| Irwin Mitchell | Stand-out | Comprehensive business strategy | 8 | 8 | 7 | 23 | A suite of initiatives makes this one of the most ground-breaking, best-known law firms in the UK. One of its latest initiatives was partnering with the Daily Telegraph newspaper to provide readers with immediate legal advice. |
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| Bevan Brittan | Stand-out | Public services strategy | 7 | 8 | 7 | 22 | A strategic review returned the firm to focusing on its strengths. Implementation of the strategy has led to considerable improvement in its fortunes. |
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| Axiom | Stand-out | Creating a new category of legal provider | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | Building on its unusual structure, Axiom purchased a disclosure company in 2010, which added 100 lawyers to the firm and enables it to offer savings to clients. Axiom enjoys growth of 30 per cent a year. |
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| Portolano Cavallo Studio Legale | Stand-out | Acting as a business | 6 | 8 | 7 | 21 | Improved its management functions by hiring a C-level suite of executives and managing through a committee. The result of various initiatives has been a 65 per cent increase in revenue since 2008. |
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| Wiggin | Stand-out | Media focus | 8 | 7 | 6 | 21 | Concentrating on media clients, the firm engages Generation Y and women, and has developed new partnering models with its clients. |
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| Addleshaw Goddard | Highly Commended | Alternative pricing model | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 | With the help of Cranfield School of Management, the firm is pioneering pricing models. |
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| Ashurst | Highly Commended | Ashurst committee | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 | A body set up to change working practices, it is currently looking at work / life balance and communications. Workshops make the process mutual and interactive. |
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| Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira | Highly Commended | Responding to Generation Y | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 | An analytical approach to generations and their different values informs the firm’s management approach. |
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| Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | Highly Commended | Gender equality | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 | Tackles gender inequality within the firm through initiatives such as coaching, networking and role models. |
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| Kromann Reumert | Highly Commended | Sales training for associates | 8 | 7 | 5 | 20 | An unusual tack for a law firm to take – tackling lawyers’ inherent resistance to sales and marketing. |
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| Linklaters | Highly Commended | Measuring success differently | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 | Breaking away from only measuring its performance against financials, the firm has set a new bar in assessing the performance of its people and itself as a business. |
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| Allen & Overy | Highly Commended | “Advanced” organising principle | 7 | 7 | 5 | 19 | Developed a strategic principle to guide its activities, centred on being the most “advanced” law firm. |
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| Baker & McKenzie | Highly Commended | People strategy | 6 | 6 | 7 | 19 | Using open dialogue with staff to meet the challenges of the recession and transform them into opportunities to develop human resources. |
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| Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira | Highly Commended | Gender equality | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 | Two partners have been asked to examine working practices in the firm with a suite of technological and flexible working policies. |
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| Eversheds | Highly Commended | Shadow senior management team | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 | A team of associates and business professionals shadows the executive committee to get them more involved in the business. |
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| Hogan Lovells | Highly Commended | Integrated people development function | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 | Developing a new people strategy to support new partners and develop existing ones. |
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| Kemp Little | Highly Commended | Technology strategy | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 | Strong strategic focus on technology and related work such as intellectual property. |
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| LABLAW | Highly Commended | Italian employment law boutique | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 | Instituted operational innovations such as a 24-hour helpline. |
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| Boyes Turner | Commended | Becoming Thames Valley’s dominant firm | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | A focus on establishing new practices such as an industrial disease team has kept the firm at the top of the region. |
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| Garrigues | Commended | Remuneration best practices in Spain | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Developed a human resources consultancy that integrates different disciplines. |
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| Jones Day | Commended | Compensation and governance system | 5 | 7 | 6 | 18 | Compensation system based on qualitative appraisals rather than financials. Heavily dependent on the managing-partner system of governance. |
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| Kyllingstad Kleveland Advokatfirma | Commended | Focused law firm in the oil and gas industry | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Integrated approach to deliver legal services to an industry, which has yielded high financial returns since its launch in 2007 and through the downturn. |
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| Linklaters | Commended | Forging relationships | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | From graduate trainees to staff, the firm set out to change its engagement and empower each of these groups. |
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| Noerr | Commended | Attracting Generation Y | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | A comprehensive engagement exercise to position the firm as the employer of choice. |
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| TLT Solicitors | Commended | “Aspire” programme | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | Leadership development for associates that encourages skills such as marketing and sales. |
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| Tuca Zbarcea & Asociatii | Commended | Generation Y focus | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 | A suite of measures to enfranchise and motivate associates. |
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| Wragge & Co | Commended | Communications strategy | 7 | 6 | 5 | 18 | Using pictures and story-telling techniques to communicate the firm’s corporate strategy. |
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