Six KPMG law firms bind together to launch worldwide network
KPMG has today announced the launch of a new legal organisation which it hopes will become one of the largest legal networks in the world.
Initially, KLegal International brings together six law firms from around the world including KPMG Legal of Australia and KLegal of the UK, though the founders hope that the group will grow to a total of 50 firms.
By developing a structure of firms with a common identity, KPMG said, the network will be able to provide a more cohesive service through the implementation of common standards.
The body has taken the name KLegal because of the rules in some jurisdictions concerning relationships between law and accountancy firms. ‘While member firms of KLegal International are separate and independent, they have good working relationships with their colleagues within KMPG,’ said KLegal chairman Jean-Louis Paul.
‘Clients increasingly demand multidisciplinary solutions to business problems, particularly on global assignments,’ he added.
Current Law Society regulations prevent members from forming partnerships with anyone who is not a lawyer. But late last year two-thirds of members urged the society to relax its rules, prompting the establishment of a working party to consider how MDPs might be regulated.
In the UK, KLegal employs a legal staff of 40, but hopes to reach 100 lawyers early next year.
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