WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: My question is this: Thailand  today… where tomorrow? I contend that law firms in the USA, the Commonwealth and other regions cannot afford to be complacent or to ignore announcements such as this by major entities from outside the traditional legal industry, especially the Big 4.

THE STORY: A mid-February post on the KPMG website announced the launch in Thailand of KPMG Legal, an initiative intended to provide “a full range of business law services, such as commercial and corporate law, mergers & acquisitions (M&A) and reorganization, employment law, legal compliance and investigation, and privacy law.”

In the post, KPMG touts the strength of the company’s new division as its ability to combine legal services with its existing accounting and financial operations. Charoen Phosamritlert, CEO of KPMG in Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, says, “At KPMG, we believe in being proactive. We need to be able to identify future trends and upcoming industries in order to be ready with our team of experts to serve our clients. With KPMG Legal and our strong background in various business industries, we will be able to provide our customers with a holistic legal counsel service backed by a team of business-savvy legal advisors.”

I INVITE YOUR FEEDBACK: What risks do the growing number of ventures such as KPMG Legal pose to existing providers of legal services? I would be interested to know your thoughts on this or any other matter relating law firms and their management, either in the comments section below or or directly via email.