 | |
| Headquarters | London, England, UK[1] |
|---|---|
| No. of offices | 25 |
| No. of lawyers | 1220+ |
| No. of employees | Approx 2,440 |
| Major practice areas | Energy and utilities,Financial services,Life sciences and healthcare,Real estate andInfrastructure,Recruitment,Retail and consumer,Tech,Media and Comms,Transport and Automotive |
| Key people | Conrad Davies (Managing Partner) Peter Clough (Senior Partner)[2] |
| Date founded | 1748 |
| Company type | Swiss association[3] |
| Website | osborneclarke.com |
Osborne Clarke is an internationallegal practice headquartered inLondon, England, UK with offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, China, India via BTG Legal, Singapore, the United States and Poland. The firm has over 320 partners and more than 2,440 employees spread across its 25 offices around the world. The firm's headquarters are located inLondon,United Kingdom.
The firm was involved in the development of the railways in Southern England through its historic relationship withIsambard Kingdom Brunel and theGreat Western Railway.[4]
Osborne Clarke was founded inBristol, England, in 1748 by Jeremiah Osborne. In 1987 Osborne Clarke opened its firstLondon office. Over the next decade the firm opened offices inReading,Cologne,Munich andSilicon Valley.
Thelaw firm played a significant part in the development of the railways in the UK when it was appointed to represent theGreat Western Railway Company, working closely withIsambard Kingdom Brunel on the establishment of theGreat Western Main Line route fromLondon Paddington toBristol and the West Country.[5] The nature of the relationship between Osborne Clarke and Brunel is best highlighted by one notable occasion when Jeremiah Osborne the Third (grandson to the founder) is said to have personally rowed Brunel down theRiver Avon to survey the bank for the route of the Great Western Railway.[6]
The partnership's recent history has been characterised by two strands of development. Firstly, they have undertaken significant international expansion, particularly into the United States and Germany where they are now the 41st largest law firm.[7] On 9 July 2012 the firm announced that two European firms, SLA Studio Legale Associato in Italy and Spanish firm Osborne Clarke Spain, had become part of Osborne Clarke.[8]
Secondly the firm has seen considerable expansion in the media and technology sectors, in which they are considered a tier 1 firm.[9] Notable clients in this sector includeYahoo!,Facebook,[10]Dell,PwC,[11]Google,[12]Pokémon Company[13] andTripadvisor.[14]
In 2015 Osborne Clarke was namedThe Lawyer's firm of the year.[15]
In 2019 the firm was awarded theBest Corporate Culture Award at theManaging Partners Forum (MAP) Awards.[16]
After expanding significantly through thedot-com bubble of the late nineties and early 2000s, the firm has undergone a comprehensive restructure. The firm retains a comprehensive range of departments, however Osborne Clarke is considered a first tier firm in both the Media and Entertainment and Brand Management sectors.[10]
International Councilchairman Stefan Rizor has been re-elected for a second term. Omar Al-Nuaimi is the InternationalCEO.[32]
The firm has established a reputation[citation needed] for working in a number of sectors, but references the following list on their corporate website:
