AILFN

What AILFN does

AILFN (Association of International Law Firm Networks) is a Houston-based private trade association founded in 2015 by Stephen McGarry to represent the common interests of international, regional, and specialty law and accounting firm networks. Its four stated purposes are to establish law firm networks as the global model for legal services, define common principles to maintain quality standards, provide a forum for member networks to exchange information, and negotiate vendor and service-provider agreements that increase network efficiency. Member networks collectively operate across 160 countries with 11,000+ offices and approximately 500,000 attorneys and accountants, generating roughly $180 billion in annual revenue.

The association's core technology is LawyersAccountants.com, a web-based directory platform with two integrated components: an RFQ (Request for Qualifications) Dashboard that enables corporate clients and member firms to submit, respond to, and manage qualification requests across mobile and desktop, and a Data Management Dashboard that allows member firms to maintain profiles with descriptions, pictures, and logos. A separate Global Member Locator enables users to find member expertise by jurisdiction and practice area. Membership quality is governed by a joint committee of five international corporate counsel associations that administer five-star certification standards.

AILFN's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, recruiting qualifying law and accounting firm networks as members and convening them through conferences (e.g., Critical Competitiveness 2017, Convergence of Professional Services 2020), publications (Leaders in Legal Business, the Law Firm Networks Handbook), and industry advocacy alongside organizations such as the ABA, IBA, and ACC. Revenue is generated through recurring membership fees supplemented by preferred-vendor arrangements; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The organization operates with a small professional team (3-5 staff including President Stephen McGarry and Chairman Michael Reiss von Filski, who is concurrently Global CEO of GGI) and shows no evidence of external investment, fundraising, or M&A activity.

Name

AILFN

Legal name

AILFN ASSOCIATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM NETWORKS

Website

https://ailfn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AILFN is a Houston-based trade association founded in 2015 that represents the common interests of international, regional, and specialty law and accounting firm networks across 160 countries, providing quality certification, the LawyersAccountants.com RFQ platform, networking events, and collective vendor negotiations for its member networks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: AILFN operates as a trade association representing law firm networks. Revenue is generated through membership fees from qualifying law and accounting firm networks. The association also negotiates agreements with vendors and service providers that can generate preferred vendor revenue.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AILFN is a private trade association that represents the common interests of international, regional, and specialty law firm networks. It operates membership programs with quality certification, organizes conferences and forums for member networking, negotiates collective vendor agreements, and runs the LawyersAccountants.com web platform with an RFQ (Request for Qualifications) system that matches clients with member firms in 160 countries.

Product overview

AILFN operates LawyersAccountants.com, a web-based platform for the Association of International Law Firm Networks. The platform consists of two integrated components: the RFQ Dashboard, which enables member firms to respond to client Requests for Qualifications and manage communications, and the Data Management Dashboard, which allows firms to maintain their profiles with descriptions, pictures, and logos. Users can access and manage requests and responses from both mobile devices and desktop computers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LawyersAccountants.com Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Access to legal expertise in 160 countries through member networks
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Various Law Firm Networks and Industry OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with law firm networks, accounting networks, legal industry consultants, and professional associations for conferences and programs including Convergence of Professional Services 2020 and Critical Competitiveness events.
• 5 International Corporate Counsel AssociationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint committee with 5 international corporate counsel associations established quality five-star standards and principles for AILFN certification. Only members certified by this committee receive quality certification.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Interlaw: Interlaw is an international network of independent law firms serving corporate clients across multiple jurisdictions. It is comparable to AILFN's member networks in scope and structure, offering cross-border legal services through member firms.
• Multilaw: Multilaw is an international network of independent law firms providing cross-border legal services. It is comparable to AILFN's member networks in structure and offerings, representing a typical AILFN member profile.
• Legalink: Legalink is an international network of commercial law firms with members across multiple jurisdictions. It is comparable to AILFN's member networks in structure and client focus on cross-border legal services.
• Lex Mundi: Lex Mundi is a global network of independent law firms operating in 100+ countries. It is comparable to AILFN as a law firm network operating globally, though AILFN is a trade association representing multiple networks rather than being a network itself; notably, Lex Mundi was also founded by Stephen McGarry.
• State Capital Group (SCG): SCG is an international network of independent law firms focused on cross-border legal services. It is comparable to AILFN's member networks as a law firm network serving corporate clients across jurisdictions.
• World Services Group (WSG): WSG is an international association of professional services firms including legal, accounting, and consulting. It is directly comparable to AILFN as a global network of cross-border professional services firms; WSG was also founded by Stephen McGarry in 2002.
• TerraLex: TerraLex is a global legal network connecting independent law firms across 100+ jurisdictions. It is comparable to AILFN as a law firm network—potentially both a member of and a peer to AILFN—with similar cross-border referral capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• International Bar Association (IBA): The IBA is the leading global legal trade association, representing hundreds of thousands of lawyers through bar associations and law societies. It is comparable to AILFN as a global membership organization for legal professionals but is broader in scope (all lawyers vs. law firm networks).
• American Bar Association (ABA): The ABA is the largest US-based legal professional association with hundreds of thousands of members. It is comparable to AILFN as a trade/professional association serving the legal industry, though it is much larger and US-focused rather than network-focused.
• The Law Society (England and Wales): The Law Society is the professional body representing solicitors in England and Wales. It is comparable to AILFN as a legal membership organization, though it is a regulatory professional body for individual lawyers rather than a network trade association.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wix
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ailfn
• Xx.com/AILFN_Tweets

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AILFN