ADDLESHAW Goddard is to move towards what reinsurance partner Richard Leedham calls a “Herbert Smith-style” alliance of preferred firms in Europe, while tightening up its roster of US referral firms.
The developments form part of the firm’s recently launched five-year plan and are intended to transform the perception of Addleshaws as an exclusively national firm.
Leedham, who is part of a team charged with revising the strategy alongside senior partner Paul Lee and chief operating officer Peter Smith, said: “In Europe we’re moving towards a closer alignment with a leading independent firm in each jurisdiction – more along the Herbert Smith line. At the moment we have two or three firms in each [European] country.
“That has served us well, but we’ve realised that there’s probably one [in each jurisdiction] that we have a slightly closer relationship with.”
Leedham and Lee will fly out to New York at the beginning of next month to discuss plans with its six US referral firms.
“We need to have a more credible offering for the outside world, have better links and see [referral firms] more regularly,” said Leedham. “We can achieve our strategy of growth by working more closely with a slightly smaller number of US firms.”
