Harbor Acquires CE Global Partners for HCM Growth

Harbor, a legal industry services provider, acquired CE Global Partners, a specialist in HR and payroll transformation, on June 3, 2026, in Chicago.

This acquisition provides law firms and corporate legal departments with access to comprehensive end-to-end workforce modernization support from a single provider, addressing a gap that previously required multiple vendors.

The Deal Details

CE Global Partners is a firm of approximately 35 specialists headquartered in Cheshire, North West England. The firm has delivered HR and payroll transformation work since 2015. Its clients include Magic Circle and leading AmLaw firms, as well as major enterprise organizations.

CE Global Partners brings expertise in HR transformation, payroll transformation, payroll operations, Global Mobility, Reward Management, and managed services. These capabilities will now sit within Harbor's Human Capital Management (HCM) Advisory solution line.

This is the third acquisition Harbor has completed since receiving a majority investment from BayPine LP in June 2025.

Why Harbor Moved

Harbor launched its HCM Advisory solution line on May 5, 2026, in direct response to demand from law firms seeking help modernizing their workforce operations. The CE Global Partners acquisition accelerates that effort.

Matt Sunderman, CEO of Harbor, said: "Their team brings specialist expertise in HR and payroll transformation, with deep delivery experience across professional and enterprise markets. Combined with Harbor's strengths in legal-sector strategy, technology, and operations, we can now support clients through the full arc of workforce modernization, not just part of it."

The combined practice now offers services across HCM strategy and platform advisory, HR transformation, payroll transformation and operations, Workday readiness and implementation support, and ongoing operational support for firms managing complex, multi-module deployments.

UK Presence Grows

The acquisition also expands Harbor's footprint in the United Kingdom. CE Global Partners adds delivery capacity and operational depth in the region. Harbor already has offices in London and Belfast, and this deal is intended to broaden how the UK market engages with Harbor, moving beyond systems implementation toward a fuller advisory and managed services model.

Andy Jones, Senior Director at CE Global Partners, said: "Bringing our specialist work together with Harbor's strengths in technology, operations, and strategy gives our clients access to a broader set of capabilities and gives Harbor's clients access to delivery expertise that we have built across professional and enterprise markets."

The combined UK presence positions the firm to serve clients on both sides of the Atlantic, with shared capabilities across people data and analytics and AI advisory and implementation.

What Changes for Clients

The CE Global Partners team joins Harbor's HCM Advisory solution line and broader operations practice. Clients can now access support from program readiness and platform selection through vendor and systems integrator selection, client-side program management, and ongoing operational support.

Harbor works with more than 80% of Global 200 law firms and close to 600 corporate law departments. Its global team now exceeds 900 professionals across offices in Chicago, London, Belfast, Moncton, and Sydney.

Workforce decisions in legal organizations increasingly depend on people data, including skills, performance, cost, and compliance signals. The acquisition is designed to help firms turn that data into operational and business outcomes.

About Harbor

Harbor is the leading provider of professional and technology services to the legal industry, covering strategy, technology, operations, and intelligence. Headquartered in Chicago, Harbor works with more than 80% of Global 200 law firms and close to 600 corporate law departments. It is a portfolio company of BayPine LP and has offices in London, Belfast, Moncton, and Sydney.

About CE Global Partners

CE Global Partners is a specialist firm in HR transformation, payroll transformation, payroll operations, Global Mobility, Reward Management, and managed services. Headquartered in Cheshire in North West England, the firm has served professional and enterprise markets since 2015.