Harvard Law School’s Program on the Legal Profession (PLP) and leading European law firm Plesner announced a strategic collaboration today. Plesner will become the first European affiliate and supporter of PLP’s Center on Lawyers and the Professional Services Industry, which conducts and sponsors empirical research on the central questions facing the legal services industry.

“In the rapidly globalizing world of private sector legal services, it is critical to foster closer ties between the academy that trains the next generation of legal leaders and innovative professionals who provide and manage the delivery of those services around the globe,” said Erik Ramanathan, executive director of the program.

“In Plesner, we are fortunate to have found visionary thought leaders who are dedicated to engaging in the kind of open and candid dialogue about the future of the profession that can only occur under the auspices of an academic research center at a place like Harvard Law School,” added David Wilkins, Vice Dean for Global Initiatives on the Profession and Faculty Director of the Program.

“We are extremely pleased to have been selected by the Program on the Legal Profession as its first European affiliate. We believe that Harvard Law School’s activities and research conducted through the Center is important for the global legal profession,” said Jacob Bier, vice chairman of Plesner, who will represent the firm on the Center’s advisory board.

“We anticipate that our partners and lawyers will be able to benefit greatly from this unique association with Harvard Law School and we are very pleased to be able to contribute to the Center in the coming years,” added Nicolai Ørsted, Plesner’s managing partner.

The Center on Lawyers and the Professional Services Industry is the world’s leading academic enterprise devoted to empirical study of legal practice and the delivery of related professional services.  The Center was established at Harvard Law School in 2004 to help both scholars and practicing lawyers better understand the transformation of legal practice from a profession traditionally made up of small independent firms to a multi-billion dollar global business. It is guided by a blue chip advisory board comprised of twenty-two top business leaders, managing partners and general counsel from key sectors of the legal and professional services industry.

With a total staff of 380, including 204 lawyers, Plesner is one of Denmark’s leading law firms with expertise in all areas of commercial and public law. Plesner’s goal is to be recognized as the most forward looking and client driven law firm in Denmark – the natural choice for any Danish or foreign business needing legal advice on important and strategic commercial matters, said Bier.