International high up agenda as new senior partner begins review

Herbert Smith's new senior partner Jonathan Scott has launched a wide-ranging review to determine the leading City law firm's strategy and key priorities.

The UK top 10 firm's executive committee met last month at a two-day retreat to discuss the main elements of the review, with the future of Herbert Smith's international practice emerging as a key theme.

The meeting involved Scott, who took over as senior partner from David Gold in May, managing partner David Willis, global head of human resources Christine Lynch and chief operating officer John Mullins.

Others in attendance included newly-elected global heads of corporate and finance James Palmer and Malcolm Hitching, newly-elected corporate managing partner Patrick Mitchell and heads of litigation and real estate Sonya Leydecker and Ian Cox.

The executive committee is drawing up recommendations set to be presented to the firm's governance board in the coming weeks and could be unveiled to the partnership as soon as the quarterly general partners meeting in July.

International strategy is high on the agenda and the firm is known to be considering how to develop its alliance with Germany's Gleiss Lutz and Benelux leader Stibbe. Though the alliance has generally been viewed as effective, there have been concerns that clients in key emerging economies do not understand the model.

Any moves towards closer co-operation would be delicate, but partners have indicated the review will consider the case for further integration. The review is also expected to evaluate Herbert Smith's current policy of fostering referral relationships with Wall Street firms. It is unclear if the review will address proposals to launch a targeted litigation practice in the US, a concept that has met with mixed views internally.

Scott is also expected to look at ways to improve the firm's management of and focus on key clients, including cross-practice co-operation.

Scott said: "We are looking at the firm's international agenda and the partnership as well as making sure that at the heart of it we deliver the best service to clients. You always think about how you can make sure you have it right, not just for today but for tomorrow as well."