Global Firms in Focus is a weekly column about international law firm business by chief global correspondent Chris Johnson. Reach him at [email protected]. On Twitter: @chris_t_johnson.

The surprising outcome of the recent U.K. general election has done nothing to stem the uncertainty that has plagued the country's legal market ever since the equally surprising Brexit vote last June. For anyone who is not caught up on U.K. news, the Conservative party called a snap general election to strengthen its majority ahead of the Brexit negotiations, which are scheduled to begin Monday. While the party expected a landslide victory, it actually failed to win a majority. This means no single party has enough seats to form a government and the Conservative party is scrambling to form a coalition.

It's been interesting to see how law firms have responded to this New World Disorder. With transactional activity down and conditions generally pretty patchy across several key practice areas and sectors, many of the larger U.K.-based outfits have understandably taken a more tentative approach to hiring and investment. That certainly hasn't been the case for the U.S. firms in London, however. Several of them have plowed on regardless. While the likes of Latham & Watkins and Goodwin Procter have grabbed headlines with a flurry of splashy hires, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has continued to steadily build what is becoming a formidable European presence, thanks to some significant moves in London, Paris and Germany.