Globalization and the Business of Law: Lessons for Legal Education

Cross-border law practice is growing to serve the increasingly global business of its clients, and U.S. and U.K. firms have been leaders in this global expansion of law practice. Expansion takes several forms, including the physical--with law firms opening offices in faraway locations to serve existing and new clients1--as well as the virtual--based on technology that supports the economics of cross-border activity by enabling practice apart from physical presence. Whether working for global or local organizations, lawyers today are increasingly faced with the prospect of working with colleagues and competitors who are diverse in terms of nationality, education and training, and with clients whose problems may be as locally-focused as a Chicago zoning matter or as distant as the acquisition of one non-U.S. company by another.