Taylor Wessing on 23 June announced the opening of two representative offices in the US to facilitate access to its European network. Located in tech-focused Palo Alto and New York, both offices are set to open in September this year.
The top 20 firm will not be practising US law, but instead plans to use its new US bases to push out work to its international network across Europe, CEE and Asia.
Corporate technology partner Mike Turner will head the New York office and divide his time between Manhattan and London, with support from a team of lawyers from Taylor Wessing’s international network. Corporate technology partner Mark Barron, who is currently based in London, will help lead the venture alongside Frankfurt-based technology and data protection partner Kai Westerwelle, and corporate technology senior associate Dennis Tan, who is currently based in Singapore. They will focus on providing ‘on-the-ground access’ to the firm’s lawyers in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Barron said: ‘European expansion has long been a part of the growth strategy for successful US businesses and now we are seeing a growing triangulation between the US, Europe – notably London, Berlin and Paris – and Singapore for tech innovation and investment in particular, with Singapore attracting an increasing level of US investment, especially from businesses on the West Coast. In addition, US businesses have undertaken considerable investment into the CEE region.’
The news comes weeks after the Anglo-German firm announced it was establishing a presence in Korea via an association with local full-service firm DR & AJU International Law Group.
Other leading UK firms to have taken a similar approach in the US include Osborne Clarke (OC), which in October last year launched in New York’s creative and digital district Soho, following the launch of a referral office in Palo Alto in 2001, which was set up to build links with technology and venture capital clients. OC’s New York office will primarily provide UK legal advice to European clients who have moved into New York or US clients looking to position themselves in Europe.