Law Practice News South Africa

Baker & McKenzie tops 2014 Acritas Index

The 2014 Acritas Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index has for the fifth consecutive year named Baker & McKenzie the strongest global law firm brand.

The firm ranked top for each of the measures that makes up the index - awareness, favourability, consideration for multi-jurisdictional deals and for multi-jurisdictional litigation - and increased the lead over its nearest competitor to more than 60%.

The ranking is based on interviews with 1,185 senior legal buyers across the world's largest multinationals with revenues in excess of $1bn. Baker & McKenzie has been ranked top in each of the five years that the index has been published.

The firm led the regional indices for mainland Europe and Asia Pacific and features in the top ten in nearly every region surveyed. In recent months Acritas has also separately confirmed Baker & McKenzie as the number one firm of choice for elite multinationals operating in Africa and the sixth most influential law firm brand in London.

Record revenues

The news comes a month after the firm announced record global revenues for the fiscal year ended 30 June 2014 of $2.54bn, an increase of 5% on the previous twelve months which confirmed Baker & McKenzie as the world's largest law firm by revenues, markets and headcount.

"On behalf of all the 10,900 people of Baker & McKenzie I would like to say how great an honour it is to be selected again as the leading international legal brand," said Eduardo Leite, chairman of Baker & McKenzie's executive committee.

"The market for legal services gets more competitive every year and it is very pleasing that the significant investments that Baker & McKenzie continues to make in the quality and client-driven approach to our work has been recognised by the participants of this study - our clients and prospective clients."

Let's do Biz