Deloitte latest Big Four player to offer legal services in bid to become more holistic

Deloitte’s latest venture will see them offering legal services through a new foreign law practice.

The top firm is poised to offer legal services so it can provide more of a holistic service to its clients.

It follows the lead of rival Big Four firms EY and PwC, who likewise have recently boosted their legal services offerings.

Deloitte Legal International, a fully licensed foreign law practice, will provide full international legal services. It will serve clients across South East Asia, using Singapore as a hub.

This new practice is actually part of the Deloitte Legal network consisting of more than 2000 legal professionals spread across 80 countries around the world.

It will however be independent and legally separate from other Deloitte entities. Managing director Rashed Idrees, who has ample partner experience in international and regional law firms, will lead it.

Deloitte Legal International will be serving clients across a range of industries, including infrastructure, oil and gas, financial services, power, mining, retail, chemicals, wholesale and distribution, telecommunications, technology, and real estate.

The service will be able to advise clients in many different areas including commercial law, corporate, M&A, infrastructure, international trade, and structured trade and commodity finance.

Deloitte will also offer specialist jurisdictional experience covering multiple developing markets.

This announcement follows similar developments in legal services by other Big Four competitors.

PwC recently revealed that in the 2017-18 financial year it brought in about £70m in UK revenues, which placed it only just outside of the UK Top 50, showing its legal offering continues to grow.

Fellow Big Four firm EY announced that Evelyn Ang, who was previously senior partner at Dentons Rodyk & Davidson, has now set up Atlas Asia Law Corporation which is due to join EY’s global network.