Peer to Peer: ILTA's Quarterly Magazine
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/1533864
P E E R T O P E E R M A G A Z I N E ยท S P R I N G 2 0 2 5 13 THE MEGA EXPANDER 3 Characterized by its expansive horizontal growth, this shape prioritizes market coverage and cross-selling opportunities. Rather than deepening expertise in select areas, it spreads across sectors and geographies, creating an interconnected network of practice areas and offices. You can identify Mega Expander firms by their aggressive growth through mergers and acquisitions, their emphasis on building comprehensive service offerings across multiple jurisdictions, and their focus on institutional rather than individual client relationships. Firms like Dentons and DLA Piper exemplify this shape, having grown rapidly through successive combinations to create vast global networks. These firms typically develop sophisticated cross-border matter management systems and invest heavily in client relationship technology to coordinate work across offices. Their partnership structures often feature complex governance models that balance local autonomy with global integration, and their compensation systems emphasize cross-selling and collaboration across practices and regions. This shape's strength lies in its ability to serve large, multinational clients across jurisdictions, leveraging its scale to provide seamless cross-border services. However, its size and complexity can present challenges, such as ensuring quality consistency and maintaining cultural cohesion across diverse teams and geographies. Innovation often emerges in specific practice areas or offices, with the potential for broader application varying across the organization. Mega Expanders excels in capturing significant market share in middle-market work. They use their scale to invest in advanced technology and process improvements that smaller firms may struggle to match. You can identify Mega Expander firms by their aggressive growth through mergers and acquisitions, their emphasis on building comprehensive service offerings across multiple jurisdictions, and their focus on institutional rather than individual client relationships.