Legal management consultancy Hildebrandt (part of the Thomson Reuters group) has announced the opening of new offices in Beijing, Hong Kong and Sydney effective January 1, 2010. According to the consultancy, the potential growth of the legal profession in Asia is impressive. Global firms continue to invest in the region although many lack a strategic business plan for their offices. Local and regional firms are also growing and we envision some potential consolidation of the market. The biggest challenge for local and regional firms is to put in place a structure and systems that will allow them to compete effectively in this changing market. "We would not be surprised if there were consolidation between the growing Chinese firms and a major US or UK firm."
Hildebrandt chairman Bradford Hildebrandt adds "Establishing a local presence in Beijing, Hong Kong and Sydney is a natural next step for Hildebrandt as we continue to expand our operations across Asia. There are many exciting opportunities for Hildebrandt to bring state of the art consulting services to the Asian legal market. It is important for us to have offices here in order to support the needs of our clients and others investing in these cities. Hildebrandt already has strong client relationships in Australia and will continue our commitment to the region, while expanding our commitment to Asia and the ongoing needs of our clients."
Hildebrandt will use its presence in Asia to provide a range of legal services including practice organization, strategic growth, client relations, compensation and governance.
• Chilli IQ relaunch gets off to warm start
Meanwhile Chilli Marketing Solutions relaunch as Chilli IQ got off to a good start, with over 60 people from the legal and health IT industry (including John Duckett of DLA Phillips Fox and Gerard Neiditsch of Mallesons) attending the reception last week in Sydney.
(I know, we're turning into the Heat magazine of the legal IT world.)
