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WLA product · Programme · Annual

Global Legal Bench™

Know who to call, in which country, for which legal issue, before the next matter arrives.

An annual programme for businesses that need lawyers in several countries again and again. WLA builds a clear external legal Bench around the countries and legal needs that matter to you, keeps the counsel you already trust, finds counsel where there is a gap, and keeps it all current. You approve every firm. WLA does not appoint or replace counsel on its own.

FORGeneral Counsel · Legal operations · CEO · CFO
FORMAnnual programme with a live Bench in My WLA
CONTROLYou approve every firm on the Bench
FEEAnnual fee, confirmed in writing
NEXT STAGEStart matters through the Bench
Build my BenchNew to this? Start here
In plain words

What this is, and whether you need it.

What it is

A maintained list of the lawyers you can call, not a directory. For the countries where you regularly need legal help, the Bench records which legal needs keep coming back, which counsel you already trust, where there is no suitable counsel yet, and who to contact when a matter appears. Each firm is independent. You decide what goes on the Bench, and WLA keeps it current on an agreed review cycle.

When to use it

When your business works in several countries and the same legal needs keep returning. Also when every new matter starts another search for a lawyer, when knowledge of who to call sits in a few people's inboxes, or when you only discover a missing country when a matter is already urgent.

How to use it

Tell us where you operate and what legal help you need. WLA confirms the priority countries, the review frequency and an annual fee in writing. WLA then builds the proposed Bench with you. You approve it in My WLA. From then on you can start a matter through the Bench and watch it being reviewed.

What you gain

You stop rebuilding the counsel list each time a new issue appears. Your existing lawyers can stay. Gaps are visible before they are urgent. The next matter starts with context, and the person who normally carries all of this in their head no longer has to.

A simple example

THE SITUATION

A lean legal team handles employment, commercial, data, M&A and dispute work across eight countries. Different people know different firms.

WITHOUT A BENCH

Each new matter restarts the search. Knowledge of who is good sits in personal memory. A missing country shows up only when something goes wrong there.

WITH A BENCH

The priority countries, the counsel you trust, the gaps and the route to each adviser sit in one maintained view. The next matter starts with context, and the General Counsel is no longer the traffic controller for every request.

Words used on this page

Bench

Your chosen set of external lawyers, by country and by legal need, that you can call on.

Footprint

The countries where your business regularly needs legal help, and the legal needs that keep returning.

Capability matrix

A table that shows, country by country, which legal needs are covered and which are not.

Coverage gap

A country or legal need for which you have no suitable counsel yet.

Activation route

The path from a problem inside your business to the right adviser: who to contact and how an instruction begins.

Independent firm

A law firm that is legally separate from WLA. It gives its own advice under its own engagement and is solely responsible for it.

Is it right for you?

Use it when the same international legal needs keep coming back.

You run a lean legal team

Few lawyers, many countries. You cannot be the contact for every request.

Your lawyers are scattered

Different teams know different firms, and nobody holds the full picture.

Every matter restarts the search

Each new issue means another round of finding and checking a lawyer.

You are expanding

New countries are coming and you want counsel ready before the first matter.

Your panel has gone stale

The names are still on the list, but people, markets and needs have changed.

You want to keep your lawyers

You trust some firms already and want to map around them, not replace them.

NOT THE RIGHT PRODUCT IF

You have one decision to map before you spend, use Cross-Border Decision Map™. You are entering one new country, use Market Entry Legal Readiness™. You need a single lawyer for one matter now, use People & Firms.

NOT SURE?

Send a short note through Brief WLA, or start from Ask WLA, and we will point you to the right product. WLA itself does not give legal advice; it introduces the right firm.

What you receive

Eight parts, from your footprint to a Bench that stays current.

Your Bench programme has eight parts. Each one is explained below in plain words.

  1. 01

    Footprint map

    The priority countries and the legal situations that keep recurring for your business.

  2. 02

    Capability matrix

    A country-by-country view of the legal capability you need.

  3. 03

    Existing counsel map

    The firms and named professionals you already use and trust, recorded as you tell us.

  4. 04

    Gap review

    The countries or legal areas where suitable capability is missing, and what WLA is doing about each.

  5. 05

    Approved Bench

    The external legal capability you have accepted. Nothing is added without your approval.

  6. 06

    Activation route

    A clear route from an internal issue to an adviser, including how to start a matter through WLA.

  7. 07

    Periodic review

    A review on the cycle we agree, so the Bench keeps up as your business changes.

  8. 08

    Relevant intelligence

    Rule changes and resources tied to your footprint, so that you hear about what matters to your countries.

What your Bench looks like

An invented example, to show the shape of a Bench. Real entries are built on your footprint, and every firm is approved by you.

SAMPLE · NOT ADVICEExtract
COUNTRY ONECorporate · Employment · IP. Firm A, your existing counsel. Approved.
COUNTRY TWOCorporate · Disputes · Employment. Firm B, proposed by WLA. Awaiting your decision.
COUNTRY THREETech and data. No suitable counsel yet. A gap, being sourced by WLA.
ACTIVATION ROUTEContact the legal operations desk. WLA then introduces the approved firm for the country and legal need.
NEXT REVIEWOn the agreed cycle. What changed since the last review is recorded in your Bench.
NEEDS A LOCAL LAWYER'S ANSWERAny question of what a country's law requires. The Bench shows who to ask, not what the law says.
How it works

Four steps. Nothing starts until you agree in writing.

01 · BRIEF

Tell us where you operate

Answer the short questions below, or start from Ask WLA.

02 · SCOPE AND FEE

Agree the programme

WLA confirms the priority countries, the review frequency and an annual fee in writing. There is no obligation until you agree.

03 · BUILD

Footprint, counsel and gaps

WLA maps your footprint, records the counsel you already use, and proposes counsel where there is a gap.

04 · APPROVE AND USE

You decide

You approve or decline each proposal in My WLA. Then you can start matters through the Bench.

Your account

Run your Bench in My WLA.

1 · See your Bench

Your footprint, your activation route and a table by country: practices, firm, named professional and status. You see what is approved, what awaits your decision and where the gaps are.

2 · Decide and add

Approve or decline each firm WLA proposes. Add the counsel you already use, so the Bench starts from what you trust.

3 · Start matters, follow reviews

Send a request to WLA for a country and legal area. See each review of the Bench and the date of the next one. Print the Bench for your team.

Sign in to My WLAOpen your Bench
Brief WLA

Tell us where you operate. We will build the Bench.

Describe the recurring needs in general terms. Please do not include confidential details of any matter.
The countries where you regularly need legal help. Separate several with commas.

Confidential. No obligation. Scope, fee and delivery timing are confirmed in writing before work begins. Fields marked * are required.

Request received

Thank you. We have sent a confirmation to . Next, we review what you described and confirm scope, priority countries, review frequency and an annual fee with you in writing. Nothing is owed until you agree.

Track this request in My WLA: sign in with the same email and we send you a one-time code.

Open My WLA
Questions

Before you ask.

Is this a directory of law firms?

No. A directory lists lawyers for everyone. A Bench is built for your business: your countries, your recurring legal needs, the counsel you already trust, and the gaps. It is kept current for you.

Does WLA choose my lawyers?

No. WLA proposes, and you approve or decline each firm. WLA does not appoint or replace counsel on its own, and it does not require you to give up lawyers you already trust.

Can my existing lawyers stay on the Bench?

Yes. You add them yourself in My WLA. WLA maps around them and proposes counsel only where there is a real gap.

Is this legal advice?

No. World Law Alliance does not provide legal services and is not a law firm. Each partner firm is a legally separate and independent entity and is solely responsible for the advice it gives under its own engagement.

What does the annual fee cover?

WLA's programme: mapping your footprint, recording and maintaining the Bench, identifying gaps, the activation route and the agreed reviews. Law firm fees and other third-party costs are separate unless stated in writing.

Does the Bench guarantee that a firm will take my matter?

No. A firm decides whether it can accept a matter, for example after a conflict check. WLA does not guarantee that counsel will accept a matter, how fast it will respond, or any legal outcome.

What happens when there is no suitable counsel in a country?

The country is shown as a gap and WLA works on sourcing counsel for it. You decide whether to accept the firm WLA proposes.

How often is the Bench reviewed?

On the cycle we agree in writing, for example quarterly, twice a year or annually. Each review is recorded in your Bench, with the date of the next one.

Can I add countries later?

Yes. Tell WLA through My WLA. Scope and fee for additional countries are confirmed in writing.

What is the "relevant intelligence" part?

Rule changes and resources that relate to your footprint. For a full service that follows changes for you, see Regulatory Radar™.

What should I not send?

Please do not send privileged or confidential details of any matter through the form. A general description is enough to begin.

How much does it cost?

WLA confirms an annual fee in writing once scope is agreed. Sending a request carries no obligation.

How is my information handled?

It is treated as confidential and used to respond to your request. See the privacy policy for details.

Do I need an account?

We set one up for you from your work email so you can follow the request and use your Bench. You sign in with a one-time code sent to that email.

Related products

Where to go next.

Global Legal Bench: sample

A sample of what a client's Bench looks like.

Regulatory Radar™

Changes in the rules that touch your countries.

People & Firms

Find a lawyer or firm for a single matter.

Legal notice. World Law Alliance does not provide legal services and is not a law firm. Each partner firm is a legally separate and independent entity and is solely responsible for the advice it gives. Intelligence and products are general information, not advice on any matter.