PricewaterhouseCoopers, for example, has 150, 000 employees in 150 countries, compared with Clifford Chance's 6, 500 in 20 countries.
Such private lawsuits are on the rise in Europe, says Elizabeth Morony of Clifford Chance, a law firm.
That prompted international legal giant Clifford Chance to buy into Bangkok-based Wirot International.
"Although we will initially maintain the level of staffing, we need more people, " says Tim Jeffares, a partner of newly-formed Clifford Chance Wirot.
In America, says Chris Bright of Clifford Chance, a law firm based in London, price-fixers face two other worries that their British counterparts have so far been spared.
As Simon Gleeson of Clifford Chance, a law firm, points out, no government will care as much about treating foreign creditors fairly as it cares about compensating its own people.
Originally based in Chicago, Baker has expanded internationally for the past 50 years and has offices in 35 countries, more than any competitor, including Clifford Chance after its recent mergers.
"Japanese lawyers will call a bureaucrat and ask if something is allowed then give legal advice based on that, " notes Stephen Roith at Clifford Chance, another foreign law office in Japan.
Though companies have invoked the human rights act before, as they are allowed certain similar rights to individuals, doing so is not common, according to Thomas Vinje, an antitrust lawyer with Clifford Chance.
But there are good reasons to keep the European operations out of insolvency while the company restructures in America, says Mark Hyde, a specialist in cross-border restructuring at Clifford Chance, a law firm.
The greater worry is that, in trying to legislate good behaviour, the bill may make business decisions subject to subsequent review in court, says Adrian Levy, a partner at Clifford Chance, a law firm.
ECONOMIST: A proposed new bill would invite judges into the boardroom
Indians who need world-class legal advice lose out, says Stuart Popham, a senior partner in Clifford Chance, a London firm, who this week accompanied David Cameron, the British prime minister, on a tour of India.
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