International Law Firm Coordination

It is a model in which one law firm (the hub) is responsible for the whole engagement, while local firms in other countries (the spokes) advise on their own law.

The hub takes the instruction, sets the scope for each country, selects the partners, checks their answers and delivers one consistent position.

For the business this means one point of contact, one standard of work and one view of costs, however many markets are involved.

A referral ends with a contact name, while coordination covers the whole engagement: the brief, deadlines, budget and quality control.

With a referral, you manage the relationship, compare the answers and keep an eye on costs in every country yourself.

With coordination we do this for you and make sure the result is complete and comparable across markets.

We select a firm for the specific matter: specialisation, experience with that type of matter, language, the absence of conflicts and rates all count.

We most often draw on the Alliott Global Alliance network, where we know the partners personally, and on trusted firms outside it.

On larger projects we compare proposals from several firms and recommend a choice with our reasons.

Yes. We can bring your current advisers into the coordination model and work with them on the same terms as with new partners.

A good relationship with a local firm is often worth keeping.

We then align the brief, the answer format and the reporting so that all markets work to one standard.

Advice on the law of a given country is the responsibility of the local firm qualified to advise in that jurisdiction, while we are responsible for the coordination and for Polish law.

We agree each side's scope of responsibility at the start, so that it is clear to you and to the local partners.

We check every answer for completeness and consistency before it reaches you.

We agree the local firms' budget before instruction, and we bill the coordination in an agreed model: per matter, per project or as a standing subscription.

Before work starts, you receive a cost estimate for each market.

Along the way we monitor budget use and let you know in advance if the scope of the matter changes.

In practice, worldwide: the Alliott Global Alliance network is present in more than 100 countries, and outside it we work with trusted local firms.

For each country we check the partner's availability and specialisation before passing on the matter.

If you need a partner in a less common jurisdiction, we will find one and vet it before instruction.

You work with us in English or Polish, whichever country the matter is in.

We usually communicate with local firms in English.

If key documents are in another language, we arrange their translation and explain what they mean for your business.

Before passing on a matter, we check conflicts with the local partner and share only the information needed to do the work.

The firms we work with are bound by professional secrecy in their own countries.

Where the matter requires it, we sign additional confidentiality agreements and agree rules for exchanging documents.

Yes, if you have no contact of your own in that jurisdiction or no time to manage a foreign law firm yourself.

The hub and spoke model brings the greatest benefit, however, across several markets at once, where comparable answers and one view of costs matter.

We often start with a single matter, and the model grows as the business expands.