Linklaters

Linklaters LLP is a British multinational law firm, headquartered in London, England. Founded in 1838, it is one of the five prestigious "Magic Circle" law firms known for their corporate and financial expertise. It currently employs over 3100 lawyers across 31 offices in 21 countries.

Linklaters LLP
Linklaters
HeadquartersLondon, EC2 United Kingdom
No. of offices31 in 21 countries; 44 in 27 countries when including offices of allied/associated firms[1]
No. of lawyersapprox. 3,100 (including 560 Partners) (as of June 2023)[1]
No. of employees5,470[1]
Key people
  • Paul Lewis (Firmwide Managing Partner)
  • Aedamar Comiskey[2][3]
    (Senior Partner and Chair)
Revenue£1.9 billion[4]
Profit per equity partner£1.8 million[4]
Date founded1838
Company typeLimited liability partnership
Websitelinklaters.com

In financial year 2022-23, Linklaters achieved revenues of £1.9 billion and profits per equity partner of £1.8 million.[4] In the UK, the firm has top-tier rankings across many practice areas, including corporate/M&A, capital markets, litigation, banking and finance, restructuring and insolvency, antitrust and tax.[5][6] In 2021, Linklaters was ranked second for the number of FTSE 100 clients.[7] For direct deals by institutional investors in the first half of 2016, Linklaters tied for first place.[8] In the 2021 Global Law Firm Brand Index, Linklaters was named as having the world's fourth strongest brand.[9]

History

Linklaters was founded in London in 1838 when John Linklater entered into a partnership with Julius Dods.[10] The firm, initially known as Dods & Linklater, developed a practice in corporate law, including advising on the creation of the Metropolitan Water Board.[11]

On 4 May 1920, the firm, then known as Linklater & Co, merged with another renowned London firm, Paines Blythe & Huxtable,[12] which had been founded by a descendant of Thomas Paine.

For most of the twentieth century, Linklaters & Paines was predominately a domestic corporate law firm, with only a small number of overseas offices. However, in 1998, Linklaters & Alliance was created in partnership with many of Europe's leading law firms, including De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek in Amsterdam, De Bandt van Hecke Lagae in Brussels, Loesch & Wolter in Luxembourg, Lagerlöf & Leman in Stockholm and Oppenhoff & Rädler in Germany.[13][14] Over the next five years, Linklaters & Paines merged with the last four of these Alliance firms, as well as several other European firms, in Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic and Poland. The firm opened new offices in Amsterdam, Bangkok, Beijing, Budapest, Bucharest, Bratislava, Lisbon, Madrid, Milan, Rome, São Paulo, and Shanghai. In 1999, amid this global expansion, the firm shortened its name to Linklaters.[15]

On 1 April 2005, after Japan enacted laws to allow certain international law firms to open offices in the country, Linklaters created Japan’s first fully merged law firm practising Japanese, English and US law.

Linklaters spun off its offices in Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest and Prague into a separate firm, Kinstellar (an anagram of Linklaters) in 2007. In the aftermath of the credit crunch in 2008, Linklaters cut 270 jobs in London, consisting of around 120 lawyers and 150 other staff.[16] This was reported to be part of managing partner Simon Davies' plan to become a smaller, more profitable organisation.[17] By 2008, Linklaters had the highest gross revenue of any firm in the world, $2.4 billion, buoyed by work including the firm's role as advisor to Lehman Brothers and its world number one ranking for deals by total value.[18]

On 1 May 2012, Linklaters entered into an integrated alliance with Australian law firm Allens.[19] Allens and Linklaters operate two joint ventures in Asia: one focused on energy, resources and infrastructure services, and another on Indonesia in collaboration with domestic firm Widyawan & Partners.[20] On 1 February 2013, the firm entered into an alliance with leading South African law firm Webber Wentzel.[21]

Linklaters also has a best-friend arrangement with Talwar Thakore & Associates, a leading Indian law firm.[22] Furthermore, since 2017 the firm has operated in Saudi Arabia in agreement with Zamakhchary & Co. In 2018, the firm partnered with newly established Zhao Sheng Law Firm in order to practise mainland Chinese law. The joint operation currently has offices in the Shanghai Free-Trade Zone and in Beijing.[23]

In 2021, Linklaters opened an office in Dublin, structured as a separate partnership called "Linklaters & Co", which provides advice on EU law but not Irish domestic law.[24][25][26][27][28]

By 2022, Linklaters had advised on more mergers and acquisitions involving Russian groups than any other major law firm.[29] After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the firm was the first major law firm to announce it would end its business in Russia.[29]

Offices

Linklaters was founded and remains headquartered in London. As of 2021, the firm has 30 offices across 20 countries throughout Asia, the Middle East, North America, South America, and Europe.[30]

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of the firm include:

Name Time at Linklaters Highest role at Linklaters Later or other roles
Christopher Bellamy 2007 – 2020 Consultant, Unit Chairman Former Judge of the Court of First Instance of the European Communities and the Competition Appeal Tribunal
Sir Robert Finch 1969 – 2005 Partner Lord Mayor of London
G. Godfrey Phillips 1946 – 1950s Partner Former Commissioner General of the Shanghai Municipal Council
Dominic Raab 1998 – 2000 Trainee in solicitor qualification Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Secretary of State in several UK government departments
Pedro Siza Vieira 2002 – 2017 Partner Portugal's Minister of Economy and Digital Transition and former Deputy Prime Minister

See also

References
  1. "Linklaters - About our business". Linklaters LLP. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  2. "Two top Hong Kong partners join new firms and make tracks for London". Globallegalpost.com. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  3. "Linklaters' top brass see earnings jump by 17% as profit pot hits £25 million". Legalcheek.com. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  4. {{Cite news |url= https://www.legalcheek.com/2023/07/linklaters-becomes-latest-magic-circle-firm-to-post-record-revenues/
  5. "Linklaters, UK | Chambers Rankings". Chambers.com. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  6. "The Legal 500 > Linklaters LLP". Archived from the original on 29 August 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  7. "Slaughter and May Maintains Lead in Large Listed Client Rankings". Law.com. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  8. "COMEBACK: Goldman Sachs Tops SWFI Financial Advisory League Table for H1 2016". Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute. 6 July 2016. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  9. "Baker McKenzie, DLA Piper, and Dentons top the 2021 Acritas Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index". Thomsonreuters.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  10. "Passing the Flame". Linklaters and GM Toucari. 2013. p. 2. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  11. "Passing the Flame". Linklaters and GM Toucari. 2013. p. 6. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  12. "Passing the Flame". Linklaters and GM Toucari. 2013. p. 7. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  13. "Passing the Flame". Linklaters and GM Toucari. 2013. p. 93. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  14. "Law: The firm that wants to conquer the world". The Independent. 21 August 1998. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  15. "Passing the Flame". Linklaters and GM Toucari. 2013. p. 134. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  16. "Linklaters: 270 London jobs to go". The Lawyer. 29 January 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  17. "Linklaters to axe up to 70 partners in massive shake-up". The Lawyer. 23 January 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  18. "Linklaters LLP". Top-law-schools.com. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  19. "AAR, Linklaters Agree on Alliance to Compete Internationally". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  20. "Allens and Linklaters form integrated alliance". Allens. Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  21. "Webber Wentzel to form alliance with leading global firm". Webber Wentzel. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  22. "Magic Lawyers - Talwar Thakore & Associates". Archived from the original on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  23. "Linking Up: Linklaters' joint operations partner Zhao Sheng opens Bejing [sic] branch". 26 June 2019.
  24. "Linklaters | Ireland". Linklaters.com. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  25. Pollock, Sean (14 March 2021). "'Magic Circle' firm Linklaters in new Dublin office talks". Irish Independent.
  26. Daly, Linda (14 March 2021). "Magic circle law firm Linklaters conjures up first Irish office". The Times.
  27. "Linklaters sets sights on becoming first magic circle law firm in Dublin". 10 March 2021.
  28. "Linklaters Latest Law Firm Set For Dublin Office Launch". Law.com International.
  29. Beioley, Kate (5 March 2022). "Lawyers cut ties with Kremlin-linked clients as reputational risks mount". Financial Times. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  30. "Linklaters - Contact us". Linklaters LLP. Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
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