Osborne Clarke

The story of Osborne Clarke begins in 1748 in Bristol, England, when a lawyer named Jeremiah Osborne started his own practice. For over a century, the firm grew, establishing a strong reputation. A notable early client was the Great Western Railway Company, where the firm worked closely with the famous engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel on major railway projects connecting London to the West Country. The modern version of the firm came into being through a significant merger in 1969, when two of Bristol’s oldest law practices, Osborne Ward and Clarke Gwynn & Press, combined to become Osborne Clarke. This event created the foundation for the international entity it is today. Charles Clarke, a seventh-generation lawyer in his family's practice, became a senior partner in 1985 and was instrumental in its early expansion. A pivotal moment in its modernization was the decision to open a London office in 1987, the first regional firm to do so. This was followed by a forward-thinking move in 2000, opening an office in Silicon Valley, positioning the firm ahead of many UK rivals in the technology sector. Subsequent decades saw significant international growth, with offices opening across Europe and Asia. Today, with headquarters in London, Osborne Clarke operates as a Swiss verein, an association of legally distinct member firms, across 25 offices worldwide, focusing on sectors like technology, media, and energy.