Aussie Lawyers Tapped up by Linklakers

Posted on: 19.06.2011    11:47:59

The global shortages of tip top talent has been evidenced as the UK heavy weight lawyers Linklaters has tapped into the Australian legal market. Returning to the UK with a double digit number of Lawyers. The new arrivals will beef up the firm’s banking and finance, corporate and litigation departments.

This is an enterprising move and recognises that there is no substitution for quality in delivering premier service around the world.

It may be an early precursor of client demand for on tap legal services and it will be interesting to see if the other majors follow this move.

For Australia that has been so busy shopping around the globe to fill its own skills gaps twenty lawyers hardly constitutes an out pouring of talent but now the law tap is dripping it won’t take much for our people in Australia to discover they have a legal skills shortage. For example they discovered last month that they have a shortage of 20,000 Accountants, presumably as there was no one there to add up the numbers!

What we all need to recognise is that mobility of labour has never been easier. Law on tap may be a new example but Australia has been draining top talent from around the world and retains a voracious thirst.

I suspect Linklaters’ success was a function of the Aussie firms leaving their back doors open as they only just coming to terms with international competition

 

Author: Chris Slay

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