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Linklaters in talks with South Africa's Webber Wentzel over alliance

The Anglo-EU-US international law firms succeeded when the Anglo-American MNC clients expanded into Asia and elsewhere in the 1970s -1990s and were willing to pay a premium to them in addition to the work by their local counterparts. But these clients are now shrinking, and their regional in-house counsels are increasingly local and the Asia MNCs are expanding. The global one-firm London-cost expat-staffed model is no longer sustainable, especially in recessionary times. The only sustainable model is the common-branding common-marketing federation of national firms with Anglo-US predominance. The success of PwC KPMG Deloitte EY BakerMcK attests to this. Clients are no longer willing to pay a premium and the local firms are as good, oftentimes better when it comes to country-specific work.

11-Aug-2012

4:02 am