Photo courtesy of Law.com.
Summary: Acritis has released its 2018 UK Brand Index, naming Pinsent Masons as the top law firm amongst in-house counsel at major companies.
For the first time ever, Pinsent Masons has taken the top spot of the Acritis UK Brand Index. According to Acritis, “This year’s law firm brand index has been one of the most competitive. The top ten UK firms are separated by the fewest number of points in the Index’s history. Pinsent Masons is this year’s strongest law firm brand in the UK, overtaking four-time leader Eversheds Sutherland by the smallest of margins. Compared to the overall UK picture, Pinsent Masons stands out to clients for its responsiveness, the good working relationships it develops and fulfilling promises to deliver results.”
Pinsent Masons is a UK law firm with its biggest office in Birmingham. The firm’s practices include Corporate Law, Intellectual Property, and Litigation, according to Lawcrossing; and the firms’ motto is that the client comes firm.
“Our biased view is that legal services at all times should underpin the clients’ needs and business objectives,” the Pinsent Masons’ website states. “We are dedicated to tipping the scales in your favor. Making sure you win – whether that’s in Court or in your marketplace.”
Acritis releases a yearly brand index for the US and other global markets, and they stated that the Acritas UK Law Firm Brand Index 2018 was based on data compiled from Sharplegal last year. “Sharplegal is a comprehensive study of the global legal market across 55 countries with 2,130 in-house counsel who have senior responsibility for buying legal services in organizations with revenues of $50m and above. 295 interviews were conducted with senior counsel in the UK between January and December 2017,” Acritis said.
Other firms that made this year’s list includes Evershed Sutherland, DLA Piper, CMS, and Linklaters. Jo Aitken, Director of Acritas, said in a statement that CMS was the largest riser on the list.
“This year’s biggest riser is CMS. The firm has disrupted the top 10 by climbing an impressive 9 ranks since their merger to claim 4th. The three-way merger with Olswang and Nabarro has created a platform which can offer UK clients deep sector specialism and access to a comprehensive pan-European offer,” Aitken said.
Aitken added that the UK market is doing well with clients who have international needs.
“As the international needs of UK buyers grow, those firms who are able to service their clients in key international jurisdictions are continuing to stand out – particularly those with a strong EU presence, who can help clients reorganize pre-Brexit,” Aitken said. “Looking more closely at the ten firms within this year’s Index, all have a strong international proposition for clients as they look nervously towards the uncertainty of a future Europe, and with anticipation to the growing markets of Asia and the US.”