The firms have stopped short of a full merger, but have said that they will provide a fully integrated service to clients from 1 May
Linklaters and AAR have formed a joint venture (JV) bringing together their Asia-focused energy, resources, and infrastructure lawyers but will maintain separate profit pools, instead sharing revenue on a matter-by-matter basis. The two firms have also formed another JV focusing on Indonesia, based on AAR’s existing alliance with Jakarta firm Widyawan & Partners.
Linklaters senior partner Robert Elliott said: “The firms are a very good fit, we have a similar client base, complementary practice areas, cultural synergy, a leading depth and breadth of expertise, and strength of brand in our respective markets. By combining our resources and aligning our supporting processes we’ll be able to enhance and expand what we can do for our clients.”
Linklaters managing partner Simon Davies, who was reappointed to the role for a second term on 20 April, and AAR chief executive partner Michael Rose first met at a conference in California about a year ago. The pair then set a lunch and, according to Rose, “realised that we were seeing things in the same way and that there were a couple of views about the markets and law firms that we shared.”
The pair began to discuss an alliance seriously around five or six months ago.
A collaboration committee, which will report to Davies and Rose, will be established to oversee the alliance, with three partners appointed from each firm. From Linklaters, the members of the collaboration committee will be German senior partner Carl-Peter Feick, London corporate partner Olivia McKendrick and Asia managing partner Stuart Salt.
From AAR, the committee will comprise finance partner Robert Cornish, who was formerly the firm’s Hong Kong managing partner, corporate partner Paul Quinn, and one more partner who is yet to be named.
The firms will also establish a committee to head the energy, infrastructure and resources joint venture, comprised of two partners from each firm, as well as appointing a partner from each firm to work alongside Widyawan & Partners.
Linklaters, which has about 2,100 lawyers across the globe, has Asia offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Bangkok. AAR, with 800 lawyers, also has offices in China and Hong Kong but has made greater investments in recent years in South-East Asia, including Vietnam and Thailand. The firm also opened an office in Mongolia in autumn 2011.
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