PwC's launch in Washington will be headed up by Richard Edmundson, who is head of PwC Legal's international business reorganisations group. The firm, ILC Legal, will focus on the global activities of US companies with a wide range of commercial, immigration, tax and data protection services but will not, currently, offer US legal services. The company has 2500 lawyers worldwide with $500 million revenue from its legal arm.

Big Four target legal

PwC's move comes as the Big Four accountancy firms continue to ramp up their activities in the legal marketplace. A survey by ALM Intelligence found that two in three law firms regarded the accountants as a concern and 45 per cent saw them as a major threat.