Perkins Coie Launches London Office with Tech Startup Focus

In a move to bring its tech startup expertise to the European market, Seattle-based Perkins Coie has announced the opening of a new office in London.

The firm ranked 43rd in revenue among U.S. law firms last year at $1.2 billion, is establishing its first office outside of the U.S. and Asia with a six-lawyer team led by Ian Bagshaw who the firm recently recruited.

The firm has over 1200 lawyers across the United States and Asia and has Amazon, Google and Microsoft among its clients.

Bagshaw, previously the co-head of White & Case’s global private equity practice, will spearhead the London office alongside three other lawyers joining from White & Case, including Jan Andrusko, the former head of the firm’s Central & Eastern Europe technology, media & telecommunications practice, who will serve as the European head of M&A at Perkins Coie.

The new office aims to capitalize on the burgeoning startup culture in Europe by offering specialized advisory services tailored to local and European venture capital, private equity, and startup clients.

“That startup culture that’s been in the US for a long time is very much in Europe,” Bagshaw told Bloomberg Law, “But the advisory culture that goes with it hasn’t necessarily been replicated, particularly across law firms. That’s why we have this very clear strategy.”

While many of Perkins Coie’s technology clients have business interests in London, the firm’s strategy is to service European companies and clients through a centralized London office rather than building a network across the continent.

The office will leverage the firm’s expertise in privacy, technology transactions, and M&A, with plans to expand into intellectual property and litigation to provide comprehensive services to its tech-focused corporate clientele.

“We want to bring the best of Perkins to European tech-focused corporate clients,” said firm managing partner Bill Malley. “We want to leverage the tech-sector depth we have in the US across multiple practice areas. And we believe that depth will give us a competitive advantage in London.”

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