
12,000+ Attorneys
SCG Legal, a worldwide network of 122 independent law firms, was founded in 1989 and includes firms—80% of which are Chambers ranked with Chambers-ranked attorneys in the balance—that house legal, regulatory and, in many countries, public policy practices. Members serve clients in major commercial centers and capitals in more than 62 countries, every U.S. state capital city and the District of Columbia. Firms in the network are unified by a culture of premier legal practices and industry leadership; an elevated dedication to client service and responsiveness; a commitment to diversity and inclusion; and a devotion to transparent, innovative and fair billing practices.

About Us
Carefully curated over the past 30 years and now comprising more than 12,000 attorneys—many of whom are corporate and community leaders in their home jurisdictions—SCG Legal’s network has the global reach, resources and influence to quickly mobilize teams that drive value and assist clients with matters of all sizes, including ‘bet the company’ representations, for a wide variety legal matters involving complex litigation, restructurings, employment issues, M&A deals, corporate transactions and more.
As a worldwide community of mainly regional firms, SCG Legal enables its members to serve clients through a trusted referral network of experienced and politically connected attorneys and professionals that includes former government officials such as ministers, members of congress, governors, mayors, attorneys general and legislative and administrative agency leaders. Consequently, the network has earned global esteem by consistently representing many of the world’s leading companies, organizations and startups in a wide range of economic, political and regulatory matters across more than 100 jurisdictions … while offering the kind of personal attention larger global firms often promise—but can seldom deliver—and typically at far more reasonable billing rates.
SCG Legal’s network is unified by premier legal practices, industry leadership and collegiality. This bond uniquely positions member firms to provide accurate and comprehensive information about activities in major commercial centers and capitals around the world, anticipating and proactively addressing shifts in international legal and regulatory landscapes on a daily basis to help advocate for clients on matters with local, regional and global impact.
Dynamic collaboration is a hallmark of SCG Legal, ensuring member firms attract and retain clients from a wide variety of industries through partnering opportunities that offer more value and a full suite of international services. No matter where a client’s interests reach—on Earth, in our galaxy or beyond—members can provide the strategic resources necessary to navigate any legal challenge. This reality is constantly reinforced through SCG Legal’s robust, relevant and timely resource offerings, which enable attorneys and legal professionals to stay up-to-date through training programs, practice and industry group committees, regional teams, topical webinars, breaking news alerts and more. Carefully curated over the past 30 years and now comprising more than 12,000 attorneys—many of whom are corporate and community leaders in their home jurisdictions—SCG Legal’s network has the global reach, resources and influence to quickly mobilize teams that drive value and assist clients with matters of all sizes, including ‘bet the company’s representations, for a wide variety of legal matters involving complex litigation, restructurings, employment issues, M&A deals, corporate transactions and more.
Contact:
Alina A. Gorokhovsky, CEO | agorokhovsky@scglegal.com
Phone: 202 580 6527
Asia & Pacific Rim
2,828 attorneys | 14 firms | 82 offices
Fueled by significant growth, the Asian & Pacific Rim economies have expanded into the largest in the world. As the region continues to change and government agencies implement new laws and regulations, it will be increasingly important that companies bring in experienced counsel with significant regional resources and local political connections to ensure new policies and procedures do not endanger investments and deals focused on the development, production and purchase of products and services.
SCG Legal’s member firms collaborate across all jurisdictions, which enables the development of effective client-focused teams to ensure companies achieve their objectives. With leading attorneys in each country—Australia, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam—SCG Legal’s network represents some of the most sophisticated companies and business groups, including high-tech, electronics, life sciences, health care, transportation, manufacturing, chemical, raw materials and energy, in nearly every significant regulated and unregulated industry in the region.
Africa & Middle East
40 attorneys | 3 firms | 7 offices
SCG Legal’s member firms in Africa are located in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. These firms represent clients with some of the largest and most complex deals, projects, developments and investments in their respective countries. They provide legal and strategic advice as well as important local connections and knowledge to help clients maximize opportunities for their business interests. International clients also benefit from each firm’s significant intelligence and experience related to the laws, regulations, cultures and customs fundamental to each country.
Canada
600 attorneys | 9 firms | 17 offices
SCG Legal is noted globally as one of Canada’s leading law firm networks and is the only network in the country with independent firms in nine of the ten provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan and representation in all three territories: Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon. These member firms have been providing strategic legal counsel to some of the largest Canadian and international companies for more than 100 years. Eight of the nine firms are Chambers ranked across a diverse group of practices. Canada’s member firms consistently work together to provide a comprehensive range of legal, regulatory and public policy services to corporations of varying sizes, academic institutions, governments, Indigenous peoples and other organizations in corporate and commercial matters, litigation and dispute resolution and issues involving labor and employment, insurance, intellectual property and emerging technology, energy, construction, education, tax, real estate, privacy, professional regulatory, health and medical malpractice.
Europe
2,300 attorneys | 26 firms | 70 offices
In Europe, SCG Legal’s network includes independent firms in almost every country. These firms, including 18 Chambers ranked across a diverse group of practices, represent many of the largest international and domestic clients in their respective countries. Member firms are able to offer sound, cost-efficient guidance through the interconnected policies and regulations of the European Union while also providing critical insights into the very different realities of operating in individual countries. Consequently, these firms proactively and seamlessly collaborate to help clients meet complex legal objectives through matters ranging from competition/antitrust, corporate, M&A, data privacy and employment to finance, restructurings, bankruptcies, commercial litigation, international arbitration and real estate as well as a wide range of regulatory matters.
Latin America & Caribbean
920 attorneys | 18 firms | 40 offices
Latin America has grown into one of the most diverse and complex regions in which to do business and SCG Legal’s network has matched its stride. Member firms, representing clients across more than 40 offices, have a long and successful history of counseling on matters ranging from manufacturing, hospitality and leisure, telecom, technology, life sciences, natural resources and international trade to dispute resolution, M&A, tax, public policy and regulations. Attorneys and policy professionals leverage their global insights and local knowledge of political, legislative, business and cultural practices to advance client business objectives throughout the region and beyond.
United States
5,500 attorneys | 53 firms | 256 offices
SCG Legal was founded in the U.S. in 1989 by the governors of 17 American states. The organization began with the premise that clients would be best served by lawyers who not only knew the law but were also familiar with how and by whom it was made. This point of view ultimately led the founders to locate and associate with law firms in their respective state capitals and major commercial centers. As the network expanded domestically and internationally—eventually connecting every state and 62 countries—the founders consistently partnered with firms that matched their vision for strategic and collaborative practice management as well as innovation in the practice of law and public policy.
Today, in each state capital as well as Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago and the District of Columbia, firms provide legal advice in every practice of law across every industry. Most of these firms are Chambers ranked with a proven ability to deliver seamlessly integrated government relations campaigns that positively impact business outcomes for clients around the world. They help clients with public procurement efforts, influence key decision-makers in government through meaningful engagement and protect their brands and reputations. They also provide day-to-day regulatory counsel, bipartisan public advocacy strategy and critical ‘on the ground’ support at the local, state and federal levels.
U.S. member firms offer incredible client value through the knowledge and experience of numerous former public officials as well the most skilled and seasoned attorneys and professionals in the nation. Their long-standing relationships within local and regional communities provide strategic and competitive advantages regardless of business focus, and through partnering with other firms in the network they can leverage long-established, highly credible reputations with government officials, financial institutions and other intermediaries to help domestic and international clients identify business opportunities, remain at the forefront of industry impact, overcome challenges quickly and move swiftly and smoothly through government approval processes.
SCG Legal is a global network of primarily full-service firms offering legal, regulatory, government relationship and business strategy solutions to corporate, individual and nonprofit clients around the world. Member firms are led by attorneys who have been educated through the most elite law schools and many have also trained and/or are certified as public accountants, tax agents, public economists, patent agents, engineers and entrepreneurs among many other skilled professions. This depth and breadth of knowledge coupled with an unwavering commitment to excellent service enables these firms to assist clients with increasingly complicated, often multinational legal and regulatory challenges as well as everyday business matters.
Collaboration and communication across SCG Legal’s global network are enhanced on a daily basis through integrated practice and industry groups. Member firms are constantly building on and benefitting from trust-based partnerships that span decades, sharing knowhow, best practices, templates and other resources. They also join together to co-host receptions, webinars, workshops and seminars for clients as well as for the entire SCG Legal member community.
Our Benefits
The mission of SCG Legal is to build a trusted global network of independent law firms that thrives on proactive collaboration to address client needs around the world through a unified culture of premier legal practices, industry leadership, elevated client service, a commitment to diversity and inclusion and a devotion to transparent and fair billing practices.
The network’s leadership is committed to consistently enhancing the organization’s value by actively seeking feedback from its member firms and their clients. Current member benefits include but are not limited to the following.
- Global reach through the foremost attorneys in more than 60 countries.
- Access to decision-makers in every capital city and major commercial city center around the world.
- Multijurisdictional legal, regulatory and public policy counsel with high-quality client service and consistency in billing.
- Client teams assembled to seamlessly deliver coordinated, strategic and cost-effective solutions for litigation, transactional and regulatory matters.
- Coordinated and effective regional legal services and business development activities.
- Regional retreats, networking events and annual member conference as well as a member-only mid-year meeting and numerous virtual professional and
personal development opportunities. - Dynamic support—locally, regionally, globally and online—through resources such as shared best practices; verified templates; practice management tools;
marketing, business development and branding tool kits; client service and value tools; and technology.
Thought Leadership
For more than three decades, SCG Legal has been a global institution, highly respected among many of the world’s largest companies, business groups and associations.
SCG Legal’s member firms are shaping legal, policy and regulatory landscapes in their local communities and countries as well as around the world, helping to write the laws, rules and regulations for what comes next. These firms—90% of which have been members for more than 20 years—have long-standing and institutionalized relationships with each other as well as with the clients that have retained them to help navigate business as it expands beyond defined borders.
United by SCG Legal, member firms are anticipating and proactively addressing shifts in the international legal and regulatory landscapes on a daily basis. Our attorneys and professionals are uniquely positioned to provide accurate and comprehensive information about activities in capital and commercial cities around the world. Members stay up-to-date through ongoing joint training programs, regional and client team calls, webinars, newsletters, alerts, and use of SCG’s global resource centers.
2023 Board of Directors
OFFICERS
Chair: Mark Dunphy – Hall & Wilcox (Melbourne, Australia)
Vice Chair: Paul B. Plunkett – Larkin Hoffman (US: Minnesota)
Secretary: M. Celeste Bruce – Rifkin Weiner Livingston (US: Maryland)
Treasurer: Fabio Guzmán Saladin – Guzmán Ariza (Dominican Republic)
Past Chair: Kelley Duke – Ireland Stapleton Pryor & Pascoe (US: Colorado)
DIRECTORS
Thomas Bähler – Kellerhals Carrard (Switzerland)
Kenneth Baldwin – Robinson+Cole (US: Connecticut)
Lisa Borsook – WeirFoulds (Canada: Ontario)
Erika Carrasco – Field Law (Canada: Alberta)
Eugene ‘Matt’ E. Mathews III – McGuireWoods (US: Virginia)
Stephan Menzemer – GvW Graf von Westphalen (Germany)
Thaddeus ‘Thad’ Morgan – Fraser Trebilcock (US: Michigan)
Tom Pickthorn – Mills & Reeve (UK)
Melissa Salhab Sykes – McGinnis Lochridge (US: Texas)
Yongchang ‘John’ Tang – DHH (China: Beijing)
Steve Tugend – Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter (US: Ohio)
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
Given its proven thought leadership in the global legal industry, SCG Legal launched a Diversity and Inclusion program in January 2020, which resulted in all member firms adopting the policy below.
The SCG Legal network is committed to fostering among its member firms an environment where Diversity and Inclusion are encouraged, and to facilitate each member firm’s reputation for excellence, experience and connection not only in the jurisdictions in which they operate but across jurisdictions as they collaborate with one another to support their respective clients. In furtherance of those objectives, SCG Legal encourages its member firms to institute and implement policies to promote Diversity and Inclusion in the profession and at their respective firms. As a global network invested in the success of its member firms, SCG Legal’s commitment to Diversity and Inclusion extends to its professional development opportunities, the composition of its board of directors and committees and its relationships with others.
#SCGThrive
As an extension of the organization’s unwavering commitment to the wellness of each member fi rm’s attorneys and professionals, their family members and clients, SCG Legal launched #SCGThrive in April 2020. This initiative seeks to address eminent well-being issues inherent in the legal profession, many of which intensified as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is grounded in five main pillars: Work-Life Balance, Stress Management, Authentic Connections, Healthy Habits and Mindfulness. The pillars guide a mixture of instructional webinars, proactive tool kits, practical resources and motivational activities offered regularly to support healthy, productive
and balanced lives for those in or associated with the legal industry.