Ever since Linklaters first launched in the U.S. 50 years ago with an office in New York, it has had a tough time trying to establish itself as a key player in the market. 

Like many of its international rivals, it has found the U.S. to be a brutally competitive place where the culture and economics do not necessarily play to its strengths. Yet the U.K.-headquartered firm’s progress in the U.S. since it arrived in 1972 has been slower than its key competitors.