Our approach to international work
We are committed to ensuring the delivery to our clients of the highest quality advice and client service in overseas jurisdictions as well as in the UK. To this end Addleshaw Goddard has developed a strong network of Preferred Firm relationships with leading law firms across all key jurisdictions in the world. We focus on jurisdictions where there is a significant requirement by our clients for international legal support such as the main Continental European jurisdictions, the Republic of Ireland, Scotland and North America as well as jurisdictions such as the "BRICS" nations where there is an increasing call for international coverage. For example, in recognition of China as a trading partner and source of business - manufacturing and services - to our clients, we have established a China focused group of partners with experience of the region and have Chinese language capabilities.
Our Preferred Firms worldwide are significant, independent, commercial law firms that are able to deliver a quality of service commensurate with our own. We enjoy non-exclusive relationships of mutual trust and commitment with them. A high level of personal contact is maintained through regular meetings in the jurisdictions concerned as well as in the UK. This involves significant commitment of time and resource to ensure that these international relationships are managed with the same client care as domestic relationships. For example, we share information on our respective working practices, have personnel exchanges (secondments) and contribute to each others' seminars and training programmes. Firms are chosen carefully for their quality of reputation, technical advice and client service.
The key objective of these relationships is to provide a high quality, integrated and cohesive service across jurisdictions, the benefit to the client is that the service is seamless, as it should be.
Our approach to international work offers considerable benefits:
| Addleshaw Goddard offers | Benefits |
| Network of carefully chosen independent, full service local firms. | High quality of advice, choice of firm, strength in depth and access to established specialist indigenous expertise - qualities that the local branch of some UK or global firms can lack. |
| Regular monitoring of quality. |
Consistency of quality. Flexibility to move the relationship to follow the best practice and best service. |
| Flexible approach - we do not impose our international model on clients, we offer choice. | Clients can continue to work with any firms they know and are comfortable with, whilst retaining the benefits offered by Addleshaw Goddard. |
| Wide geographical coverage. | Coverage across all of the main jurisdictions where advice is required with strong indigenous firms. |
| Experience of co-ordinating local firms on cross-border deals for clients. | Efficient approach - AG provides seamless management of deals. |
| Close personal and professional relationships with international firms, secondment exchanges. | Co-ordinated and more efficient service to clients. |
| Standardised terms and single billing. | We can co-ordinate costs for clients, and provide standard terms across all partner firms, as required. We can provide single billing across Europe preserving simplicity, consistency and efficiency. |
Our cross border experience
Addleshaw Goddard has significant experience of managing cross border transactions which very frequently involve the instruction by us of lawyers in a multiplicity of foreign jurisdictions.
Examples include:
- Acting for Travelodge on its acquisition by Dubai International Capital.
- Advising Marks & Clerk, the leading Patent & Trade Mark attorneys, on their global merger with Lloyd Wise. The merger provides the combined firm with a strenghtened presence in the UK and the Far East, with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore.
- Acting for King Sturge on the reorganisation of their European offices using a UK LLP (King Sturge International LLP) as the parent entity.
- Acting for the Vendor Shareholders on Americana International Group's disposal to a newly formed investee company, Yankee Bidco Limited.
- Acting for Linde Group AG on UK due diligence aspects of the disposal of its Material Handling Business.
- Acting for Thales SA on the sale of its high tech optics division to the UK private equity firm Candover.
- Acting for Diageo on the disposal of the Asbach, Metaxa, Cinzano & Vecchia Romagna brands to three trade purchasers. Jurisdictions included all major jurisdictions in Europe and Latin America. Also acting for Diageo on the disposal of Grupo Cruzcampo, the Spanish brewery, to Heineken. Jurisdictions included UK & Spain.
- The refinancing for Scapa Group plc and its subsidiaries which involved six other jurisdictions across Europe and America.
- Acting for UK listed company Delta on the worldwide disposal of its' electrical division to the Eaton group (15 jurisdictions including the US).
- Advising a major UK telecoms company on a reciprocal outsourcing arrangement with another multinational organisation involving the transfer of employees of our client in Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
- Acting for Barclays Private Equity on the management buy-out of Dualwise (owner of the Swarfega brand), involving 13 jurisdictions.
- Acting for Insinger de Beaufort on the management buy out of its trust and fiduciary services business. Jurisdictions included the Netherlands, Germany, Hong Kong, Channel Islands and the Cayman Islands.
Please contact Claire Northcote, International Development Manager on +44 (0)161 934 6538 or by email to for further information.
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