This award went to a law firm that could show it had broken new ground in the export of legal services. The entry had to demonstrate the strategic nature of the firm's exporting objectives, the active development of new export markets (either geographical or sectoral) which turned into results impacting on the firm's turnover, and the coherent integration of this export activity into wider business development plans. This award was open to all in the legal sector.
Cobbetts LLP has demonstrated how a law firm's entire business can benefit from focussing on export markets. Their entry described a strategic approach to the expansion of alternative investment market financing and the mining sector. Underpinning the firm's success has been an emphasis on building strong relationships outside the legal sector, which has in turn helped to market the firm's expertise alongside their UK offering. The team has a strong client focus and is a good example of cross-sector working. The judges particularly liked that this entry showed how international work transforms the business of the firm. In this case, Cobbetts have opened a new office in London on the strength of their export services.
Walker Morris has developed its business in China strategically over the last three years. As a result of its sustained and unwavering approach, the firm has been able to identify eight different ways in which it has benefited from its Chinese experience – many of which go way beyond any direct earnings impact, illustrating the potentially transformative power of taking a strategic approach to export markets.
Allen & Overy has a sustained commitment to international practice implemented through a physical presence in 18 countries around the world and a turnover of over £1bn, more than half of which was generated outside the United Kingdom. In their last promotion round, more than 70 per cent of new partners came from outside London and over a quarter of these are located in emerging markets in Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Founded in 2004, Aughton Ainsworth has demonstrated in a short period how a strategic approach to a difficult market like China can pay dividends. The approach the firm has taken to building up a wide range of relationships at home and abroad to support its strategy, together with its approach to staff recruitment which has reinforced key competencies within the firm, demonstrates that size is no barrier to significant growth through emerging markets.
The Sino-Global Legal Alliance is a groundbreaking alliance comprising Lovells and nine Chinese law firms based in key commercial centres in China. This alliance is playing an important role not only in providing a wider legal reach for UK clients in China and enhanced cross-border legal service delivery, but also in spreading the best standards of law firm practice from the UK.
Miller Rosenfalck’s strategic approach to growing its international business involves seeking out specific market segments interested in geographical jurisdictions in which the firm has dual qualified lawyers. Its contribution to the UK legal sector has been evident in the growth of the firm’s European business, the extent to which the firm has served inward investors into the UK market and the quantifiable impact on its turnover.
Trowers and Hamlins took a strategic decision to develop a practice in Saudi Arabia and has made a long-term commitment to that decision. As a result, the firm can point to the impact of this decision on its own bottom line (profits from Saudi work have doubled in the last seven years), on British businesses wishing to invest in Saudi Arabia and on the contribution that the firm has made to developing the careers of local lawyers.