Mergers - just one of several options for growth

With news of the proposed merger between Denton Wilde Sapte of the UK and Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal of the US following hard on the heels of the union of  Lovells of London with Hogan & Hartson of Washington, the push amongst law firms towards greater scale and stronger international links seems relentless.

 

Interestingly – but perhaps not surprisingly – the level of enquiries for membership of MSI Global Alliance (www.msiglobal.org), an international association of independent law and accounting firms, continues strongly, irrespective of the global economic downturn.

 

And when firms are talking to MSI, the network concept is particularly attractive because it provides firms with the breadth that they are looking for in the international arena, without having to compromise on their independence.

 

There is little doubt that many partners in mid-sized firms, both lawyers and accountants, need international links to be able to service their larger, more entrepreneurial clients.  But if the price of those links is having to sell out to a massive global entity, it can be too high a price.  For many, the value of their independence is huge.

 

That is why we welcome news of the recent mergers in the legal profession.  They will make many firms review their own position – and, it would appear, result in many such firms recognising that the network solution can provide a better answer for the strong, independent firm as it moves forward.

 

 

James Mendelssohn   (jmendelssohn@msiglobal.org)

CEO, MSI Global Alliance