New international law firm launches 

Gowling WLG, a new international law firm created by the combination of Gowlings, a leading Canadian law firm, and Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co (WLG), a leading UK-based international law firm, launched on 22 February.

With more than 1,400 legal professionals in 18 cities across Canada, the UK, Continental Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Gowling WLG provides clients with legal advice at home and abroad in a range of areas – from complex cross-border transactions and intellectual property matters to high-stakes litigation and disputes.

The new firm also features a strong focus on key global sectors to provide clients with in-depth experience and expertise specific to their industries, including advanced manufacturing, energy, financial services, infrastructure, life sciences, natural resources, real estate and tech.

“At the core of Gowling WLG is a commitment to helping our clients navigate increasingly complex challenges in a tough business and legal environment,” said David Fennell, chief executive of Gowling WLG (UK) LLP. “More and more, our clients are looking outward to global markets for new opportunities. They need a law firm that not only has expertise in those markets, but also understands their business and their sector, and can move at their pace. This is true for our domestic clients as well, who know that there are immense benefits to having legal advisers who understand their industry in their home market, but can also draw on international connections and best practice.”

“One of the defining characteristics of Gowling WLG is our strong belief in the power of relationships to deliver tangible business results for our clients,” said Peter Lukasiewicz, chief executive officer of Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP. “Forging strong relationships with our clients gives us tremendous insight into their worlds, which, in turn, makes us more attuned and responsive to their needs, as well as genuinely ambitious for their success. Building strong relationships internally is also a key priority, as that’s what allows us to collaborate seamlessly across sectors, services and borders to bring our clients the best of our firm.”

The founding firms bring a legacy of collaborative, people-oriented cultures to Gowling WLG, having both been repeatedly recognised as top employers in their markets. Gowlings has been named one of the 50 Best Employers in Canada by Aon Hewitt for six straight years. WLG has appeared on the UK’s Best Workplaces list, produced by the Great Place to Work Institute, every year since the list began in 2001.

“We’re immensely proud to be recognised as a top employer, and are firmly committed to encouraging diversity and inclusion in all of our offices,” said Fennell. “This allows us to attract and retain great people as well as great clients, who know that motivated and engaged people deliver top-quality advice, approach problems with creativity and imagination, and will go the distance to help them succeed.”

On the road to launch, both founding firms have already worked closely together, including on matters in Canada, the UK, China, the Middle East, France, Germany and Singapore. The firms also recently joined forces to win a global intellectual property mandate from cereal manufacturer Weetabix.

“It’s an exciting time for us at Gowling WLG, and this is only just the beginning,” said Lukasiewicz. “Our vision is for Gowling WLG to be one of the top sector-focused law firms in the world – and we plan on adding like-minded firms to our combination in the near future in order to grow and enhance our practice in the sectors, services and geographic regions where our clients need us to be.”

Source: Gowling WLG – New international law firm launches 

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