Field Fisher Waterhouse has signalled plans to become a pan-European practice after unveiling a series of moves that will end its alliance on the Continent. The firm is in advanced merger talks with Paris outfit Dubarry and is to launch new offices in Germany and Belgium.
The European push will give Field Fisher its first offices outside the UK, with its European Legal Alliance, set up in 2002, dissolving at the end of this month. The firm announced the moves internally late last week, with the new offices officially launching in April.
If the talks with Dubarry are successful, the combined firm will operate from Dubarry’s existing Paris office. The full-service French firm, which is best known for its litigation practice, recently lost former name partner Pierre-Francois Veil, who quit to join his brother’s firm, Veil Jourde, along with three associates.
German ally Buse Heberer Fromm is losing four partners to Field Fisher’s new office in Hamburg. Corporate partner Frank Moerchen will lead the team, which also includes corporate partners Michael Adam and Thomas Demmel and intellectual property partner Philip Plog.
Meanwhile, three partners have left Brussels alliance member Verhaegen Walravens. Eric Cusas (commercial and insolvency), Emmanuel Roger France (technology and corporate fraud) and Pierre Fruhling (EU and competition) have all joined Field Fisher.
Field Fisher has also entered into an exclusive relationship with Spanish alliance member Jimenez de Parga and is discussing its referral relationship with Italian ally La Scala.
The moves do not include remaining alliance members Beauchamps in Ireland and Harper Macleod in Scotland or affiliate offices Bogsch & Partners (Hungary), Havel & Holasek (Czech Republic) and Laszczuk & Wspolnicy (Poland).
Financial results from Belgium and Germany - as well as Paris if the ongoing merger talks are successful - will be included in Field Fisher’s annual results from next year.
The firm has set up a new European board that will include five London partners as well as Cusas in Brussels and Moerchen in Hamburg. Partners in Paris will also be represented if the merger goes ahead.
Mark Abell, the Field Fisher partner who will chair the new European board, said: “The European Legal Alliance was a great success and provided us with the perfect platform to establish Field Fisher Waterhouse as a strong European brand, which now offers our current and future clients a genuine alternative to the large international firms.”
He added: “We now have a much higher level of integration and communication and our presence in each country will be built on the strength of local lawyers and their reputation.”
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