The move follows a strategic review of business services provided through the London office and the centre is expected to be up and running in the second quarter of 2014.
According to Hogan Lovells chief operating officer, Nick Cray, there are a number of roles currently being delivered in London that can be easily provided from a different location. "Johannesburg has an excellent supply of talented people, is well placed in terms of time zones and offers good opportunities for cost savings when compared to London and a number of the firm's other existing office locations. We believe that this approach to how the firm delivers its business services is innovative, pragmatic and strategically sensible in light of market and client demands."
May-Elaine Thomson, chief executive of Hogan Lovells Johannesburg office, says the centre sits alongside the business opportunities they are already seeing in South Africa from the combination of Routledge Modise and Hogan Lovells. We have teamed up very effectively and there are a number of client opportunities where we are receiving a very favourable response to the full strength of the firm's global capabilities."
The firm is taking a 'seed and grow' strategy to the development of the business services centre with an expected 20 positions at the start. The first services will be conflict checking, client due diligence and research.
"It will initially start with a small number of roles which will increase over a period of time as our experience develops. In almost all cases, roles will be transferred to Johannesburg only as and when people leave the London office. When a vacancy arises in London and in the future in other offices in Europe and Asia, we will evaluate whether that role could be done in South Africa instead," Cray says.
