denotes premium content | Aug 20 2008 
Feature
posted 2 Jun 2003 in Volume 6 Issue 2
People and culture
UK and US law firms are in a prime position to expand on a global level. On both sides of the pond, liberal attitudes to marketing and law-firm infrastructure has meant that firms have expanded quickly and aggressively; the world for the dominant few is an open playing field, so to speak. While UK and US firms look further outward, however, there have also been innumerable transatlantic mergers, alliances and acquisitions, some hugely successful, many more a failure. For UK firm Warner Cranston, its merger with US firm Reed Smith was a challenge that has proved hugely successful and the UK office is now in a good position to contribute to Reed Smith’s continuing international expansion. Tim Foster, Reed Smith’s UK managing partner, played an instrumental role in the lead up to the merger and he continues to play a central role in the development of the UK side of the business. In this month’s personal profile, Caroline Poynton reports on the personality behind the scenes of this growing firm.
Also in this month’s people and culture, Gerald Riskin, a principal at Edge International, takes the brave step of exploring the Clifford Chance associate memo, the contents of which were published in the international press at the end of last year. The memo makes gruelling reading but as Riskin says, it’s a valuable learning opportunity for all law firms that could easily find themselves in the same boat.
