denotes premium content | Oct 8 2008 
News
posted 20 May 2008
Freshfields and Hammonds move to LLP
MAGIC-CIRCLE law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and international firm Hammonds are the latest to adopt the limited liability partnership (LLP) structure.
Both made the switch on 1 May 2008 following partnership votes.
Freshfields will continue to operate under the name Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, however, and the conversion will not apply to its offices in Japan and Hong Kong for local regulatory reasons. Freshfields already operates as an LLP in the US, and the firm’s Spanish offices will make the conversion later in 2008. Hammonds’ conversion was initially limited to the firm’s offices in the UK, Belgium and Spain, but its German offices – Berlin and Munich – followed suit on 5 May 2008. The other offices in the international network are unaffected.
Both firms stressed that the client experience would not change, but Hammonds managing partner Peter Crossley added LLP conversion enabled the firm “to create the structure and transparency of a corporate entity”, thereby improving business and service in the future.
Freshfields said the move allowed it “to adopt a more appropriate business structure”, but without impacting on service “or the identity of the people who provide it”.
Freshfields was the last of the four magic-circle law firms to move to LLP status.
