Deloitte doubles UK lawyer headcount as Kemp Little joins Deloitte Legal

Technology and digital media law firm Kemp Little has joined Deloitte Legal, doubling its lawyer headcount to more than 170 in the UK. The transaction also saw the addition of 29 new partners.

In total 114 Kemp Little employees have taken up roles at Deloitte Legal, including 80 lawyers with experience in commercial and technology, corporate, disputes, intellectual property and employment practices.

As well as doubling the influx of legal staff, Kemp Little brings a suite of legal tech products that Michael Castle, managing partner for Deloitte Legal in the UK, said will allow the team to “provide clients with an even broader and deeper range of legal expertise to complement existing services”.  Deloitte Legal is “now offering truly end-to-end professional and legal services to our clients”, he added. Products include Dupe Killer, an IP protection tool using AI to identify design infringements and Four Corners Intelligence, a contract analysis system.

Emphasising the increasing impact of technology in the practice of law, Deloitte’s chief technology officer Bruce Braude said: “Technology is reinventing the way legal work is being delivered and it underpins everything that we do… we want to do everything we can to help our people and our clients harness the considerable benefits created by advancements in legal technology.”

The move brings Deloitte Legal to a total of more than 370 employees in the UK, as well as a global headcount of roughly 2,500 professionals in more than 80 countries.

Andrew Joint, partner and head of legal advisory at Deloitte Legal, called “the transition and integration planning… a tremendous success, despite the obvious challenges of being conducted virtually” as well as a “landmark moment in Kemp Little’s history”.