Legal Business Awards 2010

Over the past 20 years no firm has transformed itself – and the notion of what it is possible to achieve in the global legal market – like DLA Piper. From humble regional beginnings, Dibb Lupton’s unprecedented string of mergers snowballed from inconspicuous acquisitions of local Leeds rivals through to major city launches, culminating in a headline grabbing transatlantic tie-up with Piper Rudnick and Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich in 2005. The threefirm union put global dominance in touching distance and DLA Piper finally reached the heady heights of becoming the world’s largest firm in 2009; a truly phenomenal achievement.

Legal Business was there at the beginning, highlighting the regional predator as a new breed and analysing its potential for growth. The firm was unafraid to bang the drum for legal services, spent unparalleled amounts on marketing and unashamedly hired profit-hungry lawyers with strong commercial nous, notably personified by joint chief executive Sir Nigel Knowles who has overseen the Yorkshire firm’s rise to glory.

A mere 16 years ago, the North-based minnow reported a 27% jump in turnover to £36.7m. Following its insatiable merger trail, the legal juggernaut’s combined global revenues hit $2.26bn in 2008/09 and it boasted offices across all six habitable continents.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

ADDLESHAW GODDARD

Mark Jones, chair; Paul Lee, senior partner

After spending the 1990s moulding itself into a financially stable regional powerhouse, Addleshaw Booth & Co took a bold leap into London at the beginning of the decade. The brave and brilliantly executed merger with ailing City player Theodore Goddard took both legacy firms into a new space, attracted quality laterals and heralded the beginning of a serious national firm.

BERWIN LEIGHTON PAISNER

Neville Eisenberg, managing partner

The merger between Berwin Leighton and Paisner & Co in 2001 proved that two plus two could indeed make five. Under strong management, the firm bedded down quickly and proceeded to leverage off its core real estate base to score a wider variety of mandates. Arguably the most aggressive lateral hirer in the City, the BLP brand captures the entrepreneurial spirit necessary to survive in today’s tough global economy.

CLIFFORD CHANCE

David Childs, managing partner

It has been an extraordinary 20 years for CC, which sealed its groundbreaking UK merger at the end of the 1980s, becoming the world’s biggest firm by the start of the new millennium. The firm’s success can be characterised by its ability to make tough strategic decisions and, despite a difficult 2009, it is expected to bounce back strongly this year.

FRESHFIELDS BRUCKHAUS DERINGER

Ted Burke, chief executive; Guy Morton and Konstantin Mettenheimer, co-senior partners

This firm sealed its pioneering merger with German powerhouse Bruckhaus a decade ago, and has rarely looked back since. Significantly, it took the difficult decision to restructure the shape and size of its firm two years ago, a move now imitated by many of its rivals. Freshfields produced a stunning set of financials this year and few are better positioned to take advantage of the new global economic order.

LINKLATERS

Simon Davies, managing partner; David Cheyne, senior partner

Linklaters set the tone for rapid global expansion throughout the 1990s, yet it never over-extended or lost sight of the need for technically brilliant lawyers. The prudent firm matches immense global reach with a uniformity of quality throughout its network – a combination many firms have struggled with. Now the UK’s biggest law firm, Linklaters shines in a boom or a bust.

Award sponsored by AON