EDITORIAL: Network organizations attractive for law firms

November 28, 2013 9:25 AM
Six of the seven largest law firms in the Dutch Caribbean cooperate on an institutionalized basis with firms in other jurisdictions. Their aim is to attract international clients and to serve their local and regional clients internationally. They do so either on an individual basis or within so called network alliances.
 
Individual ties are mostly with firms based in the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. For example, growing Aruba headquartered David Kock Legal is associated with Meijer Advocaten in The Hague, and Curacao based SMS Law works with the firm of well known Dutch criminal lawyer Gerard Spong. Dutch Caribbean’s largest law firm, VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne, is associated with renowned Amsterdam based law firm Van Doorne for 35 years already.
 
Law firm network organizations such as Lex Mundi, TerraLex, MSI Global, Global Law and Meritas consist of independent law firms and are membership based. The largest networks have more than 10,000 attorneys located in hundreds of offices worldwide.
 
In overview: 
 
 

Law firm

Jurisdiction firm

Network

Rank*

No. of lawyers in network

No. of jurisdictions in network

Average size member firms

No. of offices in network

No. of member firms in network

Founding year

VanEpsKunnemanVanDoorne

Dutch Caribbean

Lex Mundi

1

21,000

160

131

560

160

1989

VanEpsKunnemanVanDoorne

Dutch Caribbean

World Services

Group

2

19,232

141

136

387

150

2003

Lim A Po

Surinam

World Services

Group

2

19,232

141

136

387

150

2003

Gomez & Bikker

Aruba

Terralex

3

15,000

155

97

300

155

1991

HBN Law

Dutch Caribbean

Meritas

10

7,140

135

53

237

173

1990

SBA

Curacao & Bonaire

GlobaLaw

19

500

100

5

170

94

1994

SMS

Curacao

MSI Global

30

2650

105

25

n/a

110

1990

*Source: Wikipedia(based on no. of offices; selected on relevance to the Dutch Caribbean region)

 
These networks originated in the 1990s, when supply and demand shifted from local to global. They were a practical and cost-effective method to expand the resources available to each member, and to provide their clients with lawyers in other jurisdictions who understand their economic, legal and political factors. Initially, networks did not apply strategic models or strict membership selection processes. Lex Mundi was formed in 1989 and was the first network to admit only the largest and most established firms in a state or country, and to define strategic objectives. Other networks like TerraLex and Meritas followed soon. 
 
Firms utilizing on networks claim multiple benefits. Frank Kunneman, managing partner of VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne: "We are an active member of legal only Lex Mundi, broader oriented World Services Group and we are associated with Amsterdam-based law firm Van Doorne. These organizations share their market leadership and high standards with us. Because a large part of the work in the Dutch Caribbean is international by nature – originating from the US, South America or the Netherlands – it is essential to always have trustworthy counterparts in other jurisdictions. It also helps us in maintaining the highest level of know-how." 

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