Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.
Global accountancy, architecture and legal professional service firms (PSFs) play a vital role in the global economy and facilitate cross border business. Their operations are, however, complicated by the fact that the home-country, predominantly US and UK, professional cultures, practices and institutions are very different to those encountered elsewhere. This project seeks to examine the way global PSFs manage such differences through the use of selective recruitment and professional education. The project uses a case study of English global law firms in Europe because of their expansive globalization strategies in the region. The project will: (1) examine the selective recruitment strategies of firms and analyse trends in relation to the universities and countries of education preferred by firms through a survey of the qualifications and biographies of partners working in the European offices of English global law firms; (2) analyse the role of in-house training programmes, as well as 'preferred' external training providers, in the management of professional cultures through interviews with partners, associates and training managers in England, Germany and Italy; (3) investigate the implications of the training programmes used by firms for the regulation of professional education through interviews with training providers and regulators of professional education.
Main Topics:
This research aimed to examine recruitment and training strategies and preferences for the 'Top Ten' law firms in Europe. This was done through 90 face-to-face semi-structured interviews with lawyers employed at the global firms. 40 of these were based in London, 18 in Milan and 29 in Frankfurt. A qualifications database was also compiled through a survey of the firms' websites. The websites were of 4 English and 2 American law firms ranked in the 'Top 10' of law firms. The data compiled for partners of the firms covered all of their EU offices and consists of over 2000 individual records. The data compiled for the associates of the firms only covers the UK, Germany and Ireland for 3 firms and consists of over 500 records. Data relating to university-level qualifications were gathered from the lawyers surveyed. Telephone interviews were also used.
No sampling (total universe)
Purposive selection/case studies
Face-to-face interview
Transcription of existing materials
Compilation or synthesis of existing material
