Grant Thornton Legal: multidisciplinary goes mainstream
With its newly launched legal practice in Portugal, the firm’s leadership reflects on why multidisciplinary firms are gaining ground and how integration is becoming a competitive advantage
by glória paiva
Experts: Susana Melo, CEO of Grant Thornton in Portugal for the tax & advisory areas, Artur Filipe da Silva, partner at Grant Thornton Legal
Following the opening up of legal services integration within multidisciplinary firms in 2024 (click to read), the Portuguese legal market has witnessed the expansion of multidisciplinary practices. The trend reflects growing demand for increasingly integrated solutions to challenges that combine legal, tax, financial and technological issues. Against this backdrop, the firm decided to integrate a legal practice into its advisory platform through the launch of Grant Thornton Legal, which began operations earlier this year in the country, reinforcing what its leadership says is no longer a niche market but a structural transformation of the sector.
Growing regulatory and technological complexity has been reshaping the expectations of corporate clients, who increasingly seek advice capable of addressing different dimensions of the same issue. In Grant Thornton’s view, this evolution is accelerating the consolidation of multidisciplinary firms. In a market where the ability to provide integrated services may become a key competitive advantage, “the niche segment that existed five years ago is becoming mainstream”, says Susana Melo, CEO of Grant Thornton in Portugal for the tax & advisory areas.
“The market is undoubtedly becoming more competitive, and that is precisely why there is room for new multidisciplinary players”, explains Susana Melo. According to her, the development of Grant Thornton’s legal practice in Portugal is “the natural extension of an investment, made over the past two years, in people and technology, building an advisory platform that includes, among other areas, tax, advisory and digital services.”
Although it was driven by specific opportunities identified in the Portuguese market, the creation of Grant Thornton Legal forms part of a strategy aligned with the firm’s international network. According to Susana Melo, Portugal brought together factors such as the maturity the organisation has achieved in the country, the profile of its client base and the availability of professionals whose experience matched the project. “Portugal was the right place at the right time, with the right people”, she summarises.
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