FRANCE
AERIAL VIEW OF PARIS
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
FRENCH CONNECTIONS
The French legal market is known for its preponderance of successful niche practices and
independent firms, an approach which remains popular on the continent. But as mainland
Europe faces new challenges with the Eurozone crisis just how far can the leading French
boutiques and independent firms be held up as successful models?
Anastasia Hancock reports
OFFERING flexible and reactive responses to eco- nomic shifts, boutique firms and independent players are generally low on overheads and high
in PEP, and these specialist offerings have fared well in the
downturn. The model remains comparatively more pop-
ular across Europe, especially as the legal market strug-
gles to adapt to a new global financial climate. However,
critics argue that these outfits will never wield the clout to
make a real impact on the market, and large internation-
al firms will always garner the most enviable deals avail-
able. As clients grow more and more sophisticated and
competition becomes tougher, which models are emerg-
ing as real contenders for the top slots in the French legal
market?
RELATIONSHIP ADVICE
Europe continues to feel the impact of the recession as
the debt crisis deepens, and the inevitable effect on the
legal market is the emergence of a survival of the fittest
mentality. A more competitive climate is obvious, and
clients have inevitably become increasingly savvy in
their selection of local counsel. However, the result has
also prompted a new enthusiasm for niche practices,
independent firms and boutiques with a small equity
