DLA Piper: a global LLP and a US$10B revenue ambition
Global co-CEOs Frank Ryan and Charles Severs explain to MAG why the firm is moving beyond the Swiss Verein model: unified governance, integrated incentives and greater strategic speed to support growth. Italy, Iberia, technology and consolidation are at the heart of the new phase
by nicola di molfetta
F ive days. That is how much time had passed since DLA Piper’s new single, global Limited Liability Partnership structure came into force when Frank Ryan, Global Chair and CoCEO, and Charles Severs, Global Co-CEO, made themselves available for this interview with MAG. The transition, effective from 1 May 2026, dissolves the Swiss Verein structure that has underpinned DLA Piper’s global expansion for more than two decades and replaces it with a global LLP sitting above the existing US and international entities. Partners approved the change by an overwhelming majority. In Italy, Wolf Michael Kühne, who joined the conversation, confirmed that the vote was unanimous: 52 in favour out of 52 partners. That unanimity speaks volumes about the internal momentum behind the change.
AMBITION, NOT EMERGENCY DLA
Piper reported global revenues of US$4.6bn in 2025 and, in Frank Ryan’s projection, is aiming to be “well above US$10bn in revenues” within the next three to five years. It is, he says, “an acceleration in our positioning for growth”.
As both leaders frame it, the rationale for the new structure is competitive clarity. “We are, and always have been, an ambitious firm”, Charles Severs confirms. The Verein model—effective in building a global footprint, as Severs himself acknowledges— was becoming a constraint in a world that demands faster, more aligned strategic action. A single management team, a single governance structure, unified incentive pools: these are the tools of an institution that wants to move quickly.
ONE TEAM, ONE DIRECTION
For the first time in 20 years, DLA Piper has a single management team responsible for the entire global firm. That team—led by Ryan and Severs—now views every strategic decision through one lens: what is best for DLA Piper globally.
The practical implications are significant. Strategic planning can move faster. Recruitment decisions can be made more consistently. And, above all, partners around the world can now be incentivised not only to excel in their local markets, but to generate and share business across borders.
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