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fivehundred, the magazine from The Legal 500, combines the knowledge of our experienced editors and researchers with expert contributors to give you an insight into the global themes affecting the legal profession.

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Joining the dots

In a world where demand for legal services continues to grow and firms are under increasing pressure to meet client demand across borders and time zones, how are networks faring up? Tanya Drobnis and Cameron Purse take a look

Inside this Edition

Briefing: MHP Law Firm

One of the legal bases for a personal information processor to export personal information is to execute a contract with an overseas recipient based on a standard contract enacted by Cyberspace Administration of China (“CAC”) according to the Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China. On February 22, 2023, CAC issued the …

Interview with… Michael Reiss von Filski, Global CEO

GGI is the leading global alliance of independent professional services firms, with 900+ offices in over 125 countries, generating an annual cumulative fee income exceeding USD 6.3 bn

Joining the dots

In a world where demand for legal services continues to grow and firms are under increasing pressure to meet client demand across borders and time zones, how are networks faring up? Tanya Drobnis and Cameron Purse take a look

Focus on… Cicero

Cicero was founded with clients in mind and our clients remain the focus of our businesses. This is central to everything we do and is reflected in our website which was designed to showcase our clients’ interests rather than simply our own offices or locations Most of our clients are ambitious mid-sized companies where the …

Focus on… GGI | Global Alliance

In today’s global markets, being able to service clients with international business needs is a necessity for all professional service firms, whether large or small. Having an international network of outstanding and trustworthy peers who are able to provide in-depth understanding of local legal and fiscal differences is a must for businesses to be successful …

Focus on… The Law Firm Network

View Law Firm Network website Seefeldstrasse 123 P.O. Box 8008 Zurich, Switzerland The Law Firm Network is a non-exclusive association of independent law firms with members in over 50 countries around the world. As one of the oldest and strongest networks in the sector, the LFN does not only work to generate referrals and strengthen …

Focus on… Lex Mundi

Lex Mundi is the world’s leading network of independent law firms. It brings the best together – law firms, lawyers, and business professionals – in more than 125 countries to provide world-class cross-border legal solutions. Our member firms offer a global resource of unmatched breadth and depth, with over 22,000 lawyers worldwide. Lex Mundi selects …

Interview with… Jovana Drašković, Executive Director, SELA

How has the pandemic and the flexi-working revolution affected the network model? Even before the pandemic, our network, given the different locations we are in, functioned with the help of tools that are now widely used, such as various web communication platforms (Teams, Zoom…). Our internal infrastructure and internal knowledge and know-how sharing are based …

Interview with… Helena Samaha, President & CEO, Lex Mundi

How has the pandemic and the flexi-working revolution affected the network model? The pandemic and the rise of flexible working have accelerated the need for law firms to be agile, adaptable, and collaborative. With the sudden shift to remote working, law firms have had to adapt their business practices and operations to remain competitive. As …

Interview with… Keith Heddle, managing director, Mackrell International

How has the pandemic and the flexi-working revolution affected the network model? Definitely for the better. It’s brought us closer together and created more opportunities. For starters, we value our in-person meetings more than ever and we’ve added more spark and more sparkle to the programme, so that they are more engaging, optimise interactions and …

Interview with… Glenn Cunningham, Chairman, Interlaw

Glenn Cunningham has been chair of Interlaw since 2019. Interlaw is an elite global network operating in more than 140 cities with 8000+ lawyers worldwide

Interview with… Scott Guan, Zhong Lun Law Firm, WLG President, World Law Group

How has the pandemic and the flexi-working revolution affected the network model? The pandemic accelerated the flexi-working revolution that was bound to happen, but it hasn’t had a negative impact on the network model. WLG has been largely virtual for 35 years, and even pre-pandemic, the network hosted phone calls and virtual meetings—often early morning …

Interview with… Adam Cooke, Chief Executive Officer, Multilaw

How has the pandemic and the flexi-working revolution affected the network model? A surprising thing happened during the pandemic – enquiries about joining the network increased. I think this was because many of the normal channels of business development involving travel were no longer available (at least temporarily) for law firms but networks such as …

Interview with… Rafael Truan Blanco, executive director, The Law Firm Network

How has the pandemic and the flexi-working revolution affected the network model? It is widely known that the pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies and that, in general, there has been a greater uptake of remote working in law firms. Initially, the uptake of flexible working was also widespread. Although the percentage of …

Focus on… International Lawyers Network

To keep pace with the increasingly global nature of our economy as modern technology bridges the gap between countries and continents, it is essential for companies to have accessible and reliable legal counsel around the globe. As companies navigate the uncertain terrain of foreign business environments, trustworthy and timely advice and personalized attention can mean …

Interview with… Lindsay Griffiths, International Lawyers Network

How has the pandemic and the flexi-working revolution affected the network model? For us, it’s helped. We’ve long been encouraging our members to engage with us and each other in between in-person events, with limited success. But the pandemic forced lawyers (and everyone) to work virtually and it helped us all to realize how easy …