Interlink's International Reach

It’s been an exciting year here at Interlink despite the challenges faced by the world in light of the pandemic. We have been fortunate enough to see our team grow, and even better, grow into new international markets. On our blog this week, one of our international legal recruitment team introduces themselves with more information about the countries and legal jurisdictions they cover.

Ciaran Connolly – Intenational Legal Recruitment Consultant

I’m a recent law graduate and joined Interlink with the desire to use my technical knowledge of the law, applying it in a more social medium. I’ve a good knowledge of European law, which has seen me come straight into the international team to focus on senior legal hires in Central Europe.

I’ve found that I am at an immediate advantage when speaking with Partners and Senior associates in Belgium as I know about the various legal institutions that form the basis for the legal market in Brussels. Plus, I am a keen observer of the impacts of Brexit on UK law firms’ activities in Europe. Being able to help UK law firms who are looking to establish a central European base is a real privilege.

Unlocking the Potential in Africa

I also cover the emerging economies of Africa, establishing new contacts there for our legal recruitment services. Africa is one of the most interesting markets in the world with a great deal of diversity and growth. From Johannesburg with its wealth of mining and real estate development, to Kenya which is now known as the Silicon Savannah with its emerging tech sector. There is now great opportunity for international law firms to expand their offering to these emerging economies. The continent’s rapid population growth, as well as its hordes of natural resources make cities like Lagos, Nairobi and Accra, some of the world’s new global hubs for law.

Collaboration for Success

Forming reciprocal relationships with local African law firms, to strengthening links between UK and international law firms, there’s realisation of the opportunities in Africa in terms of international growth. Firms such as IKM in Kenya, which is part of DLA Piper and even Webber Wentzel in South Africa, associated with Linklaters are examples of this. There is also quite a lot of movement in the Francophone African countries too, with a host of large French firms having departments there devoted to foreign investment into countries like the Congo, Algeria, Morocco and Senegal.

As international and UK law firms look to increase collaboration with African law firms, it’s an exciting time to be involved in helping with any legal staff sourcing requirements. 

Legal Consultancy Law Firms in Europe

It’s fair to say that international legal markets are as diverse and unique as the Lawyers working in them. Each country’s reception of consultancy is heavily dependent on the culture already entrenched in their legal market. Generally, I have found that in Germany the idea of legal consultancy is still quite new and the chasm between consultancy and what is considered ‘normal’ can seem larger than it really is. Meanwhile in France, most Lawyers are already self-employed and therefore the move to consultancy is more of a natural extension of what they already do. For me, it is an exciting time to help educate and facilitate such opportunities in these countries.

Looking More Closely at Germany

Personally, I find the legal market in Germany particularly fascinating. Each city has its own individual legal focus, becoming a hub for Lawyers of different practice areas. Take, for example, Berlin where you may find many legal professionals working in IT and innovation. Then only as little as two hours away, Hamburg is the hub for maritime and shipping law. Frankfurt is well known for being the leading city in finance, Cologne drives the automotive and pharmaceutical industry, and Munich finds its particular strength in wealth management. A modern law firm will be able to utilise all these strengths easily as they are no longer imposing a presenteeism culture on its Lawyers.

The Future Looks Different

I believe we will see many Lawyers across all jurisdictions breaking free of the restrictions imposed on them by traditional law firms and look towards a future that offers flexibility, freedom and the option to structure their business to their own needs.

We are starting to see this trend take shape across most markets in Europe. A few examples would be Gunnercooke opening its new offices in Berlin last year, Spencer West and Keystone consistently expanding their global reach and RIMON opening a new Paris office as recently as February this year.

Interlink Opens New Office in Berlin

To strengthen our position as a legal recruitment business with a global presence, we’re proud to say we have opened an office in Berlin. After mapping out plans and carrying out due diligence on the best location for a recruitment hub, we chose Germany’s capital.

The thriving legal services market here has seen us successfully co-ordinate our legal recruitment offering and make contacts with law firms in Germany. And geographically, it puts us in good reach of other countries in Central Europe, where our team are actively involved in recruiting legal professionals into both private practice and consultancy law firms.