure. 3 10

11 International Law Firm Network 3:4 After being aointed, lead counsel must then identify lawyers in other jurisdictions whom that lawyer trusts based on rior exerience. 35 These lawyers should obviously be resent in the jurisdictions in which the global issues have arisen or are exected to arise, and should have the secialized skills and exerience required for the rojects at hand. It also goes without saying that if the lead counsel can utilize other lawyers within his or her own law firm, lead counsel should do so. In the event that lead counsel has exhausted his or her own law firm for assembling the secial team, he or she should then identify lawyers in other jurisdictions outside of his or her own firm, first by contacting lawyers with whom lead counsel has worked before (and trusts), then by asking for referrals from (1) other lawyers in his or her own firm, (2) clients of the firm (including, but not limited to, the client for whom the legal services are being rovided), and (3) counsel already added to the secial team, each of whom will likely be able to identify additional counsel. Following this rocess, if there are still gas in the secial team, lead counsel should consider utilizing one or more of the additional resources discussed in the next section, that is, consultants, accountants, bar associations, and foreign legal consultants We mean trust not simly in terms of ethics and integrity, but also in terms of intelligence, attitude, reliability, efficiency, and strategic decision making. 36. The rocess of creating an international law firm network can certainly be likened to the creation of a national team of lawyers, where national counsel sets and imlements strategy and coordinates the efforts of local counsel in various states. The client can also select counsel in various jurisdictions by issuing requests for roosals (RFPs) (which generally seek information regarding law firms exerience through detailed questionnaires and oral resentations), or establishing the often less formal beauty contest (which similarly consists of oral resentations regarding legal exerience and exertise, costs, and roosed strategies). For examle, in 2005, Wal-Mart finished assembling, through the issuance of RFPs, its Caital Cities Network, a network of go-to firms in each U.S. state that will handle regulatory work and other major legal matters. See Tamara Loomis, Wal-Mart s Law Firm Network, NAT L L.J., Oct. 17, Wal-Mart took a slightly different aroach from that taken by E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co. with its DuPont Legal Model, the bestknown of the so called convergence rograms that aim to reduce the number and fees of outside firms. Id. DuPont successfully cut costs by reducing the number of law firms it retained; authorized firms were (Basri, Rel. #7, 10/13) 3 11

12 3:5 INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE PRACTICE 3:5 Other Resources for Creating an International Law Firm Network 37 3:5.1 Consultants Consultants are organizations or individuals that advise law firms on a broad range of issues, including the legal and business marketlace and how to caitalize on global economies. Examles are HBR Consulting, 38 reduced from more than 300 to fewer than 50. In consideration for the rivilege of making the cut, selected firms agreed to reduce hourly rates or to erform secified services for fixed charges. In consideration for reduced fees, the Wilmington, Del., conglomerate agreed to funnel all outside counsel work exclusively to the selected firms. The DuPont model has been roven to reduce costs. See Carl Lee Sutherland, Going Online Makes Firms Toe the Line, NAT L L.J., Mar. 9, According to DuPont s legal deartment, the DuPont Legal Model [1] is business focused and client driven using discilined work rocesses, risk sharing, strategic artnering and convergence; [2] is founded on strategic artnering Strategic artnering is the cornerstone of the Model, which emhasizes long-term relationshis, sharing risks and rewards, working collaboratively and contributing to each other s financial success; [3] requires ongoing reengineering of work rocesses and rovides a framework for inside and outside counsel to create discilined systems and rocesses, imrove the quality of legal services and contain costs; [4] maximizes the use of cuttingedge technology to increase efficiency and imrove results. Collectively, DuPont Legal, its PLFs [Primary Law Firms] and Service Providers have invested in electronic mail, electronic invoicing, integrated matter management, electronic discovery and document imaging; [5] emhasizes efficiency and cost control. The Model is results-oriented, and all arties have adoted a culture of efficiency in the way they ractice law, which has led to imroved and more cost-effective legal services for DuPont; and [6] values and encourages a diverse balance of race, ethnicity and gender throughout DuPont, its PLFs [Primary Law Firms] and its suliers. See Overview of the Duont Legal Model, available at com. For a recent discussion of an intensive beauty contest, see Eriq Gardner, Pfizer Litigators Endure Beast of a Beauty Contest, CORP. COUNS., Oct. 31, For a discussion of these and other selection methods utilized by clients and in-house counsel, see Reort on Selection of Outside Counsel by Cororations, by the Greater New York Chater of the American Cororate Counsel Association, July 15, 1997, available at These resources may also be useful in assisting clients and lawyers who choose an existing structure, such as a law firm or affiliation, to address their international legal issues. 38. See Among other things, HBR Consulting offers the following services for law firms: strategy and vision counseling, organizational infrastructure and governance, mergers and acquisitions, client relationshi management, ractice management, artnershi issues, crisis management/restructuring/dissolutions, rofessional develoment, 3 12

13 International Law Firm Network 3:5.2 Altman Weil, Inc., 39 and Zeughauser. 40 Given their extensive exerience with, among other things, law firm mergers, consultants can aid counsel not only in identifying counsel who would fit roerly with a secial team, but also in advising on the stes needed to develo and maintain a law network so that the various firms and individuals are integrated roerly. 3:5.2 Accountants The big four accounting firms Deloitte, 41 KPMG, 42 PricewaterhouseCooers (PWC), 43 and Ernst & Young 44 have created huge international accounting networks, multidiscilinary ractices (MDPs), and litigation management ractices. 45 At a minimum, their exerience in that regard can be used as a model as to how to create marketing, executive recruiting, research and information services, litigation suort, technology infrastructure, knowledge management, risk management, eer benchmarking, and educational rograms through the Hildebrandt Institute. 39. See Altman Weil offers the following consulting services: strategy, mergers and acquisitions, ractice grou management, management and governance, comensation, law firm finance, alternative fee arrangements, legal roject management, marketing and business develoment, client surveys, law firm succession lanning, leadershi develoment and erformance management, retreats, training rograms, law deartment structure and erformance, law deartment cost control, outside counsel management, law deartment client service and satisfaction, career management and rofessional develoment in law deartments, managing the global law deartment, key erson coaching, business develoment training and coaching, government legal offices, aralegals and aralegal rograms, executive search services, market research, custom surveys and benchmarking, legal vendor advisory services, and Altman Weil seakers bureau. 40. See Zeughauser similarly offers a range of services to law firms, for examle: mergers and acquisitions, strategic lanning, marketing and businessdeveloment lanning, branding, client service interviews, client service teams, and marketing organization assessment and design. 41. See See See See The MDPs have had marketlace success rimarily outside of the United States. See, e.g., Nathan Koel, Paer Tigers; Accounting Firms Legal Arms Have Hardly Turned Out to Be Fearsome Cometitors Poised to Devour Any Law Firm That Can t MDP Its Way Around the Globe. But Don t Give All the Credit to U.S. Regulators, AM. LAW., Nov. 1, 2002; Stehen Gillers, Fighting the Future, AM. LAW., July 2000 (discussing MDPs and the big accounting firms flirtation with domestic law ractices). (Basri, Rel. #7, 10/13) 3 13

14 3:5.3 INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE PRACTICE and sustain global alliances. 46 Moreover, they, too, can be used as a source of referrals, articularly if the accountants are known ersonally to lead counsel, members of his or her law firm, the client, other clients of lead counsel, or other members of the secial team. 3:5.3 Bar Associations Bar associations, including the American Bar Association (ABA), 47 the International Bar Association (IBA), 48 the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA), 49 Association of Cororate Counsel 46. While the MDP and litigation management ractices within accounting firms could be helful in rearing a coordinated aroach to legal issues, it is imortant that (1) the legal issues, as oosed to the financial issues, drive the rocess, (2) the general counsel and/or in-house counsel take the lead in connection with the legal issues (and not let that role be filled by the accounting firms) articularly when dealing with the client s chief financial officer (CFO), (3) the general counsel and/or in-house counsel discuss the role of the accounting firm with lead counsel rior to or in coordination with discussing strategy with the CFO and other executives of the client, and (4) lead counsel retain the accounting firms in connection with legal matters so as to maintain the attorney-client rivilege. For a discussion of the attorney-client rivilege in the international context, see chater See From its website: The American Bar Association is one of the world s largest voluntary rofessional organizations, with nearly 400,000 members and more than 3,500 entities. It is committed to doing what only a national association of attorneys can do: serving our members, imroving the legal rofession, eliminating bias and enhancing diversity, and advancing the rule of law throughout the United States and around the world. Founded in 1878, the ABA is committed to suorting the legal rofession with ractical resources for legal rofessionals while imroving the administration of justice, accrediting law schools, establishing model ethical codes, and more. 48. See From its website: The International Bar Association (IBA), established in 1947, is roud to count more than 50,000 individual lawyers and over 200 bar associations and law societies, sanning all continents, among its members. The IBA rovides unaralleled networking and develoment oortunities through quality conferences, ublications and other media, and has a wealth of exerience in roviding assistance to the global legal community. 49. See r/gks/miam/2011/11/ 02 UIA Emfang.html?archive= : The Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA) was created in 1927 by a grou of Euroean lawyers convinced of the need for lawyers to establish international contacts. Today, the UIA is an association oen to all lawyers of the world, made u of both general and secialist ractitioners, counting more than 200 bar associations, organisations or federations (reresenting nearly two million lawyers) as well as several thousand individual members from over 110 countries. 3 14

15 International Law Firm Network 3:5.4 (ACC), 50 and state and local bar associations, 51 may also be invaluable resources for establishing an international law firm network. 52 They rovide established organizations through which one can network directly with lawyers who ractice international law in the United States or abroad, or who know secialists who do. 53 Bar associations routinely conduct networking events and continuing legal education; they also generally have libraries and lists of lawyers that can serve as useful resources in aid of the global rojects requested by the client. 54 3:5.4 Foreign Legal Consultants Foreign legal consultants are non-u.s. lawyers, many of whom work outside of the United States in non-u.s. law firms, who have obtained a secial license enabling them to ractice law in the United States for a secific eriod of time. 55 The requirements and regulations 50. See From its website: The Association of Cororate Counsel (ACC) is a global bar association that romotes the common rofessional and business interests of in-house counsel who work for cororations, associations and other rivate-sector organizations through information, education, networking oortunities and advocacy initiatives.... With more than 30,000 members emloyed by over 10,000 organizations in more than 75 countries, ACC connects its members to each other, and to the eole and resources necessary for their ersonal and rofessional growth. 51. For examle, the New York State Bar Association ( which has an International Section, and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York ( which has several committees concerning international law, including the International Legal Practice Secial Committee, [f]ocuse[d] on issues involving ractice by U.S. lawyers in foreign jurisdictions and ractice by foreign lawyers in New York, as well as develoing contacts with foreign bar organizations. 52. A useful website through which bar and other legal associations can be accessed is the Hieros Gamos Worldwide Legal Directories, at bar.html. 53. For examle, the American Bar Association has the Foreign Legal Consultant Committee. See Another otentially useful resource is the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) ( a not-for-rofit organization founded in 1985 and dedicated to serving the needs and maintaining the rofessional standards of the men and women involved in marketing within the legal rofession. According to its website, the LMA has 3,000 members consisting of marketing rofessionals, consultants, and vendors who suort legal services marketing from forty-eight U.S. states, Canada and fifteen countries, and 93% of the largest 250 U.S. law firms emloy an LMA member. 55. For examle, the largest Sanish law firm, Cuatrecasas, which has over 800 lawyers in offices throughout Sain and Portugal, as well as offices in Casablanca, Brussels, London, Luanda, Mauto, Shanghai, Paris, Sao Paulo, and New York, has maintained foreign legal consultants in New York. See (Basri, Rel. #7, 10/13) 3 15

16 3:6 INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE PRACTICE to be licensed as a foreign legal consultant vary from state to state, 56 and such lawyers may be identified by inquiring with the state bar associations. Foreign legal consultants also can be a valuable resource for international networking because they are established foreign lawyers who have come to the United States to, among other things, make business and legal connections and broaden their own firm s legal market. 57 3:6 Conclusion The client or lawyer in need of international legal assistance has several otions. First, there are a number of law firms that have the size, geograhic resence, and resources to handle aroriately international legal work requiring a global solution A articular tonotch law firm, however, may not have the human and financial resources and geograhic resence to single-handedly address the secific legal issues resented. Further, even assuming that it does, that firm may be conflicted, requiring the client to turn elsewhere. 60 Moreover, although the affiliations romote their size and geograhic resence, they may constitute referral networks rather than a source for global, integrated teams of lawyers able to rovide the level of service demanded by international legal issues. If they function rimarily as referral systems, then due care should be exercised in vetting each aointment of counsel. Chances are that a team staffed solely through an affiliation is less likely to consist of members who have worked together. When existing law firms and affiliations are inadequate or unavailable to address legal issues in a articular jurisdiction, the secial teams aroach should be considered. As we have noted, establishing a secial teams law firm network can imose some burdens. In most instances, lead counsel will need to send significant time in establishing the network. Whereas some time may be saved if the lead counsel works for a law firm with numerous lawyers in multile offices, one should still exect to send 56. See, e.g., Rules of the Court of Aeals for the Licensing of Legal Consultants, N.Y. R. OF CT., Part 521. For a comarison of the rules of each U.S. state and of the American Bar Association, see Carole Silver, Regulating International Lawyers: The Legal Consultant Rules, HOUSTON J. INT L L. (2005), available at See chater 4, Foreign Legal Consultants [Reserved.] 60. Some lawyers, unfortunately, do try to reresent everyone. See Paul Davies, Can a Lawyer Sue an Ex-Client for Former Foe?, WALL ST. J., Jan. 3, 2006, at A15 (discussing a striking examle of a lawyer who, without aology, has reresented both a boxer and his romoter, Don King, against the other in two boxing disutes arising out of a single contract). 3 16

17 International Law Firm Network 3:6 a good deal of time identifying counsel for the team. Further, after additional lawyers are identified, lead counsel will need to engage each of them and/or their law firms. The time and effort sent by lead counsel in utting together the secial teams network can certainly rove to be worthwhile. The size, geograhic resence, and resources of the secial teams structure are otentially limitless. 61 Further, the structure generally rovides for consistency, quality, and efficiency, which flow rimarily from its centralized management and its use of known, to-quality ractitioners. Given its flexibility and otentially unlimited resources, this structure should be considered for handling any number of multijurisdictional legal issues, including, for examle, the creation of a global emloyment and benefits solution and the attachment of assets in multile jurisdictions. Once in lace, the secial teams structure may be used not only for the secific matters for which it was created, but also as an ongoing network of to-quality legal rofessionals. 61. Leaner and meaner should not necessarily be the driving force in comlex international matters, which often require the enlistment of lawyers in multile jurisdictions with knowledge of local law and various ractice areas. However, the secial teams structure does not romote overstaffing. In fact, quite the oosite is true: it enables the creation of a custom-fit legal team. (Basri, Rel. #7, 10/13) 3 17

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19 International Law Firm Network A. 3A Aendix 3A CHECKLIST FOR CREATING AN INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM NETWORK (THE SPECIAL TEAMS STRUCTURE) Client Identify legal issues for which assistance is needed Identify jurisdictions in which assistance is needed Identify lead counsel (consider size, deth, breadth, exerience, and resources of lead counsel s law firm; consider using known counsel and/or well-connected counsel) Ensure that conflict check is run Negotiate retainer agreement with lead counsel Lead Counsel Ensure that scoe of reresentation (i.e., tye of matter, role of lead counsel) is well-defined Ensure that rates of lead counsel and his/her team are set forth clearly Identify lawyers and/or teams of lawyers in each jurisdiction where legal services are sought Identify lawyers within lead counsel s firm (no new conflict check necessary) Identify lawyers in other jurisdictions known and trusted by lead counsel Ensure that they have the size, deth, breadth, exerience, and resources for their ortion of the matter Ensure that conflict check is run Identify lawyers in other jurisdictions known and trusted by other lawyers in lead counsel s law firm Ensure that they have the size, deth, breadth, exerience, and resources for their ortion of the matter Ensure that conflict check is run (Basri, Rel. #7, 10/13) A. 3A 1

20 A. 3A INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE PRACTICE Identify lawyers in other jurisdictions known and trusted by client Ensure that they have the size, deth, breadth, exerience, and resources for their ortion of the matter Ensure that conflict check is run Identify lawyers in other jurisdictions known and trusted by lawyers already added to the secial team Ensure that they have the size, deth, breadth, exerience, and resources for their ortion of the matter Ensure that conflict check is run Identify additional lawyers, as necessary, by using the following resources: Consultants Accounting firms Bar associations Foreign consultants Negotiate retainer agreements with lawyers added to the secial team Establish secure access web-based (a) calendar, (b) status reorts, (c) legal leadings, (d) corresondence, and (e) discovery, for client and secial team counsel Distribute monthly status reort to client Conduct weekly or biweekly conference calls with secial team members A. 3A 2

21 International Law Firm Network A. 3B Aendix 3B MAPS ILLUSTRATING INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM NETWORKS The mas found on the following ages reflect two ossible uses of a secially created international law firm network. The first ma, Model Global Law Firm Network for U.S.-Based Business Exanding into Strategic Markets Outside the U.S. Through Lead Counsel in New York, reflects a U.S.-based client s retention of lead counsel in New York for its legal issues. As shown in this ma, lead counsel in New York identifies, retains, and utilizes known and trusted counsel in various jurisdictions outside the U.S. to hel address the U.S.-based client s legal needs. In the course of this reresentation, lead counsel is resonsible for ensuring (1) consistency, quality, and efficiency of the rovision of legal services by counsel in the various Euroean jurisdictions, and (2) that the olicies, rocedures, and culture of the client are rotected and alied consistently throughout the various non-u.s. jurisdictions, subject to the laws in those jurisdictions. The second ma, Model Global Law Firm Network for London- Based Business Exanding into Strategic U.S. Markets Through Lead Counsel in N.Y., reflects the client s use of lead counsel in New York to hel exand its business throughout the United States. As in the first examle, lead counsel is resonsible for ensuring (1) consistency, quality, and efficiency of the rovision of legal services by counsel in the various U.S. markets, and (2) that the olicies, rocedures, and culture of the client are rotected and alied consistently throughout the United States, subject to the laws in those jurisdictions. (Basri, Rel. #7, 10/13) A. 3B 1

22 A. 3B INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE PRACTICE A. 3B 2

23 International Law Firm Network A. 3B (Basri, Rel. #7, 10/13) A. 3B 3

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