Suzanna Ring asks whether the firm won more than branded taxis and lollipops from its £10m sponsorship

The closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games on 9 September did not just mark the end of the Olympic fever that gripped Britain over the summer. It was also the end of a PR exercise that defined one of the UK's most conservative law firms for the best part of a decade.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has been toasting its 2009 appointment as official law firm sponsor of London 2012 for the past three years with a series of themed press parties, revamped office lobby and lifts, new business cards and, of course, branded taxis during the Games.

Given that these exercises came on top of the reported £10m cost to the firm – largely in terms of advisory hours – for tier-three Games sponsorship, many rival firms chose not to pitch for the work at all, with roughly five believed to have put in bids out of the 20 initially invited to tender.

So, as the memorabilia gets boxed away and sporting focus turns to Rio 2016, was Freshfields' move a piece of long-term genius or a shortsighted bid for glory?

The pitch

According to Freshfields' former London managing partner Tim Jones (pictured centre with Team GB Olympians Tim Brabants, left, and Richard Whitehead, right), the firm's decision to pitch for the sponsorship deal was never about financial reward: "We decided to go for it because it actually fitted in with a lot of the things we were trying to achieve as a firm at the time.

"We felt the need to improve our profile and branding and we wanted to work on strengthening client relationships – this seemed a good way to achieve this. It was also about improving internal engagement and communication and re-galvanising our community efforts, so it was an end in itself."

Following the firm's 2006 partner restructuring, it would be fair to say that Freshfields probably had a stronger business case than most to improve cultural harmony.

It was also a natural move given the magic circle firm had been involved since the beginning: serving as one of three law firm sponsors – alongside Clifford Chance (CC) and Ashurst – for London's initial bid for the Games in 2003, when it played a part establishing the joint venture behind the organising committee.

Jones also had links with CC alumnus and then London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) commercial director Charlie Wijeratna.

The firm's role in the bid process also led to a place on the 2006 panel for the Olympic Delivery Authority – the body responsible for overseeing infrastructure for the Olympics – alongside Berwin Leighton Paisner, CC, DLA Piper and Pinsent Masons, for which the panel firms were paid.

All in all, by the time the 2009 tender process for the sponsorship deal started, Freshfields' six years of prep stood it in good stead – aided further perhaps by a history of working for a number of sporting bodies including the Football Association, Manchester United Football Club and the Welsh Rugby Union.

The work

Since securing the role, the firm has had some 12 lawyers ranging from trainees to partners seconded to LOCOG at any one time, including real estate partner Geoff Le Pard and dispute resolution consultant Lindsay Marr. Several secondees are expected to remain with LOCOG until next spring, winding down the business and dealing with issues around the venues.

Meanwhile, by the time the mandate formally comes to a close, Jones will have dedicated four years to the project. He says: "The work has been largely contract-based because we were really creating a huge temporary structure.

"So you have contracts for everything, from logistics to catering to real estate work, in terms of agreements for the use of existing venues and royal parks, and so on.

"Intellectual property issues were also a main feature in the work around the protection against ambush marketing and protection of Olympic symbols. There was of course a range of stuff that we had never done before, like contracts to supply the metal for the medals."

Because of the diversity of the work, the practice area of the lawyers was not as important as their capability and enthusiasm.

LOCOG GC Terry Miller, who joined the committee in 2006 after 17 years at Goldman Sachs, says: "My primary criterion for the legal service provider was to be a full service firm, able to support LOCOG across the many different areas of law we had to cover.

"But beyond that, I was looking for two critical elements: passion for the Games, and the ability to be creative and flexible in the face of unforeseen challenges."

The payoff

Asked about the cost of the sponsorship and branding, Jones remains positive: "We do a certain amount of internal engagement activity every year, anyway, so we haven't spent much more."

But it is not really the money spent on cars or lollipops that has been called into question when assessing the value of Freshfields' Olympic play. It is the return the firm is likely to see from any of it.

Jones maintains this is not what the deal was about, but concedes that sport is becoming an increasingly legalised institution, saying: "As sports get bigger, transactions are getting bigger and as a result of the Olympics, they are more likely to need significant legal input."

Freshfields has already picked up some paid work for the Rio Games and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, as well as winning a place on the panel for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia. But so far the worth of the deal cannot be measured in any tangible way.

Jones, who was able to attend every event, mentions that one of his highlights was the night Paralympians David Weir and Jonnie Peacock won within five minutes of each other: "To be a witness to that was something unforgettable."

And to every member of London staff who received at least one ticket to an Olympic event courtesy of the firm's sponsorship, the Games were undoubtedly equally unforgettable. That's something you can't really put a value on.

• Related: Freshfields Olympic team gets on track as work gathers pace for 2012 Games