Alliance offices
Alliance firm: Gleiss Lutz
Locations: Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich, Prague, Stuttgart, Warsaw
Partners: 75
Associates: 170
Alliance firm: Stibbe
Locations: Amsterdam, Brussels, London, New York
Partners: 79
Associates: 257
Our successful Alliance with Gleiss Lutz and Stibbe is underpinned by a formal binding agreement, which has been in place for over eight years. The structure is supported by a Joint Steering Group comprising the management of each of the firms, together with a small group of senior partners who focus on client service in the key international practice areas.
Although we are independent firms, we operate effectively as one service provider so far as our clients are concerned. The joint systems we have in place to support the seamless service provision our clients look for (e.g. conflict clearance, engagement terms and billing) are complemented by the very strong personal relationships that we have built with each other over the eight years the Alliance has been operating.
International network, local knowledge
The emphasis has always been on personal relations and effective co-operation, rather than relying on a merger agreement. This way, firms can keep their independence and structure their practices in the most effective way to service national clients in their own market – rather than provide a "one size fits all" model for legal services across the Alliance. This means we can provide all Alliance clients with the level and depth of service essential to maintaining a leading position in their markets.
Pooling our expertise
From the start, Alliance firms have worked together on many large instructions for some of the world's leading companies and institutions. These include:
- Air Liquide
- Belgian Government
- Bertelsmann
- BP
- Dutch State
- EDF
- Goldman Sachs
- Morgan Stanley
- Tata
- Telekom Malaysia
- Warner Music Group
The international practice areas of the Alliance meet regularly to share know-how, training and secondments at both partner and associate levels. The aim is to make sure clients receive a seamless service. Since the start of the Alliance there have been more than 130 secondments between our Alliance firms.
Our independence enables us to better service national clients in their local markets. Our twin focus on premium international and domestic work has proven to be a strong draw-card in recruiting talented staff, which in turn helps us to maintain our ability to deliver legal services of the highest quality to our clients.