DLA Piper is scrapping its Swiss verein structure and pulling the operation under a single leadership umbrella after partners in both its US and International LLPs voted overwhelmingly in favour.
The firm is betting that a more unified structure will make it easier to chase high-value, cross-border work and compete for top-tier talent without the usual internal friction that verein structures quietly encourage.
The new setup introduces a global LLP sitting above the existing US and International arms, effectively replacing the Swiss verein while leaving those entities in place beneath it.
Leadership will not be a mystery. Frank Ryan steps in as global chair and co-CEO alongside Charles Severs, forming a centralised leadership team designed to give the firm a clearer line of sight across its sprawling international footprint.
For a firm built on scale, this is less a tweak and more a quiet admission that the old model had limits. The real test will be whether unity delivers the promised firepower or just adds another layer of management meetings nobody asked for.
The firm’s media release announcing the move is below –
Global law firm DLA Piper announced today that the partners of DLA Piper US LLP (“US”) and DLA Piper International LLP (“International”) have overwhelmingly approved closer global alignment under a single leadership team, led by Frank Ryan as Global Chair and Co-CEO and Charles Severs as Global Co-CEO. The move will sharpen the firm’s competitive position and increase its capacity to pursue complex work and top-tier talent across its practices and markets around the world.
“DLA Piper is uniquely positioned to help clients navigate a landscape marked by the increasing complexity of doing business across borders, with less trade and regulatory certainty, and rapid technological disruption,” said Global Chair and Co-CEO Frank Ryan. “This alignment strengthens our ability to invest in the lawyers, teams, and technologies that will reshape competition in major legal markets.”
Building on global revenue of US$4.6 billion in 2025, the firm aims to surpass the success of its first 20 years, driven by a team of leaders from around the world. In addition to Frank Ryan and Charles Severs, the leadership team will include John Gilluly and Loren Brown as Vice Chairs, Sandra Wallace and Rick Chesley as Global Co-Managing Partners, and the firm’s International Managing Director for Clients, Benjamin Parameswaran.
“Today’s milestone marks the next step in two decades of successful collaboration between our US and International businesses,” said Global Co-CEO Charles Severs. “DLA Piper already advises clients on some of the market’s most complex local and cross-border issues, but our ambition is to bring the full strength of our platform to the market. This move reflects our shared confidence that DLA Piper can take market share when the firm operates with unified global focus and coordination.”
The changes will take effect on May 1, 2026. Client service will continue without disruption during the implementation of the alignment. The new structure will consist of a global LLP sitting above the existing US and International entities, which will continue. It will replace the current DLA Piper Global Swiss verein, which will be dissolved. In addition to the individual leaders named above, the firm’s strategic direction will be guided by global executive and policy committees.
