Herbert Smith Freehills considers new legal services support centres on back of Belfast success
Firm weighs up options for new bases to handle process-driven work as Belfast base's remit continues to expand
February 27, 2015 at 06:13 AM
2 minute read
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) is considering opening new legal services support centres around the world following the success of its Northern Ireland operation launched five years ago.
The Belfast base, which had an initial focus on document review for the firm's disputes practice, has since seen its remit expanded to cover corporate and real estate work, as well as due diligence for the firm's Australia arm, with finance and funds also on the agenda.
"We had first-mover advantage with Belfast," said HSF joint chief executive officer Sonya Leydecker. "Now we're thinking about how to globalise it to better serve our clients."
Leydecker told Legal Week that this may result in the firm opening a number of new offices around the world.
"Belfast and alternative legal services will grow for us. The model for the future is disaggregation of legal services – and it is also about those disaggregated services being done in a highly processed way," she added.
The firm has yet to decide on any specific locations or whether they will be organised by skill set or region. Leydecker said that any decision will be driven by how well they meet the needs of the firm's clients.
The Belfast base, which opened in April 2011, now houses 140 members of staff.
Other initiatives to boost efficiency at the firm include the introduction of legal project managers.
"Clients want an efficient service and we've brought in quite a few project managers to help our lawyers – they are asking for this rather than resisting it," said Leydecker.
The 'nearshoring' trend for law firms, which has rapidly gathered pace in recent years, has been pushed back into the spotlight in recent weeks with the news that magic circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is consulting on plans to open a new low-cost services hub in Manchester. Latham & Watkins also last month confirmed it will launch a business services centre in the northwest city.
For more, see 'We want to be a global elite firm' – Herbert Smith Freehills' CEOs on cracking the US and client plans.
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