Meritas Law Firms Worldwide

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may not meet the general notability guideline or one of the following specific guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. If you are familiar with the subject matter, please expand or rewrite the article to establish its notability. The best way to address this concern is to reference published, third-party sources about the subject. If notability cannot be established, the article is more likely to be considered for redirection, merge or ultimately deletion, per Wikipedia:Guide to deletion.
This article has been tagged since January 2008.

Meritas is a global alliance of business law firms that was founded in 1990.[1] According to the Bureau of National Affairs' Corporate Counsel Weekly newsletter, the association's membership includes 179 business law firms encompassing 5,800 lawyers from around the world.[2] Meritas is a non-profit corporation headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Membership is extended by invitation only, and regular recertification by all firms every three years is a requirement of membership.[3]

Meritas is one of a number of international alliances [4] that small to mid-sized independent law firms may join as an alternative to opening an office in another jurisdiction or merging with a larger multi-national law firm. [5] In his article, "Networks: Opportunity knocks," Ed Thornton writes, "the sales pitch of the global law firm networks is by now familiar to many - independent firms do not have to be swallowed up by the major global players if they are to respond to the globalisation of their clients; they can join an alliance and refer work to firms in other jurisdictions when necessary." [6]

Meritas, according to Canadian Lawyer reporter Jennifer McPhee, is one of the "more established by-invitation only legal networks that do extensive research before carefully selecting one firm per jurisdiction." [7] In her article, Law Firm Associations, Karen Wright writes, "Meritas determines significant business or economic centers where member firms' clients may need local counsel in order to determine where it will have its members." [8] Futhermore, "...all member firms provide Meritas with quarterly referral reports, listing all Meritas-originated referrals made to and from the firm for the stated period and cooperate in evaluating specific matters."[9] If a firm does not receive good marks, its membership with the organization may be terminated.[10]

Meritas regularly publishes guides to assist businesses expanding into new markets. Meritas has published guides on the following topics: Doing Business in Canada, Doing Business in Asia, Doing Business in Latin America and the Caribbean, Intellectual Property Laws in Europe, Intellectual Property Laws in Latin America, Company Law in Europe, and Real Estate in Europe.[11]

Contents

[edit] Leadership

  • Tanna Moore was named President and CEO on February 1, 2006.[12]
  • Kenneth Kallish is Chairman of the Board.[13]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Wright, K. (2007, April 18). Focus: Law Firm Associations. Corporate Counsel Weekly, 22, 128
  2. ^ Wright, K. (2007, April 18). Focus: Law Firm Associations. Corporate Counsel Weekly, 22, 128
  3. ^ McPhee, J. (2007, February). Going global. Canadian Lawyer, 33-34
  4. ^ International Law Firms and Lawyers Associations
  5. ^ Thornton, E. (2007, May 31). Networks: Opportunity knocks. Legal Week. See also http://www.legalweek.com/Articles/1029130/Networks+Opportunity+knocks.html
  6. ^ Networks: Opportunity knocks - Legal Week, legal news, comment, events and legal jobs
  7. ^ McPhee, J. (2007, February). Going global. Canadian Lawyer, 33. See also http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=79&Itemid=18
  8. ^ Wright, K. (2007, April 18). Focus: Law Firm Associations. Corporate Counsel Weekly, 22, 126.
  9. ^ Wright, K. (2007, April 18). Focus: Law Firm Associations. Corporate Counsel Weekly, 22, 127
  10. ^ Tromans, R. (2007, October). Alternative hits the mainstream. European Lawyer, 30.
  11. ^ MERITAS Law Firms Worldwide
  12. ^ Stalker, J. (2006, February 24). Meritas law alliance names Moore CEO. The Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal, pp. 11.
  13. ^ Minden Gross LLP

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

 This article relating to law in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.