An alternative Legal Services Business is launched by Herbert Smith Freehills
Herbert Smith Freehills has launched a pioneering new global alternative legal services business, which harnesses the firm’s key legal and client technology expertise around the world to offer cost efficient legal products and technology services for clients.
The new global business will bring together the firm’s Belfast office with its Australian Information Logistics team and its London-based Disputes Data Management service to create a global team of approximately 240 lawyers, legal assistants and technologists – all dedicated to providing alternative legal services. The combined team will provide a global range of services including document review, regulatory claims assessment, due diligence, verification, commercial contracts, repapering, specialist funds work, client technology services (including advisory and document review software) and asset management for real estate clients.
The Belfast office, which opened in April 2011, was set up principally to focus on reviewing and analysing the large volumes of documents found in major contentious cases, notably in litigation, arbitration and investigations. Herbert Smith Freehills was the first leading global law firm to establish a UK-based operation to conduct this type of work and still remains the biggest near shore legal services operation. The Belfast team works with offices across the Herbert Smith Freehills’ global network and since opening has expanded its client services to include due diligence on M&A transactions, funds work and real estate support.
Libby Jackson, who set-up and has led the Belfast office since it opened, has been promoted from Director of the Belfast office to Global Head of Alternative Legal Services and will spearhead this new global offering.
She commented:
“The provision of global alternative legal products and services, aligned with legal technology solutions, remains at the heart of the innovation agenda for us. The seamlessness of providing high volume defined process elements of client work in-house has proved highly compelling for global clients seeking to prioritise quality and to manage risk and cost. To innovate, to be imaginative and to be highly responsive to our clients continues to drive our approach. In such exciting times it will be a pleasure to integrate and lead a global team bringing together the legal and client technology expertise we have around the world. I look forward to continuing to develop the huge potential of our offering for the benefit of our clients.”
Libby will continue to work closely with Patrick St John, her Co-Chair of the firm’s innovation and efficiency group. Patrick St John is Global Head of Finance, Real Estate and Projects and sits on the firm’s Global Executive.
Lisa McLaughlin, who worked alongside Libby to launch the Belfast office, has been promoted to lead the Belfast office as Director. Lisa is a senior lawyer who has been at the firm for over 12 years. Joining Libby’s leadership team in addition to Lisa is Sinéad Burke, who heads Information Logistics in Australia and Bernard Bailey, currently Head of Integration UK, who will lead on the integration and expansion of the global client technology teams.
Herbert Smith Freehills’ CEO Sonya Leydecker said:
“Our clients are increasingly looking to their lawyers for more imaginative solutions and choices. Globalising our alternative legal services offering is an important strategic step for the firm and builds on the success of our innovation in Belfast. We continue to be able to offer clients a very attractive combination of quality, efficiency and value for money. I am very pleased that Libby Jackson will be leading this new business. Under Libby’s leadership our Belfast office has gone from strength to strength.”
Source: Herbert Smith Freehills
