Australian law firm Gadens could have joined the world's largest network of lawyers: an unrivalled global spread of more than 7000 sitting across 55 countries, within the global monolith that is Dentons.
Instead, the now predominantly Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide-based firm – Sydney and Perth splintered to accept Dentons' global offering less than a month ago – will remain staunchly national.
It joins a strong-willed group of Australian firms eschewing global brands, championing the ability to control their own destiny and still win international work in an era of geopolitical uncertainty.
"Our model has stood the test of time, we've got an enviable client base – we're not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater," new Gadens chairman Paul Spiro told The Australian Financial Review.
"The Gadens partners were happy with where we stood in the marketplace. Melbourne and Brisbane held strong positions. Our brand was satisfying our clients; it was [also] attractive for other people to join us.
"We feel that we're servicing our clients, we've got a longevity in our client base that's wonderful. Others would be jealous."
The Gadens plan is to build on its client base focusing on its areas of strength, particularly banking and property.
Different route to international markets
The targeted strategy is echoed at other national firms, which are looking for growth in the domestic market and do not see themselves as closed out of international markets.
"There's only so much room for global firms moving into this market and there are so many of them here already," said DibbsBarker managing partner Stephen Purcell, who took the reins in August after leading advisory firm PPB Advisory, the insolvency specialists he pushed into the consulting realm.
Mr Purcell championed the firm's ability to "remain in control" of its destiny, confident in its ability to win domestic and international work.
The globalisation of law firms in Australia has accelerated dramatically since 2012, when some of the nation's most prominent firms made the shift.
Blake Dawson merged with UK firm Ashurst, Mallesons Stephen Jaques became King & Wood Mallesons on its Chinese merger, Allens began a non-financial association with Linklaters and Freehills merged with Herbert Smith to become Herbert Smith Freehills.
KWM is now fighting to keep a foothold in Europe; others have not been without worries.
Gilbert + Tobin, Clayton Utz, Corrs Chambers Westgarth and MinterEllison are among the defiantly domestic brands.
"There will be interesting days ahead as we see how things play out, particularly since some of the deals that brought global firms to Australia were cut when the dollar was different," said Mr Purcell.
"Personally I would prefer to play in the market that I understand, rather than being an adjunct to another firm where Australia is just one of many markets."
Deliberately domestic
Maddocks CEO Michelle Dixon said the firm was "very consciously and deliberately a domestic".
"We must have had the most stable turnover of a firm of our size, in the last year," she said.
Like DibbsBarker, Maddocks is building a strong presence in targeted areas; in its case, government and regulatory areas are a particular focus.
For other nationals, it is about building a world-class offering without sacrificing the domestic brand.
"Most people would now acknowledge that we are the most globally connected law firm in Australia," said Corrs Chambers Westgarth chief John Denton.
"We build the capacity to enable that.
"The deep challenge is to ensure that the firm is constantly calibrating itself to achieve this client outcome. Culturally we have the appetite."
Mr Denton said firms were operating in a "new context" where nothing could be assumed.
"The number one concern of CEOs on a global basis is geopolitical uncertainty. If you're truly client driven are you really thinking about that? I can tell you we are."
Room for a global Australian firm
At MinterEllison, head Tony Harrington has asked the question often in his just over two years at the top spot: why can't Australia build its own global law firm?
"I think there is a role for an Australian-led global firm," said Mr Harrington, once a part of the global executive team at PwC.
"It happens and it has happened in other industries."
Still, the firm's primary focus is "being recognised primarily by the clients and our market as the leading firm in Australia", he said.
"Pull that off and you've got the position to think about other opportunities."
For all the confidence in local strategies, Gadens' Mr Spiro is not ruling out a future within the global fold.
"Somebody once said 'never say never'. We are very comfortable in our skin [but] it does come down to clients. We've always listened and responded accordingly."
The top result in a Google search for "Gadens" is an ad for Dentons; and the firm's "Sydney" page is empty of partners — interstate partners will service it on a fly-in fly-out basis as needed. But Mr Spiro is adamant there is no animosity towards the global firm that lured his interstate colleagues.
"How the market responds, only time will tell."
For international firms, which are varied in size and scope within Australia, the story is one of cross-border capabilities. In their market view, the client demand is for multinational spread and a global brand.
Dentons is among the most recent entrants; its absorption of entire Gadens offices is a different approach to the more delicate entries of other firms that have started with smaller footprints, raiding local firms for individual partners or teams and targeting steadier growth.
"We've now got a network of 55 countries and 120-plus offices all contributing – we have access to experts in [almost] any city in the world," Steve Healy, the Tennis Australia president who now heads the firm's Australian arm, told The Financial Review following the firm's dramatic entrance one month ago.
'Quantity a tool for quality'
Dentons global chairman Joe Andrew said the firm was amassing awards for client service worldwide, putting proof to his mantra that "quantity is a tool for quality".
For all the external talk of hatred between the separate federated branches of Gadens, particularly between Sydney and Melbourne, Mr Spiro said the federation had always worked with respect for the differing views.
"It's how you respond to those differences," he said. "It's not the first time that you'll see Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in any business approach things differently. It's a business like any other, there is more than one view.
Yes, Mr Spiro admits, debate on the Dentons move got "heightened". But he would not describe 2016 as a tumultuous one for the firm, and draws an analogy to sporting teams "having it out" over strategic differences in the locker room, but getting on with the game once on the field. The new Dentons Australia arm and the remaining Gadens offices plan to work together on legacy clients.
"We progressed those discussions respectfully, but different offices had different views. It'll be business as usual. That's what we must ensure."
