Indiana Law Journal Volume 64 Issue 3 Article 8 Summer 1989 Megalaw in the U.K.: Professionalism or Corporatism? A Preliminary Report John Flood Indiana University School of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ilj Part of the Comparative and Foreign Law Commons, and the Legal Profession Commons Recommended Citation Flood, John (1989) "Megalaw in the U.K.: Professionalism or Corporatism? A Preliminary Report," Indiana Law Journal: Vol. 64 : Iss. 3 , Article 8. Available at: https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/ilj/vol64/iss3/8 This Symposium is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School Journals at Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Indiana Law Journal by an authorized editor of Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Megalaw in the U.K.: Professionalism or Corporatism? A Preliminary Report JoHN FLOOD* INTRODUCTION The large law firms in America have become behemoths. Baker and McKenzie is the largest firm in the world, scattering over 1,200 attorneys in forty-four offices throughout the globe; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and rom is the largest domestic firm in the United States, employing roughly 900 lawyers.1 Others are not far behind. The only professional 2 organisations equivalent in size are the Big Eight accounting firms. Although large law firms have been in existence since the 1870s, 3 the 4 behemoth law firm is a comparatively recent development on Wall Street. These megafirms are a facet of contemporary legal systems, their devel- opment fueled by an active and expanding economy.