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Eversheds Sutherland Brand Most-Recognized In UK By Aebra Coe

Law360, New York (May 3, 2017, 3:22 PM EDT) -- Newly merged Eversheds Sutherland is the law firm brand most recognized by the leaders of corporate legal departments in the United Kingdom, according to a report released on Wednesday.

The top spot on Acritas’ 2017 U.K. Law Firm Brand Index was snagged by Eversheds Sutherland just a few months after it came into existence in December through the combination of the U.K.’s Eversheds LLP and Atlanta-based Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP. Eversheds had been the top dog in terms of U.K. brand name awareness for the previous two years.

“The perennial first-place ranking of Eversheds — now Eversheds Sutherland — stems from well- balanced brand positioning and a consistent brand experience,” a statement from Acritas on Wednesday said. “This year's results show that the merger has been effectively executed and well communicated to the market.”

The 20 law firms that made it onto the list are, in order, Eversheds Sutherland, Pinsent Masons, DLA Piper, Slaughter and May, Linklaters LLP, Clifford Chance LLP, Allen & Overy LLP, Baker McKenzie, Herbert Smith Freehills, Clyde & Co., Norton Rose Fulbright, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, CMS, Hogan Lovells, Addleshaw Goddard, Bond Dickinson, Gowling WLG, Squire Patton Boggs LLP, DWF and Macfarlanes.

The Acritas U.K. brand index, now in its sixth year, measures the brand strength of law firms across six metrics: top of mind awareness, favorability, consideration for top-level deals and litigation, overall use among U.K.-based clients and inbound use among international clients. Firms receive points

per mention in each category and are assigned a total score. The firm with the most points sets the index at 100, and all others are calculated from that.

Pinsent Masons, which has alternated between second and third place on the index over the last five years, rose eight points and one rank since 2016 to take second place this year. Beyond the No. 2 spot a 25-point gap exists — dropping from 90 to 65 — with DLA Piper ranking third overall.

Although Eversheds Sutherland and Pinsent Masons were the two most dominant brands across the entire U.K., Clifford Chance took the lead in London.

“Over time, the index shows that trends in the U.K. market mirror those observed globally,” Acritas’ statement said. “Amid increased international competition and price pressure, the positions of premium-priced brands have been eroded; the U.K.’s Magic Circle firms have lost between 24 to 62 points over the six years that the index has been calculated.”

An October report by Acritas concluded that Baker McKenzie was the strongest global brand name in BigLaw in 2016. The firm has now held the No. 1 spot for seven years in a row.

The top 10 firms, according to the 2016 global index, are Baker McKenzie, Clifford Chance, DLA Piper, Norton Rose Fulbright, Hogan Lovells, Allen & Overy, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, Linklaters, Jones Day and White & Case LLP.

--Editing by Stephen Berg.

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