Linklaters, an illustrious UK-firm, is seen across the industry as being particularly reticent when it comes to disclosing its U.S. expansion strategy. This discretion stands in stark contrast to its more verbose rivals, such as Allen & Overy and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, which have been publicly announced merger plans and aggressive hiring strategies, respectively. While this lack of ostentation has allowed Linklaters to fly somewhat under the radar up until now, the firm has been maintaining a somewhat contained approach to the largest legal market in the world.
This contrasts starkly to many of its competing firms and raises a perhaps more concerning question for other UK-founded firms eyeing the U.S. market: Is Linklaters’ U.S. struggle a firm-specific issue, or does it represent a wider challenge? With various viewpoints emerging from rivals, consultants and ex-Linklaters partners on the firm’s recent U.S. expansion, further exploration of this issue promises to shed more light on the matter. For more details, visit Law.com.