Where should we open up our next office?

[Donzi]

Hi All,

I have an interview coming up with a well renowned international firm who have offices worldwide.

I've heard that at this particular firm, there is a high probability that the question in the title will be asked. However, I have absolutely no idea what to say.

As mentioned, they have offices everywhere. So, any help / guidance would be much appreciated.

Donzi

 

[Naomi U]

Hi All,

I have an interview coming up with a well renowned international firm who have offices worldwide.

I've heard that at this particular firm, there is a high probability that the question in the title will be asked. However, I have absolutely no idea what to say.

As mentioned, they have offices everywhere. So, any help / guidance would be much appreciated.

Donzi

Hi @Donzi

First of all, congratulations on your interview!

I think interviewers who ask this question are less concerned with the specific location you give, but rather your reasons why. This question is designed to test your knowledge of the firm, its clients, and the markets they operate in.

With this in mind, my initial advice would be to read up on the firm's present locations. The last thing you want to do is to name a location that the firm is already based in! In addition to this, when approaching your research to this question, consider these factors:

- Who are the firm’s key clients and what industries and locations do they currently operate in?

- Who are the client's key competitors and what is the current state of their relationship e.g. is there a new product line or area in which companies are expanding into?

- What is the current status of the industries that the clients operate in e.g. has there been a decline/ has there been recent technical developments?

- What role does geographic location play in the success or failure of these industries e.g. has there been a tightening/relaxing of government restrictions (tax holidays, competition policies, employment, and labour laws)

- What are the current emerging markets and how could the firm's clients interact with such markets considering the information above?

These are some ideas to hopefully streamline your research. Remember the focus is not so much on the exact location you choose but rather your reasons for doing so.

Best of luck & keep us updated!

 

[Dheepa]

Hi Donzi,

I completely agree with everything that Naomi has said. Focusing on the law firm's key industries/clients, the commercial issues/opportunities affecting those clients and then tying that into the local political and economic policies of that country is definitely the way to go. I just wanted to offer some additional advice on some practical considerations for the law firm. Think about:

1. Competition in the legal market of that specific country. For example, South Africa is an extremely saturated legal market and although there may be many advantages to opening an office there to better cater to clients in the mining, oil and gas, and tech industry - doing so now might still be very unprofitable for a law firm because of the competition to get big ticket work, especially with firms that are already well established there.

2. What kind of entry would the law firm make into the market? For example, huge international firms like NRF use a swiss verein structure and would probably prefer to merge with a local law firm outright. Some firms might actually want to build an office there from the ground up which would then involve making important lateral hires from local law firms.

3. Deal value. When deciding on a country, I would do some additional research into deals that other firms had already undertaken in that market and the corresponding value of the deals. This would then give you a good idea of how profitable investing in that market would be and you could use any of those deal examples to further substantiate why that country would be a good choice.

4. Are there any other offices the law firm has in that region? I think this is an important potential follow up question to think about as you might be asked why there is a need for an additional office if they can access opportunities/clients in that country from an already existing office in that region. One thing you could say is something as simple as having a physical presence would create better brand recognition among clients in that country. Alternatively, you could look into some of the political/economic issues affecting the country of the already existing office and use examples of any decreased investment/movement out of that country by clients.

I'd just like to stress that the focus should be on the factors that Naomi mentioned but bringing up these additional points may be a good way to show that you're aware of the business considerations of that law firm specifically as well.

 

[AB141]

@Dheepa @Jessica Booker @Jaysen

Hello!

Following the theme of this thread, I was wondering what factors affect the decision to open an office in the following situation:

Where a firm has a specific country desk operating from a different office in the region (ex: India Desk from Singapore) or an associate office or a working-arrangement with a local firm, what factors might make it attractive for a firm to graduate to a full office located in the jurisdiction?

I understand that sometimes legal profession regulations in a country may not permit it, but for example, with India allowing foreign firms to set up offices recently (subject to a host of conditions) what might be business reasons for a law firm to (a) scrap the India Hub in Singapore model/ Best-friends model/ fly-in-fly out model, and establish an office in India or (b) Continue with their existing models and choose not to open an office?

Note: This question is making the assumption that there is a commercial case for the law firm to increase work from the jurisdiction/expand.

Thank you!​

 

[AlexJ]

@Dheepa @Jessica Booker @Jaysen

Hello!

Following the theme of this thread, I was wondering what factors affect the decision to open an office in the following situation:

Where a firm has a specific country desk operating from a different office in the region (ex: India Desk from Singapore) or an associate office or a working-arrangement with a local firm, what factors might make it attractive for a firm to graduate to a full office located in the jurisdiction?

I understand that sometimes legal profession regulations in a country may not permit it, but for example, with India allowing foreign firms to set up offices recently (subject to a host of conditions) what might be business reasons for a law firm to (a) scrap the India Hub in Singapore model/ Best-friends model/ fly-in-fly out model, and establish an office in India or (b) Continue with their existing models and choose not to open an office?

Note: This question is making the assumption that there is a commercial case for the law firm to increase work from the jurisdiction/expand.

Thank you!​

Not one of those tagged but my firm has a fairly established Indian desk-

You may want to look into the recent rule change in India, which has opened up the possibilities of an international law firm in India. However, lawyers are conservative by nature, and, particularly where they are established in the market, what do they gain from opening a physical office, which brings high costs. The answer to this depends on the practice area/ industry you are interested in.