You are here: Home: Employer insights: DLA Piper UK LLP: About the organisation
The firm began as a selection of smaller firms (some of which were originally based in Yorkshire) and has expanded into a global business. DLA Piper as it is known today is the result of a merger between three firms in 2005: Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich LLP (San Diego), Piper Rudnick LLP (Chicago) and DLA LLP (London). To date, this is the largest merger in the history of the legal profession. DLA Piper now has 76 offices across the world and employs around 4,200 lawyers worldwide and of these approximately 1,000 are partners.
DLA Piper’s City office is key – however its regional practices account for over 60% of its UK turnover. The seven regional offices are in:
In the regional offices, the work, clients, and hours are said to be similar to its City office – however they will vary depending on how busy each department is.
DLA Piper’s regional practices account for over 60% of its turnover, so they are just as important as its City office.
The Legal 500 rates DLA Piper as a first-tier firm for: customs and excise, outsourcing and procurement, fraud (corporate crime), public affairs, IT and telecoms, media and entertainment, and sport.
And in the second tier for: flotations (small and mid-cap), fraud (white collar crime), tax litigation, health and safety, private finance initiative (pfi), property finance, brand management, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, aviation, and rail.
DLA Piper has consistently been in The Times top 100 Graduate Employers, and was also ranked as the number one global law firm in the Law360 ‘Global 20’ in May 2011. In 2008 DLA Piper won the National Graduate Recruitment Award’s ‘Diversity Recruitment Award’, and in 2011 was voted as the fifth ideal law firm to work for in the UK Student Survey.
Salaries at DLA Piper vary according to location. Typically, London employees will receive a higher salary in line with the London weighting – but will also face much higher living costs. The most recently published trainee salaries for DLA Piper are:
Employer insights are written by independent experts with job candidates in mind, helping you research and understand employers.
Copyright of all material written for Employer insights lies solely with GTI Media.
Register for how to get hired advice straight into your inbox
©2012 GTI Media Ltd. Registered in England No. 2347472.
Registered office: The Fountain Building, Howbery Park, Benson Lane, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 8BA UK