Harbor Acquires CE Global Partners, Expanding HCM Advisory Practice with Specialist HR and Payroll Transformation Capabilities

Acquisition deepens Harbor's ability to support law firms and corporate law departments across the full arc of workforce modernization, and expands its presence in the UK

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Harbor, the leading provider of professional and technology services to the legal industry, today announced its acquisition of CE Global Partners, a specialist firm in Human Resources (HR) transformation, payroll transformation, and people-process change. The acquisition expands Harbor's Human Capital Management (HCM) Advisory solution line and adds specialist delivery and managed services capabilities, giving the company the depth to support clients through the full arc of workforce modernization — from program readiness and platform selection through to implementation, optimization, and ongoing operational support.

The acquisition follows Harbor's launch of its HCM Advisory solution line on May 5, 2026, which was created in response to clear demand from law firms to help them modernize how they manage, develop, and support their people. CE Global Partners accelerates that work meaningfully. The combination brings together CE Global Partners' broad HR and payroll transformation experience across professional and enterprise markets with Harbor's legal-sector relationships, technology, AI, operations, and strategy capabilities, creating one of the most complete advisory and delivery offerings in the legal market for workforce modernization. Increasingly, workforce decisions are data decisions. As organizations modernize HR and payroll, the people data underneath — including skills, performance, cost, and compliance signals — becomes central to how they plan, operate, and grow, and turning that data into better workforce and business outcomes is where this combination delivers real value.

"Earlier this year we announced that we were building Harbor's HCM Advisory solution line in direct response to clear market demand for end-to-end workforce modernization. CE Global Partners is the next proof point. 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," said Matt Sunderman, CEO of Harbor. “For clients looking for one trusted partner across HR, payroll, finance, risk, knowledge, and the people data and legal technology that connect it all, Harbor is that partner.”

CE Global Partners brings specialist expertise in HR transformation, payroll transformation, payroll operations, Global Mobility, Reward Management, and managed services. The team works with clients across professional and enterprise markets — including Magic Circle and leading AmLaw firms and major enterprise organizations — on complex, multi-stakeholder workforce initiatives, with depth in helping organizations modernize how they manage their people through periods of transformation, regulatory change, or operational growth. The team of approximately 35 specialists is headquartered in Cheshire in North West England, and has been delivering specialist HR and payroll work since 2015.

“At CE Global Partners, we have built a team that helps organizations get HR and payroll right, even when the work is complex. 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. We are excited about what we will build together," said Andy Jones, Senior Director at CE Global Partners.

The acquisition also expands Harbor's presence and capabilities in the UK. CE Global Partners deepens Harbor's bench and operational depth in the region and creates real opportunities for capability-sharing across geographies, supporting clients on both sides of the Atlantic. The combination is positioned to broaden how the UK market sees Harbor — moving beyond systems implementation toward a fuller advisory and managed services model across the middle and front office, including people data and analytics, and AI advisory and implementation.

The CE Global Partners team will become part of Harbor's HCM Advisory solution line and broader operations practice. The combined practices now offer services spanning HCM strategy and platform advisory, HR transformation, payroll transformation and operations, Workday readiness and implementation support, and ongoing operational guidance for firms managing complex, multi-module deployments.

"Acquiring new and growing existing talent is a strategic initiative for our clients. With CE Global Partners now part of this practice, we have the depth to help them do it well, and to do it end-to-end,” said Justin Farmer, Practice Group Leader, Enterprise Solutions at Harbor.

“From program readiness and platform selection through to vendor and systems integrator selection, client-side program management, and ongoing operational support, we can now meet clients where they are and walk with them through the full journey," said Kevin McClean, Practice Group Leader, Business Operations Solutions at Harbor.

The acquisition reflects Harbor's continued, disciplined growth in adjacent capabilities where client demand is clear and proven. CE Global Partners is the third acquisition Harbor has completed since receiving a majority investment from BayPine LP in June 2025 and is the next step in a deliberate strategy to build a more connected, end-to-end portfolio of services for the legal sector.

For more information about Harbor's HCM Advisory practice, visit harborglobal.com/services/assess-implement/process-improvement-automation/human-capital-management/.

About Harbor

Harbor is the leading provider of professional and technology services to the legal industry, encompassing strategy, technology, operations, and intelligence. With a global team of over 900 professionals, Harbor works with more than 80% of Global 200 law firms and close to 600 corporate law departments to optimize performance and enable business and digital transformation. Headquartered in Chicago, the company has offices in London, Belfast, Moncton, and Sydney.

Harbor, a BayPine LP portfolio company, is advancing its next phase of growth by broadening its technology, data, and managed services capabilities across the legal sector. For more information, visit www.harborglobal.com.

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 works with organizations across professional and enterprise markets to help them modernize their workforce operations through periods of growth, transformation, and regulatory change, and has been delivering specialist HR and payroll work since 2015.