Partner with us

Be Part of Something Bigger

Olney-Fraser is about being part of something bigger than yourself. With our law firm, you can practice law in a friendly, flexible and supportive environment with colleagues who will help you build your international legal career.

Advantages of being a Partner

  • Branding of a large, international firm
  • One-firm, equal, democratic partnership
  • 50% of personal fees collected on files for which you are the responsible partner
  • Legal work referred to you, and your referrals to others are rewarded
  • Technology solutions enable you to work most efficiently
  • Friendly, flexible and supportive working environment
  • No compromising your personal values
  • Work-life balance

Flexibility

We value work-life balance and embrace different working models, including work from home.

You may not want to (or be able to) work full time because you are a parent, a care-giver, or you simply choose not to work full time.

You may not want to (or be able to) work exclusively for us because you are a legal academic, a non-legal consultant, an advocate/barrister, a notary, or an in-house Counsel for a corporate.

New partners can combine their work in our firm with other non-legal activities they undertake (e.g. academics, non-executive directors, voluntary work, part-time parenting).

You may also not want (or be able to) work continuously over the course of a year: you can take leave (for example - holiday leave, sick leave, parental leave, care-giving leave) or take a sabbatical (for example - study, teaching, volunteering) for as much of a year as you choose to.

You are welcome to work from anywhere in the world.

These are choices for you, not for us; you don't have to ask our permission to dial up or down your workload.

Please appreciate, however, that flexibility only goes so far. We do not permit any of our Partners to be partners, employees, consultants or advisors in any other law firm or to maintain a sole practice. You cannot be a partner of Olney-Fraser and compete with us at the same time.

Who can be a Partner?

We welcome any experienced lawyer to apply to join us as a Partner, including:

  • Sole practitioners
  • Advocates, Barristers, Notaries and Special Counsel
  • Corporate Counsel, Academics or Consultants
  • Lawyers who are working part-time at the moment (e.g. parent, semi-retired, care-giver, sabbatical) but who still have some client work and need to attach themselves to a law firm to practice

Typically, we require new partners to meet the following professional criteria:

  • You must be a currently admitted legal practitioner in your jurisdiction with at least 5 years legal experience (or capable of being admitted when you join us).
  • You must not have been struck off the roll of any jurisdiction at any time. If you have been, we may consider your application if you can explain the circumstances of your being struck off, and we may give you dispensation.
  • If you get struck off the roll of your local jurisdiction, or cease to practice as a lawyer (except for sabbaticals), you must resign as a Partner.
  • Legal executives, para-legals, conveyancers and clerks are not eligible.

Regional LLP Structure

New partners join the LLP (limited liability partnership) in their region:

  • Olney-Fraser (US) LLP
  • Olney-Fraser (UK, Europe, Canada) LLP
  • Olney-Fraser (China, Hong Kong) LLP
  • Olney-Fraser (Asia, Aust/NZ, LATAM) LLP
  • Olney-Fraser (Middle East, Central Asia, Africa) LLP

Each of these LLPs is licensed to provide legal services in its region (or in the process of being licensed). They are tax-effective (pass through) structures, and they allow for regional differences to be managed locally.

If a local regulator requires a local entity to be licensed to provide legal services, the regional LLP will set up a wholly-owned subsidiary wherever that is permissible. If the local regulator requires local partners to own the licensed entity, those partners do so on behalf of the regional LLP. These silo structures are exceptions and minimised for the sake of the ‘one firm’ goal.

It is not possible to have one, single, global LLP for all partners. Tax laws and law firm regulations in different countries do not make that practical or equitable. As a compromise, we have set up (or are setting up) LLPs in Delaware, London, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai for partners in each region. Together, the LLPs own and manage Olney-Fraser.

When you join one of our LLPs, you do not share joint and several liability with your other partners. Each of our LLPs limits personal liability to the LLP itself.

Appointment of New Partners

New partners are appointed by the Management Committee on the joint recommendation of country, region and practice group leaders.

Each new Partner signs up to the partnership agreement for their LLP.

New partners do not contribute any capital to join the firm (and they don’t get any capital out when they leave).

There are no equity/salaried partner tiers. All partners are equal. One partner, one vote. It does not matter which regional LLP you are in.

Partner Remuneration

Our Partner remuneration model is the most flexible and nimble in the world. We reward Partners fairly and proportionately based on the fees they write, and their overall contribution to the firm (including referrals), without setting any fee budgets.

We deliver this level of flexibility through a simple remuneration model with Fee Splits, Referral Fees and Partnership Bonus Points:

  • Fee Splits are based on fee revenue for you and your team:

    • 50% of personal fees collected on files for which you are the responsible partner
    • 20% of fees collected from work done by other Partners and employee lawyers on files for which you are the Responsible Partner
    • 20% of your personal fees collected on files for which another Partner is the Responsible Partner

    Referral Fees are based on client work you refer to another Partner:

    • 10% of fees from clients where they are the referring partner on a file

  • Partnership Bonus Points are based on your contribution to the firm, determined by the Remuneration Committee based on:

    • Seniority as a lawyer
    • Years as a partner with the firm
    • Level of fee revenue you have been responsible partner for in the last financial year
    • Level of fee revenue you have referred to other partners in the last financial year
    • Management responsibilities
    • New clients signed up in the last quarter
    • Supervision of junior lawyers

    Partnership Bonus Points for each Partner are determined by the Remuneration Committee between 0 and 100 based on these factors at the end of each financial year. All profits from your LLP are distributed across the partners based on these allocated points.

All partners take their remuneration out as monthly drawings on a pass-through basis from the LLP that they join in their region.

Founding Partners

In each jurisdiction and each practice area, the Management Committee appoints a Founding Partner until Regional Managing Partners and Practice Group Leaders can be elected.

The role of a Founding Partner in a jurisdiction is:

  • To be a local figurehead for Olney-Fraser.
  • To help establish licensed entities in their region.
  • To ensure that we satisfy local compliance requirements with the regulatory body for the legal profession there.
  • To provide feedback and advice about the appointment of new Partners in their jurisdiction.
  • To be a point of contact between the Management Committee and other Partners.
  • To liaise with the Management Committee about Partner Bonuses.
  • To help resolve any disputes that may arise in their jurisdiction.

The role of a Founding Partner in a practice area is:

  • To help establish their practice group.
  • To recruit partners and lawyers into their practice group.
  • To be a leader within our firm for their practice area.
  • To ensure that we provide the best advice and support to our clients who need us in that area of law.
  • To be a point of contact between the Management Committee and other Partners in that practice group.

Founding Partner is a position of responsibility and seniority within our firm and within the legal profession in your jurisdiction or practice area.

Founding Partners are rewarded for their contribution to the establishment of the firm by being granted maximum Partnership Bonus Points (100 points) for the first 3 years.

If you are interested in being considered for a Founding Partner role in your jurisdiction or practice area, please let us know. Please email our Founder Darren Olney-Fraser on darren@olneyfraser.com to introduce yourself.

Partnership Documents

You can see all relevant partnership documents here:

LLP Partnership Agreements

Global Management

New Partner Documents

Apply to Be a Partner

Founding Partners should Apply Now

We are still setting up many of the LLPs and licensed entities that will form the backbone of Olney-Fraser. We need Founding Partners to join us to help set up many of these structures and get approval from local regulators. We are especially keen to hear from new partners who want to be Founding Partners - get involved on the ground floor and help build this exciting, new international law firm together! Founding Partners will be rewarded with additional Partnership Bonus Points that will apply for the first 3 years, giving them additional reward for their risk and effort in helping to establish Olney-Fraser in their jurisdictions.

“Build your international legal career, become a Partner of Olney-Fraser”

Darren Olney-Fraser, Founder