The firms have had relationships for more than a decade, but now it’s even more official
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With Brexit still up in the air, a major UK law firm has formalised long-time ties with German and Dutch firms.
Mills & Reeve has inked affiliations with Germany's Graf von Westphalen and the Netherlands’ Van Benthem & Keulen.
The affiliations with the two firms are key steps in the firm’s international strategy, said Tom Pickthorn, Mills & Reeve head of international.
“With the uncertainties and opportunities arising from Brexit, it is more important than ever that we can provide our clients a seamless service in these key markets. The affiliation we signed in 2014 with FIDAL, the largest law firm in France, has already shown us how much our clients value this approach,” Pickthorn said.
For more than a decade, the UK firm and its new German and Dutch affiliates have worked closely on a wide range of matters, including M&A, private equity, flotations, corporate finance, employment law, and commercial disputes. The three already have joint legal training programs and regular secondee exchanges.
“The UK is a key export market for many German businesses and over recent years we have been advising on an increasing number of cross-border deals for our clients with the assistance of Mills & Reeve,” said Christof Kleinmann, joint managing partner at Graf von Westphalen.
“The Netherlands has always been a strong trading nation and that still applies today,” said Marcel Ruygvoorn, managing partner at Van Benthem & Keulen. “Many of our clients are multinationals and expect us to provide a seamless service, not only in the Netherlands, but also abroad.”
