| Osborne Clarke | Standout | Dramatic restructuring of support functions | 9 | 8 | 6 | 23 | In the first deal of its kind in the UK, the firm comprehensively outsourced its back office functions. The new centre will provide support services for the legal sector, enabling Osborne Clarke to concentrate on its core business |
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| Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii | Standout | Comprehensive credit crisis response | 6 | 9 | 7 | 22 | Considering the firm’s internal challenges as well as those of its clients, from discounting fees to setting up an insolvency practice and a crisis knowledge centre. Resulted in 70 per cent of clients saying they would continue to instruct the firm |
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| Linklaters | Standout | Credit crunch scenario planning | 6 | 8 | 7 | 21 | A cross-section of partners and directors at Linklaters worked together to develop responses to the economic downturn, identifying key responses in resourcing, shifting markets and practice areas |
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| Acumen Business Law | Standout | A new style law firm | 8 | 7 | 5 | 20 | A collaborative approach to serving clients’ business needs, pre-empting the Legal Services Act. Legal services are provided alongside finance, marketing, technology and human resources |
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| Boyes Turner | Standout | Revitalising a medical negligence practice | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 | The firm developed a successful online strategy to protect and develop its claims business. Using a “hub and spoke” approach, specialist medical negligence microsites were developed to draw in potential customers |
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| Portolano Colella Cavallo | Standout | Counter-crisis action | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 | To take advantage of the crisis, the firm is taking measures to accelerate growth. While improving its client service it has also increased its marketing budget, raised headcount by a third over the past year and reduced costs |
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| Clifford Chance | Highly commended | India strategy | 6 | 5 | 8 | 19 | In an important but closed legal market, the firm secured a tie-up agreement with one of India’s top firms, AZB & Partners. This relationship enables the firm to rectify a key missing link in its global offering |
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| Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | Highly commended | Wiki intranet | 7 | 6 | 6 | 19 | A web 2.0 solution has been implemented to allow collaborative knowledge sharing. User group wikis and blogs are perfect tools to encourage contributions and provide a more dynamic service to clients |
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| Kemp Little | Highly commended | Financial management in the downturn | 5 | 7 | 7 | 19 | Lawyers at Kemp Little complete time entries to provide a view of work in progress, reducing expenses by 20 per cent, and the firm has adapted their financial management to a riskier environment |
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| DLA Piper | Commended | Global financial information system | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Implementation of a web-based financial management system built in-house that is compatible with Thomson Elite. It provides the firm with a single snapshot of its billing across non-US regions |
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| Hergüner Bilgen Ozeke | Commended | Analytical human resource management | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | An evaluation matrix is used to map and assess supervisory relationships between senior and junior lawyers. Combined with half-yearly reviews, it allows the firm to quantify the benefits of teamwork |
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| Latham & Watkins | Commended | Strategic video conferencing | 7 | 6 | 5 | 18 | The firm is using a new technology, Telepresence, to simulate the dynamics of real meetings. It can inter-connect with notebooks and has been used by their clients in negotiations |
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| Allen & Overy | Commended | Institutionalising innovation | 5 | 7 | 5 | 17 | A&O’s innovation panel developed initiatives to meet the challenges of pricing and efficiency. The firm are now implementing these to improve efficiency and reduce costs to clients |
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| DLA Piper | Commended | YouTube for DLA Piper staff | 6 | 5 | 6 | 17 | Using local servers, the firm shares videos and presentations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia over an intranet to enhance global internal communications |
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