Pearl in the crown

Marriage and matchmaking are my theme against a background of this week’s UK-India Legal Practice conference hosted by the Law Society.

India remains that great seraglio of luscious but unattainable legal romance. Although there may have been the odd illicit backdoor liaison between UK and Indian law firms, the front door has been shut firmly.

After the recent elections there may be a change in attitude by the new Congress Government. The Law Society has been active as a putative matchmaker bringing together possible partners in preparation for closer union in years to come. Among the firms taking part in the getting-to-know-you sessions have been CMS Cameron McKenna, Simmons & Simmons and Speechly Bircham on the UK side and Malhotra & Malhotra, Satinder Kapur & Associates and FoxMandal Little for the Indians. One just hopes that not too many broken hearts and shattered dreams will follow.

So cosmopolitan

Of course in Western Europe we have a much more easy-come, easy-go approach. So there was no prudishness about the announcement earlier this week of a “strategic international alliance” between Pinsent Masons and Salans, the cosmopolitan Franco-American firm that seems to pop up all over the place these days.

Reading between the lines, this seems to be a corporate version of living apart together. The idea is that Pinsents can give Salans the chunky London presence that its non-UK clients need while Salans can deliver a strong spread of offices across regions such as Eastern Europe, the Gulf and Asia. As a sign of their mutual commitment they will even, on occasions, pitch jointly for new clients.

So, behind the scenes, is this really a premarriage trial? No, came the definitive answer from Stephen Finch, global chairman of Salans. “It’s not an exclusive relationship but it offers a joined-up approach to international work without the disruption costs of a merger.”

Nonetheless, Mr Finch did suggest that Pinsents could become a more “significant other” than the firm’s other liaisons. So don’t rule out, long-term, a more intimate match.

Respect

All this marriage talk is keeping Alan Hodgart and his team at H4 Partners, the legal management consultancy, very busy. It is all highly confidential but it seems that there are discreet wooings taking place right across the UK, US and the Continent as firms realise that they need to be more broadly based to withstand recession.

The incisive point made, however, by Hodgart is that successful firms are the ones where the management, once elected, is allowed to get on with the job of managing without having to face a stream of scepticism from fellow partners. “Partners vote as owners for the management but thereafter they must accept that they are workers and respect the management’s authority,” he says. A useful reminder in these turbulent times.

edward.fennell@yahoo.co.uk

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