Legal IT Insider asked Justin Farmer, practice group leader for enterprise solutions at Harbor, to give us an insight into some of the strategic imperatives of the acquisition.
Harbor has acquired Cheshire-based HR and payroll specialist CE Global Partners, less than a month after launching its human capital management (HCM) advisory practice.
The deal signals a clear push by Harbor to build out end-to-end capabilities around workforce transformation, as law firms increasingly look to modernise HR and payroll alongside broader technology and operational change.
CE Global Partners, a team of around 35 specialists founded in 2015, brings experience in HR transformation, payroll operations and global mobility, with clients including Magic Circle and AmLaw firms as well as large enterprise organisations. The firm focuses on complex, multi-stakeholder programmes, often linked to regulatory change or business growth.
For Harbor, which has been expanding following a majority investment from BayPine last June, the acquisition adds delivery and managed services capability to what was, until now, primarily an advisory proposition. Its HCM practice, launched in early May, was positioned as a response to growing demand from firms looking to better manage and leverage workforce data – spanning skills, performance and cost.
Speaking about the acquisition, Harbor’s CEO Matt Sunderman said the addition of CE Global Partners enables the consultancy to support clients “through the full arc of workforce modernisation – not just part of it.”
We asked Justin Farmer, practice group leader for enterprise solutions at Harbor, to tell us about some of the strategic imperatives of the acquisition.
Justin, will CE continue to provide HR outsourcing and payroll services, or will the focus shift primarily to transformation work?
The transformation side is absolutely a major driver behind this acquisition, but it isn’t an either/or proposition. One of the things we value about CE Global Partners is that they don’t just advise clients on what to do; they’ve spent years helping organizations operate and optimize these functions in practice.
What we increasingly hear from law firms is that they want support across the entire lifecycle. They may be evaluating a new HCM platform, redesigning HR processes, modernizing payroll operations, or trying to get more value from systems they’ve already invested in. Those initiatives don’t stop once the technology goes live.
The opportunity here is to combine Harbor’s legal-sector expertise and technology capabilities with CE’s deep HR and payroll experience, allowing us to support clients from strategy through implementation and into ongoing operational excellence. We see strong demand for both transformation and operational support, particularly as firms look to maximize return on increasingly significant technology investments.
Will the CE Global Partners team remain in its current office, or relocate to London? Does this effectively become a second UK office for Harbor?
The CE Global Partners team will continue operating from its current location, and we view their presence as an important part of strengthening Harbor’s footprint in the UK.
One of the reasons this acquisition is so compelling is that it expands our depth and reach in the market. Rather than consolidating locations, we’re focused on bringing together complementary expertise and creating more opportunities for collaboration across the broader Harbor organization.
As we continue to grow, having additional capability and leadership presence in the UK is strategically important to us, particularly given the pace of investment and transformation we’re seeing across UK and European law firms.
Are all of the staff coming across as part of the acquisition?
Yes. The acquisition is fundamentally about people and expertise. The value CE Global Partners brings is the strength of its team, their experience delivering complex HR and payroll transformations, and the relationships they’ve built with clients.
We’re excited to welcome the entire team into Harbor. Andy Jones, Emma Crowe and Mark Bentley have proven track records in the industry. They add specialist capabilities that complement our existing HCM Advisory and Business Operations practices, and we’re looking forward to continuing to invest in and expand those capabilities over time.
What are the key drivers behind HR transformation in law firms today, and how does this acquisition help address them?
Law firms are facing a convergence of pressures that make workforce modernization much more strategic than it was even a few years ago.
First, talent remains one of the largest investments any firm makes. Leaders want better visibility into workforce planning, skills, performance, utilization, compensation, and retention. Many firms are finding that legacy HR and payroll systems simply weren’t designed to provide the insights they now need.
Second, firms are dealing with increasing operational complexity. Whether it’s international growth, evolving regulatory requirements, hybrid working models, or changing expectations from employees, the underlying people infrastructure has to become more agile.
Third, AI is accelerating the conversation. Firms are investing heavily in technology and looking closely at how work gets done, what skills they’ll need in the future, and how they can make better decisions using workforce data. That requires a much stronger foundation in HR and payroll systems than many organizations currently have.
This acquisition allows us to help clients address those challenges end-to-end. Harbor already brings deep expertise in legal operations, technology, data, and transformation. CE Global Partners adds highly specialized HR and payroll transformation capabilities. Together, we can help firms move beyond implementing systems and focus on building a workforce platform that supports long-term business strategy.
Historically, law firms viewed HR systems as administrative infrastructure. Increasingly, they’re becoming strategic data platforms. The firms that can connect workforce data, operational data, and business performance data will have a significant advantage in how they recruit, retain, develop, and deploy talent.
