KPMG Law’s German arm and US labour and employment firm Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart have teamed up to form a non-exclusive alliance in order to expand immigration and employment law reach for both entities. 

The alliance, initially signed between KPMG Law in Germany and Ogletree Deakins, will combine the Big Four giant’s global network with Ogletree Deakins’ market-leading US immigration and employment law expertise for clients located outside the US. 

The deal excludes KPMG’s stateside operations and any entities it “owns or controls” that don’t provide legal services, with other non-US member firms expected to join the alliance over the next several months. 

The terms of the alliance mean that any of KPMG’s US clients that require immigration, employment and labour law services would be contracted by Ogletree Deakins separately.  

According to a statement, the alliance was motivated by rising client demand for technology-enabled solutions and a “globally unified” approach to business challenges faced in the areas of immigration and global mobility, labour and employment, as well as the associated tax, compensation and benefits issues that may arise as the pandemic winds down.  

“As businesses expand and look to shore up recovery in the post-pandemic world, there is increasing pressure for multinational organisations seeking to get the right people in the right places at the right time, and in compliance with the requirements of any given jurisdiction,” said Thomas Wolf, head of global immigration services at KPMG.  

“Ogletree Deakins’ labor, employment and immigration experience in the United States is a perfect fit for KPMG’s organisation of firms as we expand our global legal services practice and our global mobility services offerings around the world,” he added. 

Based in Atlanta, Ogletree Deakins is one of the largest labour and employment law firms in the US. It has more than 900 lawyers in 53 offices across the US, Canada and Mexico and currently ranks 73rd in the Am Law 100. 

Matt Keen, Ogletree Deakins’ managing shareholder, added that the alliance would benefit the accountancy giant’s clients by “complimenting” its US labour, employment and immigration offerings with “end-to-end” workplace solutions, including tax, compensation, global immigration and related consulting services on a “truly global” scale.  

“Our firm shares a vision with the KPMG network for client service, innovation and cutting-edge technology solutions, and we are already working together on a next generation mobility services platform,” he said. 

Last year, KPMG ramped up its tech-focused offering with the launch of a legal transformation consultancy arm in a bid to help in-house teams and general counsel optimise their use of digital services in the wake of the pandemic. 

Last week, fellow German legal player Luther and French giant Fidal teamed up to launch an exclusive association under the umbrella of a Swiss Verein in order to expand their services for international clients.