Linklaters

Linklaters LLP

Company type	Limited liability partnership
Industry	Legal services
Founded	1838 (1838)
Founder	John Linklater, Julius Dods
Headquarters	London , United Kingdom
Area served	Worldwide (30 offices in 21 countries)
Key people	Simon Davies (former managing partner)
Products	Corporate law, financial law, litigation, banking and finance, restructuring and insolvency, antitrust, tax
Number of employees	Approximately 3,100 legal professionals (2025)
Website	www.linklaters.com

Linklaters LLP is a multinational law firm based in London, United Kingdom. Established in 1838, it ranks among the prestigious 'Magic Circle' firms, renowned for its expertise in corporate and financial law. The firm employs approximately 3,100 legal professionals spread across 30 offices in 20 different countries.

During the fiscal year 2023-24, Linklaters achieved revenues totaling £2.1 billion, with average profits per equity partner reaching £1.9 million. It consistently secures leading UK rankings in areas such as corporate/M&A, capital markets, litigation, banking and finance, restructuring and insolvency, antitrust, and tax. In 2021, it was positioned second in servicing FTSE 100 clients and shared first place for direct deals by institutional investors in the first half of 2016. Additionally, the 2021 Global Law Firm Brand Index placed Linklaters as the fourth strongest law firm brand globally.

History

The firm’s origins date back to 1838 in London when John Linklater joined forces with Julius Dods, initially operating under the name Dods & Linklater. Its early focus centered on corporate law, providing counsel to entities such as the Metropolitan Water Board.

In 1920, Linklater & Co merged with Paines Blythe & Huxtable, a firm founded by a descendant of Thomas Paine. Throughout much of the twentieth century, Linklaters & Paines primarily concentrated on domestic corporate legal work with minimal international presence. The creation of Linklaters & Alliance in 1998 marked a strategic partnership with prominent European firms located in Amsterdam, Brussels, Luxembourg, Stockholm, and Germany. Over the next five years, Linklaters absorbed several Alliance members and broadened its footprint into Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland. New offices were also launched in cities including Amsterdam, Bangkok, Beijing, Budapest, Bucharest, Bratislava, Lisbon, Madrid, Milan, Rome, São Paulo, and Shanghai. Reflecting this global expansion, the firm abbreviated its name to Linklaters in 1999.

Following Japan’s legal reforms in 2005 permitting international law firms to establish fully integrated offices, Linklaters became the first to launch a merged practice there covering Japanese, English, and US law.

In 2007, the firm divested its Central European branches into a separate entity named Kinstellar. After the 2008 financial crisis, under managing partner Simon Davies’ leadership, Linklaters reduced its London workforce by 270 to enhance operational efficiency. By that year, it led global law firms with revenues of $2.4 billion, propelled by significant transactions including advising Lehman Brothers.

In 2012, Linklaters entered an integrated alliance with Australian firm Allens and maintains joint ventures across Asia focusing on energy infrastructure and Indonesian markets. The following year saw an alliance formed with South African firm Webber Wentzel. The firm also has best-friend relationships with India’s Talwar Thakore & Associates and conducts operations in Saudi Arabia through Zamakhchary & Co. Since 2018, it has partnered with Zhao Sheng Law Firm in China with offices situated in Shanghai Free-Trade Zone and Beijing.

In 2021, Linklaters inaugurated a Dublin office structured as an independent partnership dedicated to advising on EU law but not on Irish domestic matters. That same year marked its commitment to reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions by 70% and Scope 3 emissions by 50% by the year 2030.

By 2022, Linklaters had advised on more mergers and acquisitions involving Russian entities than any other leading firm but terminated all business activities in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

Offices

Established and headquartered in London, Linklaters maintains a presence through 30 offices located in 21 countries as of 2025, covering regions including Asia, the Middle East, North America, South America, and Europe.

Notable alumni

Distinguished former members of Linklaters comprise:

Name	Duration at Linklaters	Top position held	Positions afterward
Christopher Bellamy	2007–2020	Consultant, Unit Chairman	Ex-Judge at the Court of First Instance of the European Communities and Competition Appeal Tribunal
Sir Robert Finch	1969–2005	Partner	Served as Lord Mayor of London
G. Godfrey Phillips	1946–1950s	Partner	Commissioner General of the Shanghai Municipal Council
Dominic Raab	1998–2000	Trainee Solicitor	UK Deputy Prime Minister; Secretary of State across several departments
Pedro Siza Vieira	2002–2017	Partner	Portugal’s Minister of Economy and Digital Transition; previously Deputy Prime Minister

See also

• List of largest law firms by profits per partner