Law firm Eversheds has started 2008 with an aggressive push into new global territories.
The firm, which has East of England offices in Cambridge, Norwich and Ipswich, has just launched in Switzerland to serve a nexus of high-powered multinational companies.
Now, we can reveal, it is looking east to further increase its international offering. Principally this means key partnerships or acquisitions in the Far East, adding to the Eversheds operations in Shanghai, to the Middle East and to Eastern Europe.
The firm has already added Swiss law firm Schmid Rechtsanwaelte to Eversheds International. Schmid has offices in both Zurich and Berne and will operate locally as Schmid Eversheds.
The move increases Eversheds’ global footprint to 36 offices in 21 countries and is another step in the continuing development of the firm’s rapid international growth.
Founded in 2004, Schmid’s six founding partners all previously worked in international law firms and have practical experience abroad.
Schmid Eversheds specialises in corporate, M & A, commercial and tax matters and has a strong litigation/arbitration team.
Individual partners specialise in insurance, IP/IT, pharmaceutical and healthcare matters amongst others.
Eversheds’ Cambridge office managing partner, Ian Mather said: “Switzerland is a major source of and destination for foreign direct investment.
“It is vital that we are present in such regions where our clients want to do business.
“Schmid Eversheds has already met this need and by linking up with them, we further demonstrate to clients our increased ability to serve their international requirements.”
Eversheds already has experience of working with Schmid on a number of projects and the formal inclusion and association of Schmid within Eversheds International builds on this successful working relationship.
Schmid Eversheds has national and international clients in various sectors, most of all in the pharmaceutical, health, food, transport, insurance and IT industry.
Mather added: “Our office opening in Switzerland is a very significant step as there are very few international law firms with offices there.
“This gives Eversheds fantastic opportunities to pick up cross-border work.
“Switzerland is a very popular destination for the European headquarters for multinational companies and is a major source of, and destination for, foreign investment.
“In 2008 Eversheds will be looking to increase its international offering and in particular we will be looking to the East – to the Far East (in addition to our office in Shanghai), the Middle East and Eastern Europe to do this.
“Our clients, in particular in the US, are increasingly looking for multi-jurisdictional full service law firms and we aim to be in a position to service these companies in the new and exciting merging markets.”
As a show of faith in that strategy, Wall Street-listed The Brady Corporation has just entered into a long-term relationship with Eversheds to rationalise the delivery of Brady’s legal services across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Brady will deploy Eversheds’ market leading project management systems to increase efficiencies and delivery as Brady goes through a continued period of transformation and expansion.
The Brady Corporation is an international manufacturing company with operations in 106 countries and employs over 9,000 people worldwide.
Net sales topped $1.36 billion last year when the company made seven acquisitions, two in Europe.
Mather said: “The additional pressures of cross-border regulation, corporate governance and an increasingly competitive marketplace mean that many companies are looking for a very controlled and focused legal delivery.
“Eversheds’ significant investment in its international project management systems has been directly aimed at attracting major, dynamic clients like Brady.”
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