Evolution
From one office in 1978, we have evolved into an international firm with 22 full-service legal offices in 17 countries and with associations or affiliations with law firms in several additional jurisdictions.
Salans – Our History in Brief
1978: Founded in Paris by three French and American lawyers, Carl Salans, Jeffrey Hertzfeld and Eliane Heilbronn, all intent on creating a multinational law firm combining the skills of lawyers trained in European civil law and Anglo-American common law
1991: Opened in Moscow, building on over a decade of existing experience in Russia and the former USSR; opened in Warsaw
1992: Opened in Kyiv and London
1993: Opened in St Petersburg
1994: Opened in Almaty (later opened a satellite office in Atyrau in 2001)
1998: Expanded in London, merging with a specialist banking and corporate law firm
1999: Undertook the first transatlantic law firm merger with an internationally focused New York firm; opened in Baku, giving the firm unrivalled coverage in the CIS with five offices in the region
2003: Opened in Prague, Bucharest and Bratislava, giving the firm a strong CEE presence; opened in Istanbul and Shanghai
2004: Expanded CEE reach into Budapest, through an alliance with one of the largest local law firms in Hungary (which became Salans’ 15th office in early 2006); named Eastern European Law Firm of the Year by independent researchers Chambers and Partners
2006: Opened in Berlin; further expanded in Paris
2007: Tripled in capacity in China to become one of the largest international law firms in Shanghai; opened in Madrid and Barcelona, strengthening our presence in Western Europe
2008: Opened in Frankfurt and Beijing
2009: Opened in Hong Kong; named CEE Law Firm of the Year by independent researchers Chambers and Partners, for the second time in five years
2010: Opened in Brussels