MacRoberts believes that, in order to provide our clients with the services they require throughout the world, it is essential that we maintain excellent links with lawyers throughout the world - both generalists and specialists in the various disciplines in which we practice.

However, we believe that this international reach should be more than mere directory entries and we make it our practice to meet regularly with our international contacts to exchange information on trends and best practice and to ensure that - when our clients do have a problem or issue outwith the UK - we are able to recommend not just a lawyer, but a lawyer who is personally known to us and whom we believe will provide in their jurisdiction the quality of service and commitment that we would have provided ourselves had the matter been in Scotland.

In addition to the organisations mentioned, MacRoberts Partners participate regularly in international conferences and seminars, both in the UK and overseas, and this gives us a very extensive network of expert legal advisers to assist our clients in resolving their issues quickly and efficiently.

The following are some of the associations to which the firm or some of its Partners belong:

European Employment Lawyers Association
The aims of EELA are:

• to bring together practising employment lawyers across the European union
• to improve the implementation and understanding of the social dimension
• to exchange views on the manner of such implementation
• to strengthen links between EU employment lawyers.

John Macmillan is a board member of the European Employment Lawyers Association (EELA). It has over 1000 members and runs an excellent conference each year on up to date European employment issues. It also connects with the Commission to get advance notice of forthcoming changes and comments on those prospective changes.

euroITCounsel
euroITcounsel is a quality circle of European specialist computer and IT lawyers. Established advisers in the IT, computer and telecommunications sectors, they provide a unique service, based on quality and value to clients, with no exclusive referral of work to members or branch offices.

euroITcounsel was born from an informal group of specialist lawyers who worked together over a number of years. Brought together by experience in advising clients on issues affecting businesses and transactions involving the Internet, E-commerce, Computers and Telecommunications, we realised a new approach to offering Europe-wide legal advice was required for our clients and companies working in Europe. That approach focuses on quality of service, sector experience and value: these are among the prime commitments the members make when they join. euroITcounsel delivers specialist IT, computer and telecommunications sector legal advice across Europe with established, experienced EU state qualified lawyers.

David Flint is a director of EuroITcounsel.

Advoc
Advoc is the international network of independent law firms; established in Europe, Advoc now has member firms throughout the world and has separate Chapters in Europe, Asia, Latin America and North America; an Africa Chapter will be established shortly.

Advoc has more than 60 members from over 50 countries. Each firm is a medium-sized firm in its home jurisdiction and each firm provides general commercial advice in addition to specialist services.

MacRoberts has been active for many years in Advoc, which was founded in 1990 by a number of independent law firms seeking to service their client's requirements for lawyers outside of their own countries. The founder members were looking for like minded independent law firms who would service their clients needs based on a commitment and quality code, which is accepted by all members.

Contact Allan Mackenzie or David Flint for more information.

American Bar Association
MacRoberts Partners have been active in the Business Law Section of the ABA for almost 20 years and several Partners have spoken at ABA Annual and Mid-Year meetings throughout the United States and Canada. Our involvement in the work of the ABA (in addition to serving on committees and sub-committees, our Partners have spoken at and chaired Programs, and contributed to ABA publications) allows us access to American and foreign legal counsel both throughout the United States and also further afield.

Robert Burns is a major contributor to the work of the Business Law Section Negotiated Acquisitions Committee, whilst David Flint is the Chair of the IP Sub-committee of the International Business Law Committee.

InterAct Europe
InterAct Europe EEIG is a network of independent legal practices, whose members act for business clients with cross-border interests, and are located in major commercial cities in Europe.  Its aim is to extend the services and information available to their clients and enhance their knowledge and expertise in all aspects of national and European law.  While numerically the membership is increasing, there is a fundamental intention to retain, as an important asset of the group, the close working relationship and personal regard which exists between the members; this encourages a level of commitment to other members and their clients.

The InterAct group was founded in 1990 at a time when, with trade expanding within the EU, a number of firms felt a need to be part a European-wide association to obtain reliable legal services in other countries for their clients.  MacRoberts joined in January 2010.

Contact Nick Jones or Julie Hamilton for more information.