Leading insurance law firm Phillips Fox finally became part of a global insurance law empire yesterday, officially beginning life in an exclusive alliance with the global DLA Piper Group.

DLA Piper now consists of seven law firms covering every continent, and its deal with the Australian company – now known as DLA Phillips Fox – provides access to a worldwide network of insurance law experts.

DLA Phillips Fox CEO Tony Crawford says local customers and international clients of DLA Piper will benefit from the tie-up. “Many of our clients have legal needs in other countries, and they can now work with a firm they know and trust without spending time and money sourcing offshore expertise,” he said.

“The same is true of the many DLA Piper clients who have legal requirements in this region. We expect to increase our revenue by more than 20% in the medium term as a direct result of our alliance with DLA Piper.”

The alliance is the first such partnership between an Australian or NZ law firm and an international group.

Mr Crawford expects increased revenue to come from markets in Asia, the Middle East and the US.