Dear Camponi,
Thank you for your inquiry.
From my research, it seems that the international law market is very
fragmented, that is, there is no specific international law. There is
international financial law, international human rights, international
aviation law, etc. Just going to the United Nation’s website, lists
19 categories of international law.
Though I was not able to answer your questions specifically I believe
I can provide a more universal view of this potential market space.
==How many there are in the world practicing international law issues,
and whether this figure is increasing or decreasing?
Law.com
The Global 100
http://www.law.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=law/View&c=Article&cid=ZZZH9IOOHTC&live=true&cst=1&pc=0&pa=0&s=News&ExpIgnore=true&showsummary=0
“Four years ago, globalization was a seminar topic for many firms; now
it's a way of life. Collectively, the firms that comprise The Global
100, a joint project of The American Lawyer and Legal Business, the
London monthly, grossed $36 billion last year. And despite terrorism
and worldwide economic cramps, the pace is not likely to slow, as the
global economy's ganglia now extend into every major law firm. “
“The Global 100, a joint project of The American Lawyer and Legal
Business, the London monthly, grossed $36 billion last year. This
elite global legal market, which is multifaceted but exquisitely
self-referential, has enjoyed significant growth and consolidation
over the four years that we have surveyed the field.”
This link may be especially helpful to you since it breaks down the
world market into Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East and
Africa, Asia and Pacific Rim, North America, and South America.
Lessons from the Global 100
http://www.law.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename=law/View&c=Article&cid=ZZZG9MMIGTC&live=true&cst=1&pc=0&pa=0&s=News&ExpIgnore=true&showsummary=0
“Head count at the top 50 firms grew by 39 percent over four years.
The consolidation looks irreversible, particularly as the top tier
maintains and extends its market share. Over the past two years, White
& Case, which is almost everywhere, grew by 48 percent to 1,300
lawyers. Over the past six months, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, which is
almost nowhere outside area code 212, increased its foreign-based
partners by 50 percent -- to six. “
Over the past three years, total revenue for the top 50 increased by
61 percent, from $15 billion to $24.5 billion. The number of equity
partners dividing the wealth dropped by 9 percent. The result was a 27
percent increase in profits per equity partner. Equity partners at
Global 50 firms earned an average of $1.1 million last year. “
==Which countries and cities they're concentrated in?
If we use the article “The Global 100” as reference, most of the
larger international law firms are located in the larger metropolitan
and financial centers of each country.
Other resources to locate lawyers practicing some aspect of
international law are:
Eurolink
http://www.eurolink-law.com/html/f_profile.htm
Euro-Link for Lawyers is an international association of lawyers. It
was established in the late 1980s and now comprises a network of 36
law firms with 54 offices in 25 countries worldwide. It is one of the
largest international legal networks in the world.
Euro-Link comprises over 300 partners and 1,500 professional staff and
it has the size, breadth of service and geographical coverage to
challenge the world's largest international practices.
The association comprises dedicated law firms and lawyers who, with
their many professional contacts, act as facilitators of international
legal and professional services for the international business
community, in-house lawyers, lawyers in private practice, or
individuals needing a lawyer in another country.
International Bar Association
http://www.ibanet.org/aboutiba/index.asp
In its role as a dual membership organisation, comprising 16,000
individual lawyers and 180 Bar Associations and Law Societies, the
International Bar Association (IBA) influences the development of
international law reform and shapes the future of the legal profession
International Lawyers Network
http://www.lawinternational.com/members.html
An association of 76 high-quality, full-service law firms with over
4,200 lawyers world-wide. The Network provides clients with easily
accessible legal services in 60 countries on six continents.
==How "connected" they are to the internet (percentage having
broadband, dial up etc, and how many connect at home and work)?
While I cannot provide the market data you requested, I was able to
find some market data for you.
Law Technews - US
http://www.lawtechnews.com/april02/storage_security_p23.html
A 2001 American Bar Association survey indicated that nearly one-third
of lawyers who access the Internet used either a DSL or cable
connection.
SecureDox - UK
http://www.peapod.co.uk/legal/products/securedox.html
“The Internet is fast becoming the killer application for all lawyers.
If you don't have email or a web site, you risk being cut off from
both the rest of the legal community and your clients.”
A factor for many countries and therefore its citizens or overseas
business professionals is how supportive its government is of
advancing the telecommunications infrastructure to support broadband
or even just plain dial up access.
In an article by CyberAtlas, entitled “Around the world with
e-Government,” using methodology that measured the available online
information, services and performance for each country, World Markets
Research Centre, WMRC, ( http://www.worldmarketsanalysis.com/ ) found
the most highly ranked nations to be the U.S., Taiwan, Australia,
Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Israel, Singapore, Germany and Finland.
http://cyberatlas.internet.com/big_picture/geographics/article/0,,5911_1015531,00.html
CyberAtlas has also complied an article that provides a
country-by-country breakdown of Internet international demographics
information based upon various sources that track Internet statistics.
The World’s Online population
http://cyberatlas.internet.com/big_picture/geographics/article/0,,5911_151151,00.html
==Which are the most popular non-US based, legal sites or portals?
Again, because of the fragmentation of this market, the portal or
research sites will be widely varied depending on the lawyer’s area of
expertise. However, here are some generic links.
Legal Technology Insider
The Legal Hitlist
...the UK's Busiest Legal Web Sites
http://www.legaltechnology.com/hitlistuk.htm
LexiFori
http://www.lexfori.net/
United Nations
http://www.un.org/law/
Southern Methodist University – Foreign and International Law and
Organizations
http://library.law.smu.edu/int-law.htm
An American universities web pages that proves a host of links to many
international law websites.
University of Wisconsin Law School
http://students.law.wisc.edu/WILJ/links.htm
Provides links to the major international organization websites, like
World Bank, EU, etc.
University of Essex
http://libwww.essex.ac.uk/LAW/lawinternational.htm
More links to international law websites and portals.
International Law Network – Legal links section
http://www.lawinternational.com/links.html
Oceana Publications – Free Information link
http://www.oceanalaw.com/default.asp
Some example links from this page:
The Future of International Legal Resources ... It’s the Web Web-Based
Sources for Public International Law
European Union Websites For Law Librarians
Free and Commercial Web Sites for Researching Foreign Laws in English
Learning About International Law and International Organizations
Search Strategies
Google – international law
Alltheweb – international law
Alltheweb – international law portals
Google – marketing international lawyers
Google - advertising international lawyers
Google - marketing data international lawyers
Google – law publications
Google – lawyers internet connection
Google – international lawyer population
Google – world lawyer watch |
