CMS is an international law firm that offers legal and tax advisory services. It provides companies and organisations with advice on a full range of legal issues.[2] CMS consists of 18 independent law firms with about 80 offices worldwide and is the world's 5th largest law firm by lawyer headcount and the 21st by revenue.[3]
In 1999, six European law firms with 1,400+ lawyers and roughly DM 500 million in joint revenues came together to form CMS.[4] Under the CMS brand, which initially drew criticism,[5] a "partnership of partnerships" emerged.[6][7] The member law firms retained their established names.[8] A central service unit was created to provide administrative and IT services for the members.[9]
Initially, CMS included law firms from Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and the United Kingdom among others.[10] Over the course of the 2000s, additional law firms joined from France, Italy, Monaco, Switzerland and Spain, along with other countries.[11][12][13][14][15] In 2008, the law firm opened its first joint office in Russia.[16] With the merger of CMS Cameron McKenna with Nabarro and Olswang in 2016, the law firm expanded once again.[17] This resulted in CMS generating a total revenue of roughly one billion EUR for the first time.[18][19][20] Today, there are also CMS offices in Latin America and Africa.[21][22]
In April 2022, CMS law firm was named alongside Harbour Litigation Funding by Kevin Hollinrake MP, in a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak MP, as two professional services firms acting for the benefit of Russian state entities during the invasion of Ukraine. The letter highlighted that both Harbour and CMS are working on behalf of the Russian state-owned DIA to bypass sanction regimes and obtain funds and assets from abroad in order to fund the war in Ukraine.[24]
CMS was named by U.S. congressman Steve Cohen as doing "unscrupulous" work for Russia that undermined democratic values and strengthened the Vladimir Putin regime in Russia. CMS rejected allegations of impropriety and said the firm had not accepted new instructions from individuals associated with the Putin regime.[23]
StructureEdit
CMS coordinates the activities of its members through CMS Legal Services EEIG, a european economic interest grouping.[25] In its early phase, it handled administrative tasks, gradually taking on additional duties, e.g. in marketing. CMS Legal Services does not act on behalf of clients. As a not for profit entity, it is financed by means of revenue contributions from the participating law firms, which remain legally independent.[26]
The CMS Council functions as the highest decision-making body of CMS. It convenes at least twice a year, taking decisions on budgets and the acceptance of new members. Moreover, there is an Executive Committee, which handles strategic issues such as the appointment and governance of the executive team. Each participating law firm appoints representatives to the Committee.[25]
The daily running of CMS is in the hands of a three-person executive team. It consists of Pierre-Sébastien Thill (Chairman), Duncan Weston (Executive Partner) and Isabel Scholes (Executive Director).[27]
LocationsEdit
Currently, CMS has 18 member firms with main headquarters in twelve European, four South American and two African countries.[28] In addition to legal services provided in their home countries, the member law firms are active in other countries via branches, subsidiaries and associated law firms, along with offices and representative offices in other countries.[29]
^""The 2022 Global 200 Ranked by Revenue". Law.Com. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
^Peters, Patrick (21 March 2014). "Beratung bei strategischen Themen". Bergische Morgenpost (in German).
^""The 2022 Global 200 Ranked by Revenue". Law.Com. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
^"Wirtschaftskanzleien fusionieren". Hamburger Abendblatt (in German). 30 April 1999. p. 21.
^Tödtmann, Claudia (9 September 1999). "Anwälte: Versteckspielen gilt nicht". Wirtschaftswoche (in German). p. 120.
^"Neue Vereinigung von Anwälten". Börsen-Zeitung (in German). 4 May 1999. p. 26.
^Pfeffer, Alexander (22 June 1999). "Europäische Union der Anwälte". WirtschaftsBlatt (in German). p. 6.
^"Integration Push Sparks CMS Name-Dropping Row". The Lawyer. 19 November 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
^Becker, Walther (1 April 2003). "CMS Hasche Sigle ist eigenständig im Verbund". Börsen-Zeitung (in German). p. 10.
^"Sechs europäische Spitzen-Kanzleien arbeiten zusammen". Die Welt (in German). 29 April 1999. p. 2.
^"Francis Lefebvre Joins the CMS Global Alliance". The Lawyer. 12 February 2001. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
^Wicke, Vera (1 March 2002). "CMS steuert nach Italien" (in German). Juve Verlag. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
^Ward, Anna (10 July 2017). "CMS Moves into Monaco Market via Tie-Up with Local Firm". Legalweek. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
^Brenner, Beat (15 May 2000). "Schweizerisch-britische Anwaltsfusion: Erlach Klainguti Stettler Wille zieht es nach London". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). p. 20.
^Albert, Christine (4 November 2004). "Nun auch in Spanien: CMS erweitert Netzwerk" (in German). Juve Verlag. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
^Becker, Walther (3 December 2008). "CMS-Kanzleien in Moskau zusammen". Börsen-Zeitung (in German). p. 10.
^Hyde, John (10 October 2016). "It's a Deal: CMS Confirms Merger with Olswang and Nabarro". The Law Society Gazette. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
^Coe, Aebra (10 June 2016). "Int'l Law Firm CMS' Revenue Breaks Through €1B Barrier". Law360. Portfolio Media. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
^Ames, Jonathan (10 October 2016). "Law Firm Merger Creates £1bn Giant". The Times. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
^"CMS: Fast eine Milliarde Euro Umsatz". Legal Tribune Online (in German). 20 June 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
^"Drei neue Mitgliedskanzleien: CMS-Verbund wächst in Lateinamerika" (in German). Juve Verlag. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
^"Ausbau in Afrika: Kanzleien aus Südafrika und Kenia treten weltweitem CMS-Netzwerk bei" (in German). Juve Verlag. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
^ ab"US congressman urges Biden to ban six UK lawyers for 'enabling' oligarchs". the Guardian. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
^"Tory backbencher calls on government to close 'loopholes' letting London firms work for the Kremlin". CityAM. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
^ ab"CMS Legal Services". Unternehmensregister (in German). Bundesanzeiger Verlag. 6 July 2001. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
^Meiselles, Michala (2015). "The European Economic Interest Grouping – A Chance for Multinationals?". European Business Law Review. Kluwer Law International (26). ISSN 0959-6941.
^"CMS: Cornelius Brandi gibt Führung des Kanzleiverbunds ab". Legal Tribune Online (in German). 18 June 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
^"Legal Information". CMS Legal Services. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
^"CMS Legal Services". Global Competition Review. Vol. 100, no. 19. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
^Tismer, Christoph (2002). "CMS – Full Service statt nur Highend-Geschäft" (PDF). Justament (in German). Retrieved 11 March 2019.
External linksEdit
Media related to CMS (law firm) at Wikimedia Commons
Official website
Firms of the Year 2019
October 21, 2023
firm, international, firm, that, offers, legal, advisory, services, provides, companies, organisations, with, advice, full, range, legal, issues, consists, independent, firms, with, about, offices, worldwide, world, largest, firm, lawyer, headcount, 21st, reve. CMS is an international law firm that offers legal and tax advisory services It provides companies and organisations with advice on a full range of legal issues 2 CMS consists of 18 independent law firms with about 80 offices worldwide and is the world s 5th largest law firm by lawyer headcount and the 21st by revenue 3 CMS Legal Services EEIGHeadquartersFrankfurt GermanyNo of officesApprox 80No of attorneys4 239No of employees8 000Major practice areasBanking and finance Capital markets Fintech Corporate and M amp A Litigation amp dispute resolution Real estate Tax pensions and employmentKey peoplePierre Sebastien Thill Chairman Duncan Weston Executive Partner Isabel Scholes Executive Director Revenue 2 065 billions 1 Date founded20 December 1999 23 years ago 1999 12 20 Company typePrivate european economic interest grouping with 18 member firmsWebsitecms wbr law Contents 1 History 1 1 Russia 2 Structure 3 Locations 4 Services 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditIn 1999 six European law firms with 1 400 lawyers and roughly DM 500 million in joint revenues came together to form CMS 4 Under the CMS brand which initially drew criticism 5 a partnership of partnerships emerged 6 7 The member law firms retained their established names 8 A central service unit was created to provide administrative and IT services for the members 9 Initially CMS included law firms from Germany the Netherlands Austria and the United Kingdom among others 10 Over the course of the 2000s additional law firms joined from France Italy Monaco Switzerland and Spain along with other countries 11 12 13 14 15 In 2008 the law firm opened its first joint office in Russia 16 With the merger of CMS Cameron McKenna with Nabarro and Olswang in 2016 the law firm expanded once again 17 This resulted in CMS generating a total revenue of roughly one billion EUR for the first time 18 19 20 Today there are also CMS offices in Latin America and Africa 21 22 Russia Edit Carter Ruck was involved in legal action against Financial Times journalist Catherine Belton and her publisher HarperCollins over her book Putin s People 23 In April 2022 CMS law firm was named alongside Harbour Litigation Funding by Kevin Hollinrake MP in a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak MP as two professional services firms acting for the benefit of Russian state entities during the invasion of Ukraine The letter highlighted that both Harbour and CMS are working on behalf of the Russian state owned DIA to bypass sanction regimes and obtain funds and assets from abroad in order to fund the war in Ukraine 24 CMS was named by U S congressman Steve Cohen as doing unscrupulous work for Russia that undermined democratic values and strengthened the Vladimir Putin regime in Russia CMS rejected allegations of impropriety and said the firm had not accepted new instructions from individuals associated with the Putin regime 23 Structure EditCMS coordinates the activities of its members through CMS Legal Services EEIG a european economic interest grouping 25 In its early phase it handled administrative tasks gradually taking on additional duties e g in marketing CMS Legal Services does not act on behalf of clients As a not for profit entity it is financed by means of revenue contributions from the participating law firms which remain legally independent 26 The CMS Council functions as the highest decision making body of CMS It convenes at least twice a year taking decisions on budgets and the acceptance of new members Moreover there is an Executive Committee which handles strategic issues such as the appointment and governance of the executive team Each participating law firm appoints representatives to the Committee 25 The daily running of CMS is in the hands of a three person executive team It consists of Pierre Sebastien Thill Chairman Duncan Weston Executive Partner and Isabel Scholes Executive Director 27 Locations EditCurrently CMS has 18 member firms with main headquarters in twelve European four South American and two African countries 28 In addition to legal services provided in their home countries the member law firms are active in other countries via branches subsidiaries and associated law firms along with offices and representative offices in other countries 29 MembersCMS Albinana amp Suarez de Lezo Spain CMS Adonnino Ascoli amp Cavasola Scamoni Italy CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang United Kingdom CMS Carey amp Allende Chile CMS Daly Inamdar Kenya CMS DeBacker Belgium CMS Derks Star Busmann Netherlands CMS Francis Lefebvre France CMS Grau Peru CMS Hasche Sigle Germany CMS Kluge Norway CMS Pasquier Ciulla Marquet amp Pastor Monaco CMS Reich Rohrwig Hainz Austria CMS RM Partners South Africa CMS Rodriguez Azuero Colombia CMS Rui Pena amp Arnaut Portugal CMS von Erlach Partners Switzerland CMS Woodhouse Lorente Ludlow MexicoServices EditCMS pursues a full service strategy 30 and offers companies of various sizes worldwide business focused advice in law and tax matters The key specialist areas include corporate law capital markets law tax law energy law procurement law competition law and labour law See also EditList of largest law firms by revenue List of largest Europe based law firms by revenueReferences Edit The 2022 Global 200 Ranked by Revenue Law Com Retrieved 23 May 2023 Peters Patrick 21 March 2014 Beratung bei strategischen Themen Bergische Morgenpost in German The 2022 Global 200 Ranked by Revenue Law Com Retrieved 23 May 2023 Wirtschaftskanzleien fusionieren Hamburger Abendblatt in German 30 April 1999 p 21 Todtmann Claudia 9 September 1999 Anwalte Versteckspielen gilt nicht Wirtschaftswoche in German p 120 Neue Vereinigung von Anwalten Borsen Zeitung in German 4 May 1999 p 26 Pfeffer Alexander 22 June 1999 Europaische Union der Anwalte WirtschaftsBlatt in German p 6 Integration Push Sparks CMS Name Dropping Row The Lawyer 19 November 2007 Retrieved 11 March 2019 Becker Walther 1 April 2003 CMS Hasche Sigle ist eigenstandig im Verbund Borsen Zeitung in German p 10 Sechs europaische Spitzen Kanzleien arbeiten zusammen Die Welt in German 29 April 1999 p 2 Francis Lefebvre Joins the CMS Global Alliance The Lawyer 12 February 2001 Retrieved 11 March 2019 Wicke Vera 1 March 2002 CMS steuert nach Italien in German Juve Verlag Retrieved 11 March 2019 Ward Anna 10 July 2017 CMS Moves into Monaco Market via Tie Up with Local Firm Legalweek Retrieved 11 March 2019 Brenner Beat 15 May 2000 Schweizerisch britische Anwaltsfusion Erlach Klainguti Stettler Wille zieht es nach London Neue Zurcher Zeitung in German p 20 Albert Christine 4 November 2004 Nun auch in Spanien CMS erweitert Netzwerk in German Juve Verlag Retrieved 11 March 2019 Becker Walther 3 December 2008 CMS Kanzleien in Moskau zusammen Borsen Zeitung in German p 10 Hyde John 10 October 2016 It s a Deal CMS Confirms Merger with Olswang and Nabarro The Law Society Gazette Retrieved 11 March 2019 Coe Aebra 10 June 2016 Int l Law Firm CMS Revenue Breaks Through 1B Barrier Law360 Portfolio Media Retrieved 1 March 2019 Ames Jonathan 10 October 2016 Law Firm Merger Creates 1bn Giant The Times Retrieved 8 January 2020 CMS Fast eine Milliarde Euro Umsatz Legal Tribune Online in German 20 June 2017 Retrieved 8 January 2020 Drei neue Mitgliedskanzleien CMS Verbund wachst in Lateinamerika in German Juve Verlag 19 January 2017 Retrieved 3 April 2019 Ausbau in Afrika Kanzleien aus Sudafrika und Kenia treten weltweitem CMS Netzwerk bei in German Juve Verlag 15 October 2019 Retrieved 8 January 2020 a b US congressman urges Biden to ban six UK lawyers for enabling oligarchs the Guardian 19 April 2022 Retrieved 4 May 2022 Tory backbencher calls on government to close loopholes letting London firms work for the Kremlin CityAM 11 April 2022 Retrieved 12 April 2022 a b CMS Legal Services Unternehmensregister in German Bundesanzeiger Verlag 6 July 2001 Retrieved 1 March 2019 Meiselles Michala 2015 The European Economic Interest Grouping A Chance for Multinationals European Business Law Review Kluwer Law International 26 ISSN 0959 6941 CMS Cornelius Brandi gibt Fuhrung des Kanzleiverbunds ab Legal Tribune Online in German 18 June 2019 Retrieved 8 January 2020 Legal Information CMS Legal Services Retrieved 11 March 2019 CMS Legal Services Global Competition Review Vol 100 no 19 23 January 2019 Retrieved 11 March 2019 Tismer Christoph 2002 CMS Full Service statt nur Highend Geschaft PDF Justament in German Retrieved 11 March 2019 External links Edit nbsp Media related to CMS law firm at Wikimedia Commons Official website Firms of the Year 2019 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title CMS law firm amp oldid 1178277253, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
