The Lawyer
Matt Byrne Editorial

Ex-Bakers partner faces jail over money laundering

22-May-2012

A former Baker & McKenzie partner is facing up to 15 years in jail after pleading guilty in New York to money laundering and conspiracy to commit securities fraud.
Olswang celebrates 30 per cent profit rise after strong year

21-May-2012

Olswang has made a significant return to financial form, posting a 17 per cent rise in turnover and a 30 per cent growth in profit in its 2011-12 financial results.
Kirkland's White set for global management role

18-May-2012

Kirkland & Ellis private equity partner Graham White is set to take over as de facto head of the US firm’s London office next week.
Cripps Harries Hall

14 May 2012

Adrian Jennings, head of finance and facilities
Fladgate breaks £25m barrier with revenue and profit rise

8-May-2012

Fladgate has posted a 10 per cent rise in total revenue for the 2011-12 financial year, with turnover rising to £25.9m.
Number crunching: Tech IPOs

7 May 2012

Last week the much-anticipated initial public offering (IPO) of social networking behemoth Facebook inched a little closer, when it won approval from US government regulators to distribute its S-1 public offering prospectus and hit the road.
Shearman names M&A co-head as next senior partner

2-May-2012

Shearman & Sterling has confirmed that M&A partner Creighton Condon will succeed Rohan Weerasinghe as its senior partner.
The Lawyer business: Bond Pearce

30 April 2012

US-qualified lawyer Ben Weinberger previously worked as chief information officer and director of IT for the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office, at Florida firm Ruden McClosky and, most recently, at Lathrop & Gage in Kansas City. He moved to the UK in July 2011.
Former Dewey Ballantine chief quits Dewey for KPMG

24-Apr-2012

One of Dewey & LeBoeuf’s most senior London partners, Fred Gander, has become the latest to leave the embattled firm.
Morgan Cole

9 April 2012

Jeff Wright, partner responsible for information and technology
The Lawyer business: Olswang

12 March 2012

Michelle Elstein is business development (BD) director at technology and media-focused firm Olswang.
The Lawyer business: Lindsays

5 March 2012

Ian Beattie, a chartered accountant and former finance director at Scottish firm Brodies, has been Lindsays’ chief operating officer since November 2007. He focuses on the firm’s financial and operational performance and ensuring that its recent growth is managed effectively.
Dechert names new London head as Fogel steps down

2-Mar-2012

Dechert has announced a new managing partner for its London office, with employment partner Jason Butwick replacing longstanding London managing partner Steven Fogel.
DLA Piper faces regional revolt over LawVest investments

1-Mar-2012

The growing row over private investments made by partners at DLA Piper, exclusively revealed by The Lawyer, shows no sign of dying down, with angry questions asked during a conference call held yesterday with regional partners to discuss the matter.
Post-merger Edwards Wildman posts revenue rise for 2011

29-Feb-2012

Edwards Wildman Palmer has posted its first post-merger financial results, revealing an 18 per cent increase in total revenue from $297.9m to $352.7m in 2011.
Paul Hastings' revenue dips as firm targets more network expansion

28-Feb-2012

Paul Hastings’ 2011 financial results, released today (28 February), show revenue dipped 2 per cent last year, from $902m to $884m, while revenue per lawyer (RPL) broke through the $1m barrier to $1.003m.
The Lawyer business: Brabners Chaffe Street

27 February 2012

Janet Pickavance is chief executive of North West corporate and property firm Brabners Chaffe Street. Pickavance has been with Brabners for almost 25 years and has overseen its growth from 47 employees to a workforce of nearly 400.
Mishcon harnesses private client nous with advisory launch

24-Feb-2012

Mishcon de Reya is pinning its hopes of future revenue growth on its private client base, with the launch of a new business for high-net-worth individuals and wealthy families.
Debevoise 2011 results show increase in turnover to $675.5m

17-Feb-2012

Debevoise & Plimpton has posted a 2.8 per cent increase in revenue for 2011, taking total fee income to $675.5m.
Arnold & Porter posts market-leading rises in turnover and PEP

17-Feb-2012

Arnold & Porter has registered one of the largest increases in turnover and average profit per equity partner (PEP) so far in this year’s US firm reporting season.
Hogan Lovells' turnover flatlines in 2011

16-Feb-2012

Hogan Lovells has posted effectively flat revenues for the 2011 financial year, with turnover reaching $1.665bn compared with $1.664bn in 2010.
K&L Gates London revenues rise 10 per cent as global growth stalls

16-Feb-2012

K&L Gates has posted record financial results for its London office as its global figures show a drop in average profits per equity partner (PEP) of 4.3 per cent.
Turnover and PEP both up at Latham & Watkins

16-Feb-2012

Latham & Watkins has posted an 11.6 per cent rise in total turnover along with a 14.1 per cent increase in average profit per equity partner (PEP) for the 2011 financial year.
It’s the brand, stupid

13 February 2012

Nigel Knowles took DLA Piper from a Northern upstart to a global player. Can Tony Angel push the firm to the next level?
King & Spalding posts double-digit PEP increase

10-Feb-2012

King & Spalding (K&S) has posted its financial results for 2011, revealing a higher than current average increase in both revenue and average profits.
Willkie Farr continues upward revenue trend

10-Feb-2012

Willkie Farr & Gallagher has posted a 3 per cent rise in total revenue for the 2011 financial year with a similar increase in average profit per equity partner (PEP).
High-stakes cases drive Paul Weiss to record year

9-Feb-2012

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison has posted record financial results for the 2011 year, with turnover up 3.9 per cent to $780m, average profit per equity partner up 1.5 per cent to $3.1m and revenue per lawyer remaining flat at $1.06m.
WilmerHale records 3 per cent profit and revenue rise

9-Feb-2012

WilmerHale has posted increases on its key financial metrics for 2011 in a year characterised by new co-managing partner Bob Novick as “solid”.
Dechert posts positive financial results for 2011

9-Feb-2012

Dechert has posted a 3.5 per cent increase in revenue for the 2011 financial year, with total turnover growing to $671m.
Cooley reports turnover and profit rise

8-Feb-2012

California-headquartered Cooley has posted positive financial results for turnover, average profit and revenue per lawyer for the 2011 year.
BPE Solicitors

6 February 2012

BPE Solicitors HR director Julia Jones is also head of the Cheltenham firm’s in-house HR consultancy, which operates alongside the legal teams.
SNR Denton's US business grows profit and revenue in 2011

3-Feb-2012

SNR Denton has posted positive results in the US side of the business on all the key metrics for the 2011 financial year.
Mayer Brown posts 10 per cent rise in average profit for 2011

3-Feb-2012

Mayer Brown has become the latest US firm to post financial results for 2011, with the Chicago-headquartered firm showing a 2.4 per cent rise in total fee income from $1.107bnto $1.13bn.
Cadwalader posts stagnant profits after year of investment

2-Feb-2012

Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft has posted flat average profits for 2011 after a year of investment that saw three office launches and a series of hires.
K&L Gates launches in Italy with MSP merger

2-Feb-2012

K&L Gates has today launched its first office in Italy following the US firm’s merger with Milan firm Marini Salsi Picciau Studio Legale (MSP).
Akin Gump bolsters City funds team with double Simmons hire

1-Feb-2012

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has boosted its London funds group and English law capabilities with the hire of two financial services partners from Simmons & Simmons.
Turnover and profit down at Kaye Scholer

1-Feb-2012

Kaye Scholer has posted drops in both total revenue and average profit for the 2011 financial year.
Quinn Emanuel cites contingent fees as reason for strong 2011 financials

30-Jan-2012

Litigation powerhouse Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has kicked off this year’s US financial reporting season by posting a 31 per cent increase in gross revenue.
King & Spalding

30 January 2012

Derek Hardesty, a partner and director of strategic projects at King & Spalding (K&S), took over the chief operating officer (COO) role at the US firm on 1 January from Patrick Glisson, who retired at the end of 2011.
Herbert Smith net debt grows by £16m in 2010-11

25-Jan-2012

Herbert Smith’s total bank borrowings grew by more than £10m last year, taking total debt back up to near 2008-09 levels, the firm’s LLP accounts have revealed.
K&L Gates makes up 30 to partnership ranks

24-Jan-2012

K&L Gates has promoted 30 lawyers from 17 offices to its partnership with one new partner coming in London.
Kirkland prepares for City succession ahead of Learner's departure

23-Jan-2012

Kirkland & Ellis moved rapidly last week to calm fears of turbulence in its City office after the shock resignation of London head Jim Learner last Thursday.
The Lawyer business: Kemp Little

23 January 2012

Siddhartha Mankad joined technology and digital media firm Kemp Little as its first chief operating officer (COO) last summer. Mankad joined as a fixed-share partner and a member of Kemp Little’s management board.
Kirkland & Ellis's City chief quits for private equity role

20-Jan-2012

The head of Kirkland & Ellis’s London office Jim Learner is leaving the firm to join a US private equity house.
Orrick London finance team hit by Bartlam loss

17-Jan-2012

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe London finance partner Martin Bartlam has resigned and is set to join DLA Piper, leaving the US firm with just one finance partner in the City.
Dechert moves into Frankfurt with double hire

17-Jan-2012

Dechert has opened an office in Frankfurt with the hire of a former Dewey & LeBoeuf partner and the head of Mayer Brown’s German private investment funds group.
Field Fisher Waterhouse

16 January 2012

Charlie Keeling, chief operating officer
Sugar-coated bills

16 January 2012

Revealed: the fee structures underpinning the Quinn Emanuel litigation machine
Revealed: Davis Polk snares Freshfields partner for English law launch

6-Jan-2012

Davis Polk & Wardwell is launching an English law capability in London with the hire of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer heavy hitter Simon Witty.
Dechert continues City push with hire of high-profile Norton Rose litigator

5-Jan-2012

Dechert has hired Norton Rose litigation partner Antony Dutton as the latest in a string of partner laterals that has significantly boosted the US firm’s UK disputes capabilities.
Akin Gump promotes seven to partner, one in London

5-Jan-2012

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has promoted seven lawyers to its global partnership with one in London.
Bingham McCutchen favours London in global promos round

5-Jan-2012

Bingham McCutchen has elected four London lawyers to its partnership as part of a nine-lawyer global round of promotions.
Dewey adds eight-partner Werksmans team to South Africa base

4-Jan-2012

Dewey & LeBoeuf has significantly expanded its presence in South Africa with the hire of eight partners from local rival Werksmans.
Jones Day promotes 45 to partner, five in London

19-Dec-2011

US firm has promoted 45 lawyers into its partnership globally, with five of the total coming in London.
Cadwalader targets London growth as new City chief takes reins

19-Dec-2011

Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft is to kick off the New Year with a fresh recruitment drive in the London market spearheaded by a new City managing partner.
Mayer Brown prepares for departure of five London partners

16-Dec-2011

Mayer Brown’s London office is set to lose five partners from its commercial dispute resolution, corporate and real estate practices over the coming weeks.
Shearman & Sterling favours London in promos round

14-Dec-2011

Shearman & Sterling has promoted four lawyers to partners in its London office, thought to be the most ever in a single round.
Legal teams on standby as Eircom lenders prepare to take control of business

13-Dec-2011

Lawyers involved in one of Europe’s largest restructurings, that of Irish telecoms company Eircom, are gearing up for the next stage of the matter after the owner yesterday offered to inject €200m of new capital into the ailing business.
King & Spalding appoints ex-Hogan London chief to global executive

12-Dec-2011

US firm King & Spalding has appointed London partner Garry Pegg to its 10-person policy committee, effective 1 January 2011.
Sullivan & Cromwell matches Cravath Wall Street bonuses

9-Dec-2011

The US bonus season has begun gearing up, with Sullivan & Cromwell not only confirming it will match those announced by Cravath Swaine & Moore last month - and paid today (9 December) - but also confirming it will once again offer associates spring bonuses next year.
Focus: The litigation top 50 - Wars of the world

5 December 2011

How are firms measuring up to the increasingly international nature of the litigation sector?
BLP lawyer wields a mean axe

28 November 2011

For many - and certainly for electric guitar fanatics - he was the star of this month’s LawRocks battle of the champions.
Jones Day appoints DC partner to target global litigation domination

22-Nov-2011

Jones Day has appointed Washington DC partner Tim Cullen to a new role aimed at raising the US firm’s profile globally in litigation.
Robin Simon

14 November 2011

The lawyers at specialist insurance and professional indemnity (PI) boutique Robin Simon like to think of themselves as working at the country’s “smallest national firm”.
K&L Gates expands into South America with São Paulo launch

7-Nov-2011

K&L Gates has launched an office in São Paulo, its first in South America and 39th worldwide.
Reed Smith reacts to media exits with swoop for Channel 4 lawyer

7 November 2011

Reed Smith is planning to aggressively ramp up its London media practice in response to the exits of three partners in the past 18 months.
McDermott's London IP litigation chief quits for boutique EIP

24-Oct-2011

The head of the London intellectual property litigation group group at McDermott Will & Emery, Gary Moss, is leaving the firm to launch a legal practice at patent and trademark boutique EIP.
DLA Piper reassures partners as it lays ground for all-equity model

24 October 2011

DLA Piper last week unveiled its long-awaited plans to move over to an all-equity partnership model in the non-US side of its business.
Half-year results reveal revenue hikes

24 October 2011

A clutch of firms have unveiled half-year results that reveal a significant uptick at the mid-way point of the 2010-11 financial year.
New FFW chief puts growth top of agenda

24 October 2011

Field Fisher Waterhouse’s (FFW) new managing partner Matthew Lohn has vowed to put growth and talent development at the heart of his first stint as head of the firm.
Stone King

24 October 2011

These days, it’s all about focus, and this is particularly true at smaller firms. Stone King is no exception.
QualitySolicitors sets sights on UK domination with private equity injection

20-Oct-2011

High street franchise QualitySolicitors has secured a private equity investment aimed at significantly growing the brand across the UK.
DLA Piper confirms move to all-equity model

20-Oct-2011

DLA Piper has unveiled its plans to move to an all-equity partnership model in the non-US side of its business.
Lohn replaces Gilmour as Field Fisher head

20-Oct-2011

Field Fisher Waterhouse has appointed Matthew Lohn as its new managing partner with immediate effect.
Quinn Emanuel raids Dechert for Moscow launch

19-Oct-2011

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is set to launch a Moscow office with two litigation partners from Dechert.
Case for the defence

17 October 2011

Firm chair Hugh Verrier and London chief Oliver Brettle have shored up White & Case’s storm-tossed City office, but can they now make headway globally?
DLA Piper to roll out US all-equity model in UK

17 October 2011

DLA Piper is set to unveil plans to move to an all-equity partnership model in the international LLP side of its business.
White & Case adds two City lawyers to revamped partnership committee

11-Oct-2011

White & Case has appointed a new partnership committee, with two places for London-based partners for the first time.
Chicago's Vedder Price opens two-partner London arm

11-Oct-2011

US firm Vedder Price has launched a London office, its first overseas outpost, with lawyers from Clyde & Co and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.
Dechert returns to DLA for another partner hire

7-Oct-2011

Dechert has hired another partner from DLA Piper as the phoney war between the two firms this week warmed up.
Dewey & LeBoeuf launches in Brazil

4-Oct-2011

Dewey & LeBoeuf is preparing to launch an office in São Paulo four months after it hired the former head of Milbank’s Latin America practice Mike Fitzgerald.
Two Milbank lawyers quit for Orrick a year after joining

3-Oct-2011

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe has hired two of the group of five finance partners who joined Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy from Latham & Watkins only a year ago.
Charles Russell injects performance incentive

3 October 2011

Charles Russell has introduced a bonus for equity partners for the first time in a bid to shake up partner performance.
Lockstep is out of step

3 October 2011

Usually it pays to be nimble. And at the top law firms, increasingly, the more nimble they are the more their best partners get paid.
Dewey snares Stephenson Harwood energy partner

30-Sep-2011

Dewey & LeBoeuf has continued its recent London growth spurt with the hire of Stephenson Harwood energy partner Marc Hammerson.
International

The UK200 2011

With revenues up at the majority of international firms’ London practices, the City is proving a fertile hunting ground for those big-game players chasing the major league mandates.
Methodology

The UK200 2011

At the start of the summer The Lawyer sent a questionnaire requesting financial and headcount data to almost 300 firms.
BT real estate legal chief switches role

26 September 2011

The head of BT’s real estate legal team Geoffrey Beedham, who took up his role just last year, is moving to a new role in the telecoms giant.
HFW mulls shorter lockstep, mandatory retirement age

26 September 2011

Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) is considering cutting the length of its modified lockstep from seven to five years as, in a separate move, it plans to introduce a mandatory partner retirement age of 62.
Clifford Chance kicks off funds rebuild with Debevoise hire

22-Sep-2011

Clifford Chance has moved to rebuild its depleted funds practice with a senior hire from Debevoise & Plimpton.
White & Case revamps executive committee

21-Sep-2011

White & Case has unveiled a new executive committee, the four-member board tasked with the day-to-day running of the firm.
UK’s top firms fail to increase female equity partner figures

14-Sep-2011

Exclusive Magic circle numbers static over five years; Simmons worst performer, Ashurst most improved
Cadwalader's Block quits for Greenberg

9-Sep-2011

One of Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft’s best-known partners Dennis Block is leaving the firm to join Greenberg Traurig.
Vinson rejigs management as Dilg steps down

7-Sep-2011

Vinson & Elkins is soon to have a new chairman and managing partner in the shape of Mark Kelly and Scott Wulfe respectively.
Mayer Brown scoops role on ex-BP CEO Hayward deal

7-Sep-2011

The London office of Mayer Brown has advised on a $4.2bn merger that has created a new oil and gas vehicle for former BP chief executive Tony Hayward.
A&O adds £21m to war chest after cashflow drive

7-Sep-2011

Allen & Overy (A&O) strengthened its cash position by £21m in the financial year 2010-11 thanks to a seven-day reduction in lockup, the gap between starting work for a client and being paid.
Olswang creates single partnership structure

5 September 2011

Olswang has overhauled its partner remuneration system and equity structure, introducing a model that has abolished the distinction between fixed-share and full equity partners.
Pinsents hacks Olswang for data protection head

5 September 2011

Olswang has lost the head of its data protection team Marc Dautlich to rival Pinsent Masons.
Bakers usurps Skadden as world's largest firm with $2.27bn turnover

17-Aug-2011

Baker & McKenzie has posted an 8 per cent rise in global revenue for the 2010-11 financial year, taking total income to a record $2.27bn.
Edwards Angell merges with Chicago's Wildman Harrold

15-Aug-2011

Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge is continuing its recent growth spurt by merging with 150-lawyer Chicago firm Wildman Harrold Allen & Dixon.
Kirkland in major Hong Kong raid on Skadden, Latham and A&O

9-Aug-2011

Kirkland & Ellis has made a dramatic push into the Hong Kong corporate market with the hire of seven partners from a trio of top tier rivals.
Arab Spring clean for Trowers’ IT

1 August 2011

The revolution in Egypt earlier this year has led Trowers & Hamlins to overhaul its IT disaster recovery systems.
Capsticks’ expansion continues in Leeds

1 August 2011

Capsticks is set to open an office in Leeds, representing the latest move in the healthcare specialist firm’s national expansion strategy.
L’Afrique, c’est chic

1 August 2011

It’s foothold time in Africa.
Quinn-win situation

1 August 2011

Quinn Emanuel has taken the litigation market by storm since its City launch - but attaining the next level is going to be the real test for the US giant’s London outpost
Kirkland launches Middle East practice group

21-Jul-2011

Kirkland & Ellis has launched a Middle East practice group with the rehire of former Kirkland associate Kamran Bajwa, although the firm has no plans to open in the Middle East at present.
Ropes & Gray opens Shanghai base

21-Jul-2011

Ropes & Gray has opened an office in Shanghai more than a year after the local managing partner of legacy firm Hogan & Hartson joined the firm.
Harbottle forbidden from responding to News International's put-down

20-Jul-2011

Harbottle & Lewis has asked News International to release it from its duty of client confidentiality to allow it to respond to points made by Rupert and James Murdoch in yesterday’s riveting Parliamentary hearing on the phone hacking scandal.
Keeping clients sweet pays off for partners at Bakers

18 July 2011

Baker & McKenzie has overhauled its global remuneration system, rewarding partners who focus on major international clients with an additional slug of money.
Shearman hires new blood for ECM launch

18 July 2011

Shearman & Sterling is launching a UK equity capital markets practice with the hire of former Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer partner Monica McConville.
Australian linkup propels Norton Rose up UK table; magic circle revenue static

11 July 2011

Norton Rose is the standout performer among the UK’s top 20 largest firms by revenue for the 2010-11 financial year.
Prime Finance unveils an all-star board

11 July 2011

A new international body studded with senior legal market names aimed at helping resolve complex financial disputes unveiled its first advisory and management board last week.
Sullivan inflicts ‘punishing’ schedule on new City chief

11 July 2011

Earlier this month Sullivan & Cromwell unveiled a new management line-up for its London office. The firm is the latest in a line of top US firms to replace their senior lawyers recently.
Olswang opens Munich IP office

7-Jul-2011

Olswang has extended its European network with the launch of an IP-focused office in Munich.
Turnover up at 2Birds as PEP remains flat

6-Jul-2011

Bird & Bird grew total revenue by 6 per cent during 2010-11 to £214.6m from £201.8m while average profit per equity partner (PEP) remained virtually flat at £467,000.
Mergers put UK firms on map as Norton Rose joins global 50

27 June 2011

Combined turnovers reshape global legal market as City heavyweight rubs shoulders with the transatlantic elite
Stepping on the gas

27 June 2011

Today The Lawyer Transatlantic Elite, our annual exclusive analysis of the leading international firms’ strategies, is published.
Daisy gains

20 June 2011

Telecoms provider Daisy Group is on an acquisition spree, which is just one of the tasks keeping general counsel David McGlennon on his toes.
Quinn Emanuel gears up for City patent capability

20 June 2011

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is preparing to launch a UK patent litigation practice. It will be the first major strategic extension of the US litigation firm’s London office since its launch three years ago.
Freshfields loses Hong Kong leader as Sullivan sets up shop

16-Jun-2011

Sullivan & Cromwell has raided Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer to become the latest Wall St elite firm in recent months to launch a Hong Kong local law practice.
BLP scraps special deals for one-size-fits-all pay culture

13 June 2011

Shift away from guaranteed deals for high-profile lateral hires
Role with IT

13 June 2011

The job of Jonathan Smith, GC of Fujitsu UK&I, has grown in line with the massive structural changes at the IT giant, says Matt Byrne
White & Case hands Verrier second term at the helm

9-Jun-2011

White & Case has re-elected its global chairman Hugh Verrier for a second four-year term after he stood unopposed for the position.
Bonny for Clydes?

6 June 2011

In the end - if this is the end - Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) simply looks to have run out of options. As our lead story reports, partners at the firm are understood to have been told months ago that BLG would soon not exist and that a merger was the only option.
Kidby-less rockers Hog the Love with Law Rocks win

6 June 2011

A superheated display of rock shapes and sounds last Thursday night (2 June) stole the Law Rocks crown at the third time of asking for Hogan Lovells’ New New Teen Titans.
Mishcon beats budget with 30 per cent turnover hike

2-Jun-2011

Mishcon de Reya has unveiled a budget-busting increase in both total turnover and average profit per equity partner (PEP) for the 2010-11 financial year.
Arc Property

23 May 2011

There are not many real estate practices that can say the past two years have been a period of explosive growth. The ones that can be more specific and point to a stellar growth rate in 24 months are even rarer.
Shift work: Charlotte Taggart, Lockton Companies

23 May 2011

Lockton counsel Charlotte Taggart’s talents have been put to full use in converting the insurance broker into an LLP.
Herbie’s Aussie energy rush

16 May 2011

It’s tough keeping up with all the energy and natural resources-related international expansion these days. UK firms in particular are flocking to the supposedly overlawyered Australian market.
Hunton reaffirms commitment to London in wake of partner exits

12-May-2011

Hunton & Williams’ UK managing partner has said the firm remains committed to growth in London, despite the small City office seeing three partners depart in a matter of weeks.
Willkie launches UK bribery practice with Herbies hire

9-May-2011

Willkie Farr has launched a UK anti-bribery practice with the hire of Herbert Smith partner Peter Burrell, the US firm’s first English solicitor recruit in London.
Vinson launches Riyadh operation

9 May 2011

Vinson & Elkins is expanding its Middle East practice with a new office in Riyadh.
K&L Gates swoops for ten-lawyer Clifford Chance Tokyo team

5-May-2011

K&L Gates has boosted its Tokyo office with the hire of 10 lawyers from Clifford Chance.
PJH law

2 May 2011

It is not every law firm founder who can say they have done jobs as varied as working in a haulage firm, an estate agents and at McDonald’s, but Phil Hyland is one.
Cadwalader trades on Microsoft connections to scoop Linklaters competition star

28-Apr-2011

Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft is launching a competition law outpost in Brussels with a prominent hire from Linklaters.
Bird & Bird makes it four in Germany with Hamburg launch

19-Apr-2011

Bird & Bird is to open in Hamburg, the expansionist firm’s fourth office in Germany.
Lecote

18 April 2011

It is more than a decade since the dotcom bubble burst but one lawyer in particular remembers it as if it were yesterday.
Pinsents pumps up property muscle with DLA’s Taylor

18 April 2011

DLA Piper’s former joint global head of real estate David Taylor is leaving the firm to join Pinsent Masons as a senior consultant.
2Birds promotes two in depleted partnership round

15-Apr-2011

Bird & Bird has made up just two lawyers in its annual partnership promotions round, eight fewer than last year and 12 down on the number promoted in 2009.
Simpson Thacher to launch in Houston with Vinson hire

11-Apr-2011

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is to launch an office in the US oil and gas capital Houston later this year with a partner from Vinson & Elkins, The Lawyer can exclusively reveal.
Co-op’s LSA gambit casts pall on Pannone alliance

11 April 2011

The future of Pannone’s longstanding relationship with the Co-operative is in doubt as the mutual retailer prepares to ramp up its legal services division later this year.
Milestone

11 April 2011

For international tax boutique Milestone 2011 has already been an eventful year.
Site seer: Chris Davies, Kelkoo

11 April 2011

Retail comparison site Kelkoo’s sole in-houser Chris Davies has been instrumental in making the ex-Yahoo! subsidiary a top three player in its own right.
Davis Polk names Scotsman as firmwide managing partner

7-Apr-2011

Davis Polk & Wardwell has elected British lawyer Tom Reid as its new managing partner, replacing incumbent John Ettinger.
Hunton for growth

5-Apr-2011

Eight new partners in less than a year is going some for any individual practicegroup, but when a firm starts opening offices off the back of that group you know it really means business.
Loch Associates

04 April 2011

Most practitioners these days like to brag about how commercial they are, but it is still relatively rare for a lawyer to have the genuine breadth of experience to back up that easily made claim.
Fried Frank ‘lifer’ swells Milbank City partnership

28 March 2011

Fried Frank has lost the head of its European capital markets and finance practice to Milbank.
Political fallout from Fukushima puts energy projects in jeopardy

21 March 2011

Energy lawyers fear the worst for future and current nuclear deals in wake of disaster.
The Reit call

21 March 2011

As well as managing a huge property portfolio, combining the elements that now comprise the business means F&C Reit’s sole lawyer Paul Meads has been a key element in its success.
Winston opens Houston base with 40-lawyer Howrey team

18-Mar-2011

Winston & Strawn has opened an office in Houston with the hire of 40 intellectual property and commercial litigation lawyers from failed firm Howrey.
Baker Botts takes on 32 Howrey antitrust lawyers

17-Mar-2011

Baker Botts has hired 32 antitrust lawyers from Howrey, the US firm that this week voted to dissolve.
US senator moots LSA-style investment for American firms

10-Mar-2011

A bill aimed at allowing external investment in US law firms was tabled this week in North Carolina.
Google’s gardening leaver

28 February 2011

At this year’s Hampton Court Palace Flower Show - the world’s largest such event with more than 150,000 visitors - one of the eight gardens chosen for the prestigious Conceptual Gardens category will be shown off by a very unusual gardener.
Vinson turns to O'Melveny and Dewey for trio of hires

24-Feb-2011

Vinson & Elkins has boosted its international M&A and energy practices with the hire of three partners, who join from O’Melveny & Myers and Dewey & LeBoeuf.
Shearman snaps up five-partner Howrey team for Brussels push

23-Feb-2011

Shearman & Sterling has hired five partners and around a dozen associates from Howrey’s Brussels office, including former head Trevor Soames.
Skadden and A&O snare latest billion-dollar energy deal

22-Feb-2011

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and Allen & Overy have taken the lead roles on a $1bn energy deal in Africa.
Hogan Lovells combo pays dividends as PEP jumps 10 per cent in first year

21 February 2011

Merged firm impresses market despite absorbing merger costs.
Davis Polk eyes Brazil for seventh overseas opening

18-Feb-2011

Davis Polk & Wardwell is to open an office in Brazil later this year, the firm announced today.
Profits and revenue up at Latham & Watkins

17-Feb-2011

Latham & Watkins has posted a 4.5 per cent increase in average profit per equity partner (PEP) for the 2010 financial year.
America's Littler Mendelson seals Chinese alliance

15-Feb-2011

US employment boutique Littler Mendelson has formed a strategic alliance with Chinese firm TransAsia Lawyers, a move designed to expand the firm’s reach outside of the Americas for the first time.
Bye laterals

14 February 2011

Any US firm leaders currently weeping into their UK recruitment budgets after reading today’s cover story and main feature should take solace in the fact that they were always likely to be on a hiding to nothing when taking on the Brits in their own back yard.
Revealed: lateral partner hiring doesn’t work

14 February 2011

Almost half of lateral partner hires in London leave the firm they join within five years, and up to a third leave after three, exclusive research reveals.
K&L Gates posts small rises in revenue and PEP

11-Feb-2011

K&L Gates has posted increases in both revenue and average profit per equity partner (PEP) for the 2010 financial year.
Revenue and PEP up at Reed Smith

9-Feb-2011

Reed Smith has posted a slight rise in both total revenue and average profit per equity partner (PEP) for the 2010 financial year.
Ex-Lovells man: my booze and blues heaven

7 February 2011

For many, owning a pub would be a dream come true. If you happen to be the leader of a rock group hunting for a place to play regularly, then snaring somewhere that provides your band with a residency is tantamount to winning the jackpot.
Legal Services Act: the debate heats up

7 February 2011

Last month (24 January) The Lawyer highlighted an accelerating trend that may well turn out to be one of the defining developments in this year of full Legal Services Act (LSA) implementation. An increasing number of firms are looking at introducing corporate vehicles into their partnerships.
Akin Gump posts PEP of $1.6m on back of small revenue rise

2-Feb-2011

Texas-headquarterd Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has posted a 2.5 per cent increase in total revenue for the 2010 financial year coupled with a significant hike in profit.
Edwards Angell adds 12 lawyers in DC with Fleischman acquisition

2-Feb-2011

Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge has boosted the Washington DC office it opened in 2007 with the acquisition of communications boutique Fleischman & Harding.
Olswang raids Dechert for Paris launch, expands in Madrid

2-Feb-2011

Oswang has launched an office in Paris with the hire of five partners, including a senior finance partner from Dechert.
City revenues up at Mayer Brown while firmwide figures remain flat

1-Feb-2011

Mayer Brown’s London office has posted a 10 per cent increase in total revenue for the 2010 financial year.
Double-digit PEP rise, revenue flat: a year in the life of your average US firm

31 January 2011

Early indications are that cost controls are having the desired effect.
Olswang partners to throw cash at overseas network

31 January 2011

TMT central strategic plank once more as real estate is relegated
MoFo posts rises in revenue and PEP

27-Jan-2011

Morrison & Foerster (MoFo) has become the latest US firm to post year-end financial results that reveal a marginal increase in total revenue coupled with a significant hike in average profit per equity partner (PEP).
K&L Gates promotes one City lawyer in 44-strong round

26-Jan-2011

K&L Gates has underlined its global coverage by naming 44 new partners across three continents in this year’s partnership promotions round.
WilmerHale sees PEP rise as turnover nudges up

26-Jan-2011

WilmerHale has posted a 17 per cent increase in average profit per equity partner (PEP) for the 2010 financial year, with the sum rising from $1.13m to $1.33m.
Partner exodus and office closures continue as Howrey ‘restructures’

24 January 2011

Long-term health of US firm now in question.
Pillsbury financials benefit from revamped hiring strategy

24 January 2011

A change of recruitment strategy at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman helped the firm post record profit figures for the 2010 financial year.
Travers rejects post-LSA windfall for retired partners

24 January 2011

No big bang yet: silver circle firm reveals high-level discussions over ’anti-embarrassment clause’
Veitch Penny

24 January 2011

In the past three to five years South West-based firm Veitch Penny, which recently converted to LLP status, has enjoyed revenue growth of between 5 and 7 per cent.
Quinn Emanuel posts 62 per cent profit margin

21-Jan-2011

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has posted a 31 per cent increase in fee income for the 2010 financial year, with total revenue rising to $550.5m.
Cadwalader launches in Houston with transatlantic team snared from McDermott

20-Jan-2011

Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft has scooped a nine-partner transatlantic team from rival McDermott Will & Emery, including one partner for the firm’s London office.
Trevor Soames latest partner to quit Howrey

20-Jan-2011

Howrey’s Brussels head and global antitrust co-chair Trevor Soames has become the latest partner to quit the firm.
Pillsbury profits rise 10 per cent as revenues remain static

20-Jan-2011

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman has posted a 10 per cent increase in average profit per equity partner (PEP) for the 2010 financial year off the back of flat revenue growth.
Clifford Chance and Microsoft plan new dawn for legal market IT

17 January 2011

Million-pound joint venture allows Microsoft way into the legal sector
Covington brings former SFO prosecutor on board

17 January 2011

Washington DC firm Covington & Burling is continuing its strategy of bringing former government prosecutors in-house with the hire of Robert Amaee, head of the anti-corruption and proceeds of crime units at the SFO.
Edwards Angell excels in the City with revenue boom and recruitment drive

17 January 2011

US firm on track to mirror its core domestic strengths at London outpost.
Lewis Silkin in law firm first with tech product launch

13-Jan-2011

Lewis Silkin will today formally launch a new document management system backed by Microsoft that it believes will mark a sea change in legal technology.
Addleshaws names new professional practices head as Linsell retires

10-Jan-2011

Addleshaw Goddard partner William Wastie is taking over as head of the firm’s professional practices group, replacing group founder Richard Linsell.
Bindmans

10 January 2011

King’s Cross-based Bindmans is enjoying a market-busting boom, helped by the firm’s longstanding focus on public law, human rights and civil liberties.
Fixed fees, senior service, outsourcing: is that enough to make Radiant shine?

10 January 2011

The technology boutique that launched last week with lawyers from Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG), Latham & Watkins and Morrison & Foerster (MoFo) is considering radical plans that would see its associated business take over an in-house legal function.
Judge blasts Florida lawyers over 'retard' jibes

5-Jan-2011

The new year has got off to a bad start for two US lawyers after they were reprimanded for using a string of insults including “jerk”, “retard” and “scum-sucking loser”.
Watson Farley raids Reed Smith for aviation finance team

8-Dec-2010

Watson Farley & Williams has hired an aviation finance team including two partners from Reed Smith.
Lawyers should wake up to social media, urges PR agency

7-Dec-2010

Solicitors have yet to wake up to the value of social networking, with firms tending to prefer “traditional” to web 2.0 approaches.
Bristows completes co-managing partner post

6 December 2010

IP and technology boutique Bristows has appointed corporate specialist Iain Redford as the second of two joint managing partners this year.
Goodmans Law

6 December 2010

Many firms like to say they punch above their weight, but in Goodmans Law’s case it is probably true.
Hands across the Pond as FSA buddies up with SEC on insider trading action

6 December 2010

Case against former Deloitte partner sees watchdogs overcome border restrictions.
Olswang's litigation head defects to Quinn Emanuel

2-Dec-2010

The head of Olswang’s litigation practice Martin Davies is leaving the firm to join US firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan.
Ferguson

29 November 2010

One of the Cit?y’s best-known employment boutiques Ferguson Solicitors converted to LLP status this month in what amounts to a nod towards modernisation.
WilmerHale confirms successors to 'the two Bills'

22-Nov-2010

US firm WilmerHale today announced that Susan Murley and Robert Novick will take over as co-managing partners at the start of 2012.
Norton Rose goes global with Canada, SA tie-ups

22 November 2010

Last Monday’s (15 November) revelation that Norton Rose was merging with Canada’s Ogilvy Renault and South Africa’s Deneys Reitz had been in the pipeline for a year.
Weil action points: fix silo mentality, dump personality cults and invest

22 November 2010

?Roll over McKinsey, as we give the US firm the benefit of a free strategic review.
Cleary sets up shop in Brazil

19-Nov-2010

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is to open an office in Brazil next year, subject to approval of Brazilian authorities.
Latham promotes three City partners in robust global round

18-Nov-2010

Latham & Watkins has promoted three to its London partnership as part of a 22-strong global round.
K&L Gates chief blasts Norton Rose's 'Noah's ark' mergers

16-Nov-2010

The chairman of US firm K&L Gates Peter Kalis has slammed yesterday’s three-way merger between Norton Rose, Canadian firm Ogilvy Renault and South Africa’s Deneys Reitz.
Greenberg says bye to City, hi to Clerkenwell

15 November 2010

Greenberg Traurig Maher is turning its back on the iconic environs of the City’s Gherkin in favour of a move to Clerkenwell.
SJ Berwin, Proskauer abandon merger talks

15 November 2010

SJ Berwin and Proskauer Rose have called off their protracted merger talks almost nine months after they began.
Wilmer gears up for election a year early to find out who fits the Bills

15 November 2010

DC powerhouse wants steady ship as first senior succession looms.
Lord Chancellor and Master of the Rolls prepare for Magna Carta's 800th anniversary

12-Nov-2010

This morning the Lord Chancellor Ken Clarke QC and the Master of the Rolls Lord Neuberger will be among the dignitaries gathered at Runnymede Meadows to kick off five years of celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta.
Clifford Chance US litigation partner scores monitor role at Xe Services

11-Nov-2010

Clifford Chance is celebrating what it considers to be a significant breakthrough in the profile of its US litigation practice, with the appointment of partner Wendy Wysong as special compliance officer (SCO) for military contractor Xe Services.
Turnover down at Olswang despite strong European showing

10-Nov-2010

Olswang has posted a slight drop in fee income for the 2010-11 half year.
Focus: Latham & Watkins, Hard corp

8 November 2010

Latham & Watkins is probably the easiest US firm in London to recruit for,” claims one City-based legal market recruitment consultant.
Paul Hastings’ hunt for labour boss mirrors City litigation growth drive

8 November 2010

Litigation expansion in City and globally has become a ‘top priority’.
Kilpatrick seals merger with US IP boutique

4-Nov-2010

US firm Kilpatrick Stockton yesterday confirmed it is to merge with IP boutique Townsend & Townsend & Crew.
A&O gives global integration an EPiC boost

1 November 2010

Allen & Overy is preparing to launch a new approach to business development (BD) in an attempt to optimise its rapidly expanding international network.
Wilson Browne

1 November 2010

In 2010, after several years without any mergers, two came along at once for Wilson Browne.
Man murdered at King's Cross station was leading immigration lawyer

28-Oct-2010

British Transport Police today confirmed that the person struck and killed by a tube train following an incident at King’s Cross Station last Monday was David Burgess, a lawyer at north London firm Luqmani Thompson & Partners.
Bingham secures CoA victory in Elektrim battle

22-Oct-2010

The London office of Bingham McCutchen is celebrating after winning the latest round in its long-running battle for the bondholders in troubled Polish conglomerate Elektrim.
Disputes sans frontières

18 October 2010

High stakes: who’s who in the $20bn transatlantic litigation market
Hamlins

18 October 2010

Real estate is currently the largest practice area at Hamlins, but if managing partner Nigel Mason gets his way that might not be the case for much longer.
A question of Chance

11 October 2010

Next week we’ll publish our third annual global litigation report. As you read this we’re still putting the finishing touches to the ranking of the world’s leading firms by litigation turnover.
Focus on Lone Star state as merger plans take shape

11 October 2010

?Merger-mania hit the US late last month as two potentially market-changing deals broke cover in less than a week. Then, within 24 hours, one collapsed.
Shearman plans a radical strategy rethink to boost litigation revenue

11 October 2010

Firm targeting US and Europe for growth as it looks to make up ground on rivals. By Matt Byrne
Milbank hires DLA partner for London litigation team

6-Oct-2010

Milbank has boosted the litigation capabilities of its London office with the hire of DLA Piper partner Tom Canning.
Cravath elects new litigation chief

4-Oct-2010

One of Cravath Swaine & Moore’s longest-serving members of management stood down at the end of last month as part of a wider-ranging shake-up of senior roles at the US firm.
Ashurst targets BarCap as Handling becomes GC

27 September 2010

Ashurst senior partner Charlie Geffen said his firm will be seeking Barclays Capital (BarCap) mandates following the departure of high-profile partner Erica Handling to the investment bank.
Brand war as Birketts intrudes on Birkett Long

27 September 2010

An East Anglian bust-up is looming following the merger of Chelmsford-based Wollastons and Ipswich-based Birketts.
Ashurst structured finance head named BarCap GC

23-Sep-2010

Ashurst head of securities and structured finance (SSF) Erica Handling is leaving the firm to become general counsel (Emea) at Barclays Capital.
Cadwalader's Link retires months after ending City stint

22-Sep-2010

Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft’s former firmwide chairman Bob Link has retired seven months after returning to the US from the UK, where he had been London head.
Moore Blatch

20 September 2010

Southampton-headquartered firm Moore Blatch bounced back last year after a period of severe belt-tightening. Turnover exceeded expectations by around £750,000 in 2009-10, rising by 12 per cent, from £13.5m to £15.1m.
How many days to profit? Sackers first to break even

6 September 2010

This year The Lawyer introduced a new metric to its annual basket of law firm financial health indicators. For many equity partners it is the key one.
Shakespeares targets 'leading Midlands firm' tag with Berryman merger

18-Aug-2010

Shakespeare Putsman has merged with Nottingham-based Berryman, creating a £30m firm with 440 lawyers and staff across the East and West Midlands.
Harbottle & Lewis

16 August 2010

Despite the continuing softness in some of its transactional areas, media and entertainment-focused Harbottle & Lewis had a solid 2009-10.
K&L Gates to pay for staff to join 'Olympic army'

10-Aug-2010

K&L Gates lawyers or staff members who successfully apply to become Olympic volunteers will be allowed to take time of work, with the firm footing the bill for their hours.
Focus: The silver circle: The silver service

19 July 2010

It’s been five years since The Lawyer originated the term ’silver circle’ as a catch-all for the UK’s domestic second tier. Matt Byrne takes a look at how these firms have fared since then
View from the postroom

19 July 2010

Two months after its marriage the newly merged Hogan Lovells is still very much in getting-to-know-you mode.
Turnover and PEP up at Lewis Silkin

16-Jul-2010

Lewis Silkin has posted a marginal increase in turnover for the 2009-10 financial year, with revenue rising 1.5 per cent from £31.2m to £31.7m.
Kemp Little maintains margin despite fall in revenue

16-Jul-2010

Technology boutique Kemp Little’s turnover dipped slightly last year from £7.1m to £6.85m.
Dutton Gregory

12 July 2010

In the estate agent-style terminology of its high-end conveyancing client base, Dutton Gregory benefits from its position in the recession-proof town of Winchester.
UK top 30: revenues shrink by half a billion as PEP rebounds

12 July 2010

Two-thirds of top 30 see increase in PEP; total revenue down 4.5 per cent; Clifford Chance regains top spot
2Birds posts record turnover, PEP continues to fall

7-Jul-2010

Bird & Bird has broken through the £200m revenue barrier for the first time, posting a total turnover of £201.8m for the 2009-10 financial year.
Mishcon experiences another tough year for PEP

6-Jul-2010

Mishcon de Reya has posted another sharp decline in average profit per equity partner (PEP), with the firm’s PEP now having dropped 39 per cent in two years.
Collins Solicitors

5 July 2010

The list of Collins Solicitors’ biggest cases over the past 15 years reads like a litany of UK disasters - from rail crashes such as Ladbroke Grove and Paddington, to environmental dramas such as Buncefield and Motherwell via toxic waste cases, Collins was there.
Costs in translation

5 July 2010

This year’s double-digit PEP increases suggest a return to form, but The Lawyer’s analysis of law firm costs tells a different story
When the suits come off – Law Rocks

5 July 2010

Late last month at the second of this year’s Law Rocks extravaganzas in London’s iconic 100 Club, a band fronted by Bird & Bird partner Chris Holder walked off with the top prize.
Bingham bridges Continental divide with launch of new Frankfurt office

28 June 2010

A German presence will enable Bingham to focus on major financial centres.
Catastrophe denied as Nixon Peabody weather exits

28 June 2010

Nixon Peabody attempted to put a positive spin on the departure of 14 partners in little more than a month when it insisted the exits were not “catastrophic”.
Olswang seals non-exclusive alliance with Cooley

24-Jun-2010

Olswang has moved to rebuild its US coverage after the collapse of its Greenberg Traurig relationship by forming a non-exclusive alliance with technology firm Cooley.
Financials: LG ‘delighted’, Norton Rose ‘down a little’

21 June 2010

LG and Norton Rose are the latest firms to announce their 2009-10 financials, with the London South Bank neighbours producing markedly different results.
Wiggin sidesteps new tax rate by shifting financial year-end

21 June 2010

Media boutique Wiggin & Co has changed its tax year to escape paying the new 50 per cent tax rate for a year.
Pillsbury beefs up New York with 14-lawyer Nixon Peabody team

18-Jun-2010

Pillsbury has strengthened its New York office with the hire of 14 lawyers from Nixon Peabody.
LG posts 63 per cent PEP hike as turnover nudges up

18-Jun-2010

LG has trumped its UK rivals by posting a 63 per cent rise in average profit per equity partner (PEP) for the 2009-10 financial year.
Druces seals merger with City-based property firm

17-Jun-2010

Druces has acquired three-partner Clerkenwell property-based firm Clegg Manuel, the latest in a series of moves to add critical mass to the City firm.
Olswang launches in Madrid with TwoBirds' local corporate head

15-Jun-2010

Olswang has opened only its third overseas office with the hire of Bird & Bird Madrid corporate head Javier Vasserot.
CC Euro competition head jumps ship for Skadden

14 June 2010

CLIFFORD Chance has lost the global head of its European competition and regulation group, with partner Simon Baxter defecting to US firm Skadden.
Why Kirkland’s PE swoop is the start of an aggressive new era

14 June 2010

?Chicago firm emulates Weil Gotshal with UK investment.
Shakespeares, Needhams merge to create £24m Birmingham giant

8-Jun-2010

Birmingham-based Shakespeare Putsman is to merge with Midlands rival Needham & James, creating a £24m, 56-partner firm.
Speechlys follows merger with 30 per cent hike in financials

7-Jun-2010

Speechly Bircham has posted a 29 per cent increase in both turnover and average profit per equity partner (PEP) for the 2009-10 financial year.
Boyes Turner

7 June 2010

Later this month Thames Valley firm Boyes Turner will find out if it is to become The Lawyer’s Regional/ National Law Firm of the Year 2010. But as one of the few UK firms to have made no layoffs, and with successive years of revenue growth throughout the recession, the firm already considers itself a winner.
Olswang's PEP rises 38 per cent after 'draconian' approach to spending

2-Jun-2010

Olswang has posted a 38 per cent increase in average profit per equity partner (PEP) for the 2009-10 financial year, bringing the total to £420,000.
Telefónica O2 UK names new legal chief

1-Jun-2010

Telefónica O2 UK has restructured its senior in-house legal team, promoting Ed Smith to head of the group.
Willkie Farr turns to Kaye Scholer for restructuring partner duo

25-May-2010

Willkie Farr & Gallagher has strengthened its bankruptcy and restructuring department with the hire of heavy-hitting Kaye Scholer partner Margot Schonholtz.
Bigging it up

17 May 2010

Pools of talent. Essentially, that’s what a law firm boils down to.
Freshfields routs CC in recession era financials

17 May 2010

UK firm stands alone with double-digit increases in revenue and PEP
Moon Beever

17 May 2010

A growing focus on insolvency and related areas helped Bloomsbury firm Moon Beever grow both revenue and profit during the recession last year.
Quinn Emanuel continues growth spurt with Olswang hire

11-May-2010

Olswang has lost one of its rising star litigation partners to the growing London office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan.
Focus: Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, The truth will out

10 May 2010

No firm in the Sweet Sixteen typifies the downturn and recovery more than Simpson Thacher. After a gloomy 2009, it’s bullish about 2010
CC loses ground to UK rivals in US growth stakes

3 May 2010

Clifford Chance’s US partnership has shrunk by 21 per cent over the past five years, a trend that signals the struggles faced by the magic circle firm in its continuing attempt to build a successful US practice.
Childs defends US headcount drop as CC posts worst magic circle figures

3 May 2010

?Matt Byrne and Andrew Pugh report on CC’s dwindling people power
Freshfields Paris team defects to Willkie Farr

3 May 2010

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has lost a team of public law specialists in its Paris office to New York rival Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
BLP triumphs at Law Rocks event

30-Apr-2010

Berwin Leighton Paisner’s BLP rock supergroup Real State romped home as the standout winner of Law Rocks 2010 at a packed 100 Club last night.
Edwards Angell scores Dewey partner

26 April 2010

Dewey & LeBoeuf insurance partner Francis Mackie, who joined the firm after more than a decade at Norton Rose, is leaving for Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge.
Edwin Coe bags Taylor Wessing coms partner

26 April 2010

Taylor Wessing has been left without a telecoms partner in its London office after Ted Mercer signalled his intention to quit for Edwin Coe.
Orrick tops the list of suitors for tie-up with SJ Berwin

26 April 2010

City firm thought to be ’too hot to handle’ for many other potential US candidates
Tulkinghorn: Kath and kin

26 April 2010

Tulkinghorn doesn’t really watch TV. Not unless that delightfully grumpy upstart John Humphrys is on, that is. Tulkinghorn feels something of an affinity with old Humph.
Solicitor sues own firm for bad divorce settlement

19 April 2010

A solicitor is suing his own firm for negligence and damages in the region of £300,000 in connection with advice he received concerning his divorce.
Paul Weiss scoops DoJ prosecutor for New York practice

16-Apr-2010

US litigation powerhouse Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison has made one of the highest-profile post-crash hires to date with the appointment of Department of Justice (DoJ) prosecutor Mark Mendelsohn.
2Birds promotes one City partner in 10-strong round

16-Apr-2010

Bird & Bird has made up 10 lawyers to its partnership, more than double the number that made the grade last year.
Cravath back from the brink with core clients and restructuring bolt-on

12 April 2010

After a disastrous 2008, the ’Cravath Way’ has brought about a return to form. By Matt Byrne
Gary Howes: Fasken Martineau

5 April 2010

Where’s the best place to go if you want to find out what’s really going on in the office? If I find it, I’ll let you know.
American’t for Ashurst

29 March 2010

Ashurst has never been shy of growing via laterals.
Chris Allen: Blacks Solicitors

29 March 2010

What was your first-ever job? Dough machine cleaner in a bakery.
Dorsey would rather talk about City resurgence than its former partner

29 March 2010

Can the firm’s progress in London distract attention away from the Rimmington trial? By Matt Byrne
Everatt & Co

29 March 2010

Everatt & Co is that rare beast - a defendant personal injury (PI) firm that appears to be thriving in the current price-conscious, panel-obsessed environment.
Olswang settles on real estate chief

29 March 2010

Olswang has filled the hole at the top of its real estate group with the recruitment of a former Mayer Brown partner.
Roome to move Bingham up the rankings

29 March 2010

This September will see the tenth anniversary of Bingham McCutchen’s hire of restructuring partner James Roome.
Howrey conflict sees Covington scoop top Brussels lawyer

24-Mar-2010

Covington & Burling has benefited from an unresolved conflict of interest to hire one of the best-known competition lawyers in Brussels.
2Birds votes to give CEO and chair another term at helm

23-Mar-2010

Bird & Bird has re-elected its longstanding chief executive office David Kerr and chairman Michael Frie for additional three-year terms.
Catherine Gannon: Gannons Solicitors

22 March 2010

What time do you usually leave the office? As soon as I can.
Dewey shows joined-up thinking as calls for a City chief are answered

22 March 2010

London gears up for next level after two years of integration.
Stones

22 March 2010

South West firm Stones was one of the first of The Lawyer’s UK 200 firms to take drastic action at the onset of the recession. The Exeter-headquartered firm scaled back its sprawling office network from six to just two in the autumn of 2008.
Olswang kicks off promotions round with two new partners

17-Mar-2010

Olswang has promoted two associates to its partnership, the same number as in 2009 but eight fewer than in 2008.
Dewey appoints first London managing partner

16-Mar-2010

Dewey & LeBoeuf has appointed its first London managing partner since the 2007 merger of Dewey Ballantine and LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae.
A great year for restructurings leads to heightened expectations for Weil

15 March 2010

US firm happy to report increased PEP in both London and New York. By Matt Byrne
Ayesha Vardag Solicitors

15 March 2010

Family law boutique Ayesha Vardag Solicitors specialises in high-value, big-impact cases. And they do not come much bigger-impact than last year’s battle between German heiress Katrin Radmacher and her investment banker husband Nicolas Granatino.
Edward Wanambwa

15 March 2010

What do you do at weekends? Walk the dog, see a film, go to a jazz gig, plan the next holiday – nothing too exciting.
Investec pitches external investment to top 50 UK law firms as ABS debate gathers momentum

15 March 2010

Banking group and FTSE100 newcomer Investec is preparing to kick off a new wave of interest in external investment in UK firms with a high-level private summit in London this summer.
Labaton Sucharow comes to UK to get snowed under

15 March 2010

?Labaton Sucharow might not be a name particularly familiar in the UK market, but that might be about to change.
Olswang set to shift work to the regions

15 March 2010

Olswang is planning to ramp up the use of its Reading office for selected legal work in a bid to offer clients a lower-cost option and allow its transactional lawyers room to focus on higher-margin deals.
Sidley snares Pinsents' insurance chief for City practice

12-Mar-2010

US firm Sidley Austin has hired two Pinsent Masons partners for its London insurance practice, including the head of Pinsents’ insurance group.
Dewey raids Bryan Cave to rebuild depleted employment group

10-Mar-2010

Dewey & LeBoeuf has started rebuilding its employment team a week after Morgan Lewis hired practically the entire department.
Olswang elections end with Stewart as CEO

10-Mar-2010

Olswang has completed its elections for all of its senior management positions.
Chadbourne raid leaves Howrey with one City disputes partner

8-Mar-2010

Chadbourne & Parke has hired a team of four disputes lawyers from Howrey’sLondon office including formerinternational arbitration group head Melanie Willems.
Bargate Murray

8 March 2010

The partners at Bargate Murray would not describe their firm as a ’super-yacht boutique’, but it is hard not to reach that conclusion.
K&L Gates plunders Hogan’s Warsaw office ahead of Hogan-Lovells merger

8 March 2010

K&L Gates underlined potential fractures in the impending merger between Hogan & Hartson and Lovells last week when it scooped the US firm’s entire operations in Warsaw.
Dewey's City employment group jumps ship to Morgan Lewis

4-Mar-2010

Dewey & LeBoeuf has lost its entire London employment department to Morgan Lewis.
White & Case boosts London partnership with Skadden hire

3-Mar-2010

White & Case has boosted its London financial restructuring and insolvency practice with the hire of a senior lawyer from Skadden.
Steptoe enters Asia via Beijing launch

2-Mar-2010

Steptoe & Johnson has launched its first office in Asia, opening an outpost in Beijing.
Kaye Scholer launches in Silicon Valley with latest White & Case defector

1-Mar-2010

Kaye Scholer is to launch an office in Silicon Valley with the latest partner to defect from White & Case at the helm.
Hogan's Warsaw office quits for K&L Gates ahead of Hogan-Lovells merger

1-Mar-2010

K&L Gates is to open an office in Warsaw after scooping the entire office of Hogan & Hartson in the city.
A&O defector keeps entire Mannheim complement

1 March 2010

The Allen & Overy (A&O) German IP litigation partner leaving the firm to launch Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges’ first Continental Europe outpost is taking over the magic circle firm’s entire office.
Dechert recruits William Fry partner for Dublin base

1 March 2010

Dechert has ended its hunt for a partner to launch its office in Dublin, hiring William Fry funds partner Declan O’Sullivan.
Lawn Tennis Association nets legal head from Rugby Football

1 March 2010

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has appointed Karen Neale, one of the senior lawyers at the Rugby Football Union (RFU), as its new head of legal.
Olswang begins senior management elections

1 March 2010

Olswang kicked off the elections for all its senior management positions last month, with an email from HR director Ffion Griffith to the firm’s partnership signalling the start of the process.
Paul Hastings revels in City disputes advancement

1 March 2010

?A year after Paul Hastings made one of the boldest group hires in a very long time, the fruits of its seven-partner raid on Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft is there for all the market to see.
PCB Litigation

1 March 2010

Very few firms can say they posted a 40 per cent rise in fee income last year, but one can.
White & Case exodus continues as global IT head quits

24-Feb-2010

White & Case has lost another partner, with the chair of the firm’s global IT practice group understood to have resigned.
Quinn Emanuel taps A&O for German IP launch

23-Feb-2010

US litigation firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges is launching its first office in Continental Europe with the hire of a group of IP lawyers from Allen & Overy (A&O) in Germany.
Cobbetts posts a profit despite prior reticence

22 February 2010

When Cobbetts filed its long-awaited LLP accounts a few weeks into this year, it closed a mysterious chapter on the firm’s history.
Reader’s Digest demise sees BLP advise administrators

22 February 2010

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) is advising the administrators of the Reader’s Digest Association (RDA), with the company going into administration after failing to reach an agreement over the funding of its pension scheme.
TwoBirds turns to SJ Berwin for Italy partner hire

18-Feb-2010

Bird & Bird has strengthened its Italian corporate group with the hire of a partner from SJ Berwin in Milan.
Latham saw PEP rise but revenue fall in "tough" 2009

17-Feb-2010

Latham & Watkins has posted a 5 per cent rise in average profit per equity partner (PEP) for the 2009 financial year but a similar drop in total revenue.
Lupton Fawcett

15 February 2010

Leeds firm Lupton Fawcett has pushed the boat out strategically over the past 12 months.
What Australia offers for US firms

15 February 2010

After A&O took the plunge, what are its US rivals doing about Australia?
Orrick London head steps down after five years at helm

12-Feb-2010

The London head of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe is stepping down after five years.
Cobbetts' LLP filing reveals £9m profit for 2008-09

10-Feb-2010

Cobbetts posted a net profit of £9.38m in the 2008-09 financial year alongside a 20.6 per cent drop in revenues.
Slater Heelis

8 February 2010

Manchester firm Slater Heelis rebranded in December last year, dropping legacy names Collier Littler and vowing to focus on new areas as it gears up for the implementation of the Legal Services Act (LSA).
Bingham's London revenues jump 32 per cent in 2009

4-Feb-2010

The London office of Bingham has posted a 31.6 per cent increase in turnover off the back of a significant rise in restructuring work.
Clydes launches New Jersey insurance practice

3-Feb-2010

Clyde & Co has extended its US footprint with the launch of an office in New Jersey.
Revenues down 11 per cent at White & Case

2-Feb-2010

White & Case has posted an 11 per cent drop in total revenue for the 2009 financial year while average profit per equity partner (PEP) has remained flat.
Cross-selling de rigueur at Weil

1 February 2010

New exec partner and female group pursue likeminded business development aims
Latham raids W&C for banking team

1 February 2010

Latham & Watkins has swooped on rival White & Case for a four-partner team of bank finance and capital markets partners.
LawRocks II: double the lawyers get the axe

1 February 2010

Rehearsal studios around the country are preparing for an onslaught of lawyers as the largest-ever number of rocking legal talent gears up for LawRocks II.
US financial results reflect recovering economy

1 February 2010

?Momentum is gathering in the US, with a growing number of firms reporting their 2009 year-end results over the past few days.
Latham snares four-partner team from White & Case

29-Jan-2010

Latham & Watkins has swooped on rival White & Case for a four-partner team of bank finance and capital markets partners.
Reed Smith sees revenue dip coupled with profit rise in 2009

28-Jan-2010

Reed Smith has posted a 4 per cent drop in total revenue for the 2009 fiscal year.
Former Howrey associate hits firm with race discrimination claim

27-Jan-2010

US firm Howrey is being sued by a former Brussels-based associate for racial discrimination.
Kalisch Rufus

25 January 2010

?There cannot be too many firms fitting this description: a California-based outfit founded by a pair of English barristers operating out of Beverly Hills.
Shadbolt leavers more than happy

25 January 2010

Splendid news this week from the UK legal market. It seems that everyone The Lawyer speaks to is “delighted”. Well, if not everyone then at least anyone remotely connected to the Clydes-Shadbolt deal.
The Lawyer Hot 100 2010

25 January 2010

The great and the good of the legal profession turned out in force to celebrate this year’s Hot 100
K&L Gates hires McDermott competition partner for London office

21-Jan-2010

K&L Gates has hired the founder of McDermott Will & Emery’s competition practice Scott Megregian as a partner in its London office.
McDermott names Nineham as first-ever Europe chief

20-Jan-2010

McDermott Will & Emery has appointed London office managing partner Hugh Nineham as its new head of Europe as part of a push to move Europe closer to the core of the US firm’s global strategy.
K&L Gates continues expansion with Tokyo and Moscow launches

19-Jan-2010

K&L Gates has opened offices in Tokyo and Moscow one week after the firm’s chairman vowed to continue with its strategic growth.
CC begins US litigation rebuild with Milbank hire

19-Jan-2010

Clifford Chance has hired a senior litigation partner in an attempt to rebuild its US disputes practice following a series of exits last year.
BLG trio strengthens Kemp Little’s commercial tech team

18 January 2010

Technology boutique Kemp Little has bolstered its IT capabilities with the hire of two senior lawyers from Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG).
JMW solicitors

18 January 2010

JMW Solicitors has transformed itself from the days when it was a small crime-based practice in the 1970s.
Mishcon opens in NY for transatlantic litigation drive

18 January 2010

Mishcon de Reya is making a shock entry into the New York legal market with a litigation outpost in Manhattan.
The end is in sight

18 January 2010

With many US firms performing far better than predicted for 2009, can the rest of us take heart?
Winston introduces technology-based fee monitor

18 January 2010

?In last week’s column (11 January) we highlighted the moves being made by the Association of Corporate Counsel to improve the value for money its members receive from external law firms.
K&L Gates smashes through $1bn turnover mark

15-Jan-2010

K&L Gates has broken through the $1bn revenue barrier for the first time.
Former Mayer Brown partner gets seven years for Refco fraud

15-Jan-2010

The former Mayer Brown partner charged with conspiracy relating to a $2.4bn (£1.5bn) fraud at Refco, the collapsed commodities brokerage, was sentenced to seven years in prison yesterday.
Revenue down at Paul Weiss as PEP nudges up

12-Jan-2010

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison has posted a slight dip in revenue for the 2009 financial year but a rise in average profit per equity partner (PEP).
ACC rating index unnerves firms

11 January 2010

Association of Corporate Counsel’s online scorecard puts advisers on tenterhooks
Harbottle names new litigation chief

11 January 2010

Harbottle & Lewis has appointed Andy Millmore as head of litigation, succeeding senior partner Gerrard Tyrrell.
Harrison Clark

11 January 2010

Worcester-based Harrison Clark extended its reach significantly last year by opening a primarily family law-orientated office in Cheltenham.
Latham salary thaw meets with hot and cold reception

11 January 2010

Associates at Latham & Watkins were celebrating last week after the US firm confirmed it would be reversing the salary freeze it introduced in December 2008.
Latham loses star M&A partner to Greenberg

7-Jan-2010

Latham & Watkins has lost renowned M&A partner David Schwartzbaum to Greenberg Traurig in New York.
Shearman launches Hong Kong law practice with O'Melveny hires

6-Jan-2010

Shearman & Sterling has hired two partners from O’Melveny & Myers to launch a Hong Kong law practice.
Latham puts associate salaries back on track a year after freeze

5-Jan-2010

Latham & Watkins has reversed the salary freeze it introduced in December 2008, a sign that the worst may be over for the US firm.
Latham bolsters China presence with Beijing launch

4-Jan-2010

US firm Latham & Watkins has opened a base in Beijing, meaning its presence in the region now numbers five offices.
Needham & James

4 January 2010

Needham & James is on the hunt for extra revenue. Nothing unusual there, except that in the Stratford-upon-Avon headquartered firm’s case the search is likely to end in a merger.
K&L Gates equalises notice period for salaried partners

14 December 2009

K&L Gates has changed the notice period for the majority of its international non-equity partners (NEPs), bringing all partners of this status onto a uniform 90 days.
SA Law

14 December 2009

As the fifth anniversary of the launch of SA Law approaches, managing partner Steve Ryan says the firm’s investment in its employment practice has paid dividends during the downturn.
Top spot for Skadden with $1bn litigation revenue

14 December 2009

The Lawyer’s annual litigation top 50, as revealed in last week’s issue (7 December), is proof that, while it might not be a tidal wave, litigation is definitely on the up.
Camerons joins transfer pricing war

7 December 2009

CMS Cameron McKenna has become the latest UK law firm to hire a prominent transfer pricing specialist, as firms continue to compete with the big four accountants to provide high-margin tax and economics advice.
Focus: Fight Club: The top 50 litigation practices

7 December 2009

The Lawyer’s annual analysis of the global top 50 litigation practices shows that arbitration is on the rise - and London is one of the main benefactors. By Matt Byrne
Hunton targets litigation hole in London offering

7 December 2009

Hunton & Williams is looking to address what its global managing partner Wally Martinez describes as a “glaring weakness” in its London offering - litigation.
Lack of promotions rebuts recovery

7 December 2009

London offices left behind in US firms’ latest partner rounds. By Julia Berris
McguireWoods

7 December 2009

Grundberg Mocatta Rakison (GMR) disappeared this year from The Lawyer UK 200 Annual Report 2009. The reason? On 1 May the London-based boutique merged with US firm McGuireWoods.
Berry Smith

30 November 2009

Eversheds offshoot Berry Smith has grown from a two-partner firm established in 1985 to a 10-partner outfit with around 100 staff in total.
High drama: Maria da Cunha, British Airways

30 November 2009

British Airways GC Maria da Cunha may be a high-flying lawyer, but with her company’s merger plans cleared for take-off she needs her feet firmly on the ground. By Matt Byrne
Addleshaws appoints consultancy mediators

23 November 2009

Addleshaw Goddard has identified four partners to act as conduits between its core practice areas and the internal management consultancy launched by chairman Mark Jones earlier this year.
Bristows returns to 2Birds for IT partner

23 November 2009

Bristows has made its second raid in three months on technology rival Bird & Bird, hiring IT partner Hazel Grant.
Focus: Bristows: Hard drive

23 November 2009

Bristows’ Mark Watts has a battle on his hands to convince the market his ‘IP boutique’ is also a serious IT contender. But he’s coming out fighting
US firms get tough on pay

23 November 2009

Skadden follows Cravath with slashed bonuses as Reed Smith ditches lockstep
Ex-chief quits Taylor Wessing partnership

16 November 2009

Former Taylor Wessing managing partner Michael Frawley is quitting the firm’s partnership to return to New Zealand.
Maples Dublin raids A&L’s litigation team

16 November 2009

Offshore firm Maples and Calder has hired a team of six litigators, all from rival A&L Goodbody, including equity partner Dudley Solan.
Watkins & Gunn

16 November 2009

The senior partners at one of South Wales’s oldest firms Watkins & Gunn have been on a six-year mission of reinvention.
Reed Smith cuts US associate salaries by 20 per cent

11-Nov-2009

Reed Smith has slashed the pay-packets of its US-based first-year associates.
Morgan Lewis flies in heavy-hitter to boost London

10-Nov-2009

Morgan Lewis is relocating one of its best-known partners from the US to London.
Amarchand acts on competition goldrush with Irish appointment

09 November 2009

India’s largest firm Amarchand Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co has dipped into the Irish legal market to hire one of the republic’s leading competition specialists.
Cravath bonuses plummet as US season kicks off

09 November 2009

The US bonus season began last week when elite New York firm Cravath Swaine & Moore revealed the level of additional pay it would be offering its junior lawyers on top of their annual salaries this year.
Dentons posts modest rise in six-month revenues

6-Nov-2009

Denton Wilde Sapte has posted a 3.5 per cent rise on year-to-date revenue, with fee income rising from £84.7m in October 2008 to £87.7m at the half-year stage.
2Birds enjoys massive international upsurge – but US still on backburner

02 November 2009

Last month Bird & Bird chief executive David Kerr rebuffed criticism levelled at the firm that it was becoming all but impossible for London-based associates to make partner at the firm.
EAD Solicitors

02 November 2009

Liverpool-based EAD Solicitors is, according to managing partner Garry Abrams, in a “holding position”. Over the past three years the firm’s turnover has grown, but only slightly.
Dundas mourns loss of restructuring head

29-Oct-2009

Dundas & Wilson managing partner Donald Shaw has paid tribute to the firm’s UK corporate recovery head Ian Cuthbertson, who died suddenly yesterday aged 58.
Reed Smith breaks associate lockstep

28-Oct-2009

Reed Smith has broken the lockstep remuneration system for its associates, replacing it with a merit-based structure.
Law Firm Profile: Ramsdens

26 October 2009

Ramsdens, the largest law firm in Kirklees and Calderdale, is known locally as a high street firm with a commercial bias.
Hogan-Lovells: strong arm of the law

19 October 2009

The Hogan & Hartson-Lovells merger talks, potentially the precursor to one of the all-time largest US-UK combinations, have got the markets gassing on both sides of the Atlantic.
Just Costs Solicitors

19 October 2009

?Just Costs Solicitors is hardly your typical law firm. At first sight the limited company that holds itself up as the country’s leading costs recovery business would hardly fit snugly alongside its cousins in The Lawyer’s UK top 200, even if it is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Brachers

12 October 2009

“The past financial year was challenging,” admits Brachers’ managing partner John Sheath. “But as a full-service firm I think we’ve been quite resilient.”
Cohen: learn the lessons of Lehman

12 October 2009

Iconic Sullivan & Cromwell chairman on the ‘contagion of fear’. By Matt Byrne
Focus: Shearman & Sterling, Back to the future

12 October 2009

Shearman senior partner Rohan Weerasinghe refuses to dwell on his firm’s past. Instead he is looking to the global network to get the New York giant back on track
SJ Berwin wins Sita role from Kemp Little

12 October 2009

SJ Berwin partner David Meredith has completed a $2bn (£1.25bn) outsourcing deal for communications company Sita, a client he won while at former firm Kemp Little.
Nineham takes control of McDermott's London office

9-Oct-2009

McDermott Will & Emery’s new London head Hugh Nineham today vowed to focus on the integration and expansion of key practice areas, as the former Lovells partner prepared to take over from previous head Doron Ezickson on Monday.
Bakers bulks up transfer pricing capabilities with E&Y hire

7-Oct-2009

Baker & McKenzie has hired a former Ernst & Young (E&Y) economist in London for its transfer pricing practice.
Lovells wins controversial genocide case for Canadian oil company

6-Oct-2009

Lovells has sealed a US court victory for Canadian oil company Talisman Energy in a long-running case brought by a Sudanese church.
Dechert’s game of Russian roulette

05 October 2009

Laura Brank reveals why she quit Chadbourne to launch Dechert’s Moscow office, and defends her new firm’s strategy in the region. Matt Byrne reports
Mayo Wynne Baxter

05 October 2009

?Mayo Wynne Baxter is the product of a 2007 merger between Brighton-based Wynne Baxter and Eastbourne-headquartered Mayo & Perkins.
TwoBirds hits back at promotion hiatus claims

05 October 2009

Bird & Bird chief executive David Kerr has rebuffed criticism levelled at the firm in the wake of the departure of IT specialist Toby Crick.
Mincoff Jacksons to de-merge a year after forming

1-Oct-2009

Newcastle firm Mincoff Jacksons is to split into individual firms, exactly a year after Mincoffs and Jacksons merged.
Bristows in renewed push on IT with TwoBirds hire

28-Sep-2009

Bird & Bird has lost one of the rising stars of its IT practice to rival Bristows.
BPE solicitors

21 September 2009

?BPE Solicitors hit the headlines in The Lawyer earlier this year (15 June) when it closed the Birmingham office it had opened in more prosperous times seven years previously.
Eversheds works eight days a week for Beatles

14 September 2009

Eversheds has advised Apple Corps, one of its longest-standing clients, on two headline-grabbing deals relating to legendary pop group The Beatles.
Flint Bishop strikes up online allegiances

14 September 2009

Derby-based Flint Bishop is ramping up its online private client services in an attempt to combat the threat of alternative business structures entering the legal market.
Focus: Salans, Wherever it lays its hat…

14 September 2009

With no obvious HQ, Salans is a hard firm to pin down. But it’s not afraid to play on this, resulting in a record year. No wonder Pinsent Masons wanted that alliance
Onside Law

14 September 2009

Onside Law is expanding, but the sports, fashion and media boutique has no plans to turn itself into one of the giants with which it is increasingly competing. Later this month the firm hopes to bring in a new lawyer - its seventh.
Top firms open new front in war for specialist tax talent

14 September 2009

Revenue’s tough stance on transfer pricing sparks lucrative new practice area for City leaders
Eversheds advises on Beatles anniversary deals

9-Sep-2009

Eversheds has advised Apple Corps, one of its longest-standing clients, on two headline-grabbing deals relating to legendary pop group The Beatles.
Joint accounts

UK200 2009

This year Eversheds provided figures for its entire overseas network, as well as its UK operation. Matt Byrne recalibrates this year’s revenue rankings to unveil the alliance factor
Practice games

UK200 2009

Firms may have become more transparent in recent years, but that will not stop them massaging the figures in this turbulent market, says Matt Byrne
Cramer Pelmont

7 September

If you believe that the City bonus culture is now discredited, then you do not work at Cramer Pelmont.
Earning power

7 September

It’s all too easy for a law firm to give a PEP figure that doesn’t show the entire picture. That’s why EPP is a better indicator of performance
Edwards Angell splashes out on IP

7 September

A pair of high-profile IP partner hires made last week by the City offices of US firms confirmed the continuing vigour of the practice area during the downturn.
Regional firms dominate tightest equity rankings

7 September

Lower mid-tier firms keep iron grip on equity amid falling margins
Rising 100 scale heady heights in alternative financial stakes

7 September

In 1999 The Lawyer launched its first full-scale analysis of the largest firms by revenue in the UK, the top 100.
MLaw hires add film, regulatory expertise

31 August 2009

?London media boutique MLaw is branching out into film and regulatory work after hiring a pair of partners from Charles Russell.
Olswang snares ex CC finance director

10 August 2009

Olswang is looking to improve its financial management after hiring Clifford Chance’s former US finance director Frans Post as chief financial officer.
Richard Chan, ARC Property

10 August 2009

Given the doom and gloom surrounding the property market and notable failures such as Fox Hayes and Hammonds Direct, it makes a change to highlight a firm that appears to be doing well.
Addleshaws spreads wings with consultancy launch

3 August 2009

Firm moves into strategic management advice as it bets on a consolidating market
Wind breaks

3 August 2009

Renewables is keeping things ticking over for the energy practices at Northern Ireland firms. Matt Byrne reports
FoxMandal leaves staff unpaid as clients hold on to their cash

27 July 2009

Indian firm FoxMandal Little (FML) has not paid a number of its Delhi lawyers for at least a month due to cashflow problems.
Sprecher Grier Halberstam

27 July 2009

Sprecher Grier Halberstam (SGH) was founded in 1984 by David Sprecher and Ian Grier and has now grown to a 25-partner commercial practice.
FoxMandal suspends Delhi salaries, blames cashflow

21-Jul-2009

Indian firm FoxMandal Little (FML) has not paid a number of its lawyers for at least a month due to cashflow problems, reports legallyindia.com.
2Birds’ expansion comes good with 30 per cent revenue hike

20 July 2009

Bird & Bird has announced a 29.7 per cent increase in gross revenue for the 2008-09 financial year.
Attwaters

20 July 2009

Essex firm Attwaters is a year into a five-year strategy last year that saw it install Sheenagh Parsons as managing partner. Under the new regime, Attwaters aimed to invest more heavily in the areas of corporate and private client and broaden the practice away from its traditionally largest areas of personal injury and clinical negligence.
Eversheds plans its first secondment to Indian ally

20 July 2009

Eversheds is planning to send its first-ever secondee to an Indian law firm, with an assistant preparing to go to Khaitan & Co later this year.
Macfarlanes drops out of million-pound club as PEP falls to £846,000

16-Jul-2009

Macfarlanes has become the latest UK firm to fall below the million-pound mark in average profit per equity partner (PEP) terms.
2Birds' expansionist strategy sees fee income rise by 30 per cent

14-Jul-2009

Bird & Bird has announced a 29.7 per cent increase in gross revenue for the 2008-09 financial year.
Mayer Brown partner guilty of Refco fraud

13-Jul-2009

A Mayer Brown partner charged with conspiracy relating to the fraud at collapsed commodities brokerage Refco was found guilty on Friday (10 July).
Freshfields expands US litigation practice with BoA hire

13-Jul-2009

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has strengthened its nascent US litigation and arbitration group with the hire of the former deputy general counsel and director of litigation at Bank of America, David Onorato.
A&O’s PEP falls but remains in £1m club

13 July 2009

The publication last Friday (10 July) of Allen & Overy’s (A&O) 2008-09 results slotted the final piece into this year’s magic circle financial jigsaw.
Bristows shows IP’s rude health with revenue up by a fifth

13 July 2009

Bristows’ financial results have confirmed the health of the IP market, with the London firm posting a 19.5 per cent increase in revenue.
Foot Anstey Solicitors

13 July 2009

Foot Anstey Solicitors is the largest firm in the Cornwall, Devon and Somerset region. It is also on the cusp of breaking into The Lawyer UK200 Annual Report.
Property slump fails to dent Manches’ PEP

13 July 2009

West End firm Manches posted an 8 per cent drop in average profit per equity partner (PEP) last year, an unexpectedly strong performance for a firm so dominated by property.
RPC predicts PEP to mirror revenue’s hike of 5 per cent

13 July 2009

Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) is anticipating a 5 per cent increase in average profit per equity partner (PEP) to match the 5 per cent rise in total revenue it posted last week.
The odds of ends

13 July 2009

The last time DLA Piper tried to save itself a few quid it had the legal market up in arms. This time the negative PR could be even worse.
Chadwick Lawrence

6 July 2009

West Yorkshire firm Chadwick Lawrence posted a revenue of £10m for 2008-09, representing a slight increase on its performance the previous year.
Fladgate’s financials tumble as core practice areas disappoint

6 July 2009

West End firm Fladgate’s financial results have confirmed the dearth of commercial property deals over the past financial year.
Orrick ‘revolutionises’ US associate pay ladder

6 July 2009

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe last week jettisoned lockstep remuneration for its US associates, a move described by the firm as “revolutionary”, but greeted by some in the legal market as little more than a marketing push.
UK firms outpace US rivals in India

6 July 2009

Once bitten twice shy - has their experience in the ’90s made US firms overly cautious?
Blackbourn & Bond

29 June 2009

More and more firms are looking to capitalise on structural changes allowed under the Legal Services Act.
IBA stands up for lawyers in Russia

29 June 2009

The International Bar Association (IBA) has waded into a growing row over the treatment of lawyers in Russia.
DLA, White & Case Moscow offices stormed by police

22 June 2009

The perils of operating in the Russian market were highlighted last week when the Moscow offices of DLA Piper and White & Case were raided by government authorities.
Revealed: Camerons rocks

19-Jun-2009

CMS Cameron McKenna emerged victorious from a hard-fought inaugural Law Rocks battle of the bands last night.
DLA and White & Case hit by Moscow crime raid

16-Jun-2009

The Moscow office of White & Case was raided today by Russian authorities conducting a criminal investigation.
Cubism Law

15 June 2009

The Legal Services Act has got all sorts of people in the legal market excited, but few more so than former Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW) partner Andrew Pena, the man behind Cubism Law.
Exclusive: Greenberg hires Maher to build '21st century firm'

15 June 2009

US giant in retreat from Olswang alliance as it launches in London with former Mayer Brown star
Focus: Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy

15 June 2009

The two biggest names in tech law are now at Milbank’s London office. Can the US firm help them deliver on their vision?
Linklaters served with £4.6m claim

15 June 2009

Linklaters is facing a £4.6m negligence claim from the All England Lawn Tennis Ground - the club behind the annual Wimbledon tennis tournament.
Luthra introduces lockstep to aid growth

15 June 2009

Indian firm Luthra & Luthra has introduced a lockstep system as it prepares itself for rapid growth.
Yanks eye City tie-ups for Euro push

15 June 2009

US mid players see downturn as opportunity to trawl UK for big fish. Julia Berris reports
Asia boom in pipeline for Dewey

8 June 2009

China’s influence grows as Kazakhstan’s oil proves to be recession buffer. By Matt Byrne
CC sends ambassador to Indian ally AZB

8 June 2009

Clifford Chance will be looking to consolidate its best friends relationship with Indian firm AZB & Partners later this year when it sends banking partner Chris Wyman on secondment to the subcontinent.
Eversheds advises McCartney and Ringo on video game deal

3-Jun-2009

Eversheds underlined its longstanding relationship with The Beatles this week when it advised on a deal to put 45 of the group’s songs on to the video game Rock Band.
Indian private equity firm launches office in Singapore

3-Jun-2009

Indian private equity boutique firm Lexygen has launched an office in Singapore.
India's FoxMandal boosts partnership with Khaitan hire

2-Jun-2009

Indian firm FoxMandal Little has hired IP specialist Vinay Dwarkadas from the Mumbai office of rival Khaitan & Co.
Maclays IP head Nicolson joins Bristows

1-Jun-2009

Bristows has hired the former head of the IP and technology department at Maclay Murray & Spens as a partner in its commercial group.
Clough & Willis

1 June 2009

No offence, but if someone mentions ‘Bury-based law firm’, you tend to think of a high-street solicitor.
Focus: The Lawyer Awards - The chosen few

1 June 2009

The Lawyer Awards is on the horizon and fast approaching. Here are some of the ones to watch
Jones Day goes for broke

1 June 2009

Jones Day hires magnificent seven to cement pole position in restructuring.
Running order

29-May-2009

It’s all kicking off in the music world as the Law Rocks extravaganza draws near.
Paralegals get paranoia

25 May 2009

It’s hardly a closely guarded secret that the take-home pay of partners at the UK’s top firms is about to take a nosedive this year.
Schofield Sweeney

25 May 2009

Bradford and Leeds-based firm Schofield Sweeney likes to think of itself as a business that punches well above its weight. This is partly because of the high proportion of lawyers on its books with previous experience at some of the UK’s largest firms.
Amarchand in revolutionary move to stay one step ahead

18 May 2009

Our story last week about Indian firm Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co hiring two corporate partners set TheLawyer.com’s Backchat discussion board alight.
Ledingham

18 May 2009

It was always unlikely that Aberdeen-headquartered firm Ledingham Chalmers was going to match its stellar financial performance of the 2007-08 financial year.
Sullivan: let us entertain you – in a thrifty manner

18 May 2009

Sullivan & Cromwell was deservedly lauded in this year’s Transatlantic Elite for its string of roles at the heart of the global financial crisis.
Chadbourne Moscow partners renege on Dechert move

14-May-2009

Two of the five partners who were set to leave Chadbourne & Parke to launch a Moscow office for Dechert have decided to stay with the New York firm, The Lawyer can reveal.
Amarchand breaks the mould with two Mumbai lateral hires

12-May-2009

Top Indian firm Amarchand & Mangladas & Suresh A Shroff & Co has taken the highly unusual step of making two lateral hires - just a few months after it shook up its lockstep and internal governance.
The Transatlantic Elite 2009: The Sweet Sixteen

The Lawyer Transatlantic Elite

The top players are entering virgin territory. By Matt Byrne
Dechert and Chadbourne lock horns over Moscow team

11 May 2009

Dechert and Chadbourne & Parke were locked in a battle last week over the future of a five-partner team in the latter’s Moscow office.
Female associates see partner-level promotions increase – marginally

11 May 2009

The proportion of female associates made up to partner level this year at the top 30 UK firms has risen slightly - from 25 per cent of new partners in 2008 to 27 per cent.
Focus partner promotions: Forgotten generation

11 May 2009

The recession has seen promotions dry up. Is this a necessary step or a knee-jerk reaction?
Nordic Special Report: Pole survivors

11 May 2009

Nordic firms are looking beyond their borders in a bid to weather the coming economic storm.
Promotions: corporate wins out

11 May 2009

Associate careers special: corporate and finance most prevalent in partnership rounds despite recession
Rouse

11 May 2009

Next year London-headquartered IP firm Rouse will celebrate its 20th anniversary, and while neither the firm nor its clients are immune to the impact of the economic downturn, one recent deal in particular has highlighted how its lawyers believe the firm is well placed to capitalise on the rare opportunities that are out there.
Simpson Thacher’s City gent

11 May 2009

NY giant continues global advance as CC’s Signy signs up for the ride. By Julia Berris
Chadbourne fights for Moscow office as Dechert pounces

8-May-2009

Dechert and Chadbourne & Parke are currently locked in a battle over the future of a five-partner team in the latter’s Moscow office.
Akin’s spread of legal

4 May 2009

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld is targeting a London litigation launch later this year as part of a wider international push by the Texas firm.
Herbies launches in Spain with three-partner Linklaters raid

28-Apr-2009

Herbert Smith has pounced on the Madrid office of Linklaters for three partners to open an office in the Spanish city.
Nixon Peabody defies climate to take on new staff

27 April 2009

Nixon Peabody, which late last year announced plans to double its size within five years, has begun making good on its big talk.
Shearman to resurrect Europe

27 April 2009

New European chief flexes muscles and cracks whip to stimulate business
The world famous 100 Club to host Law Rocks

27 April 2009

The legal profession’s first battle of the bands is being launched this summer, dubbed Law Rocks.
Ashurst promotes 10 to partnership

22-Apr-2009

Ashurst has unveiled its 2009 promotions, with only 10 lawyers making the cut this year compared with 17 in 2008.
Davis Polk corporate chief leaves City for NY

20 April 2009

The London-based head of Davis Polk & Wardwell’s corporate group Tom Reid has relocated from the City to New York, The Lawyer can reveal.
US firms post dismal City figures

20 April 2009

After such a bad year - and an even worse one predicted - US firms may struggle to remain committed to the London market
Bird & Bird overlooks London as four gain partnership

15-Apr-2009

Bird & Bird has made up four lawyers to its partnership in its annual round of promotions.
Bingham seeks balance between quality and efficiency

6 April 2009

Bingham McCutchen chairman Jay Zimmerman has refused to rule out a salary cut for the firm’s associates.
Focus: Dechert, Paradigm of virtue

6 April 2009

Hard times, hard decisions - they’re like food and drink to Bart Winokur, the chairman of US law firm Dechert. And despite several rounds of layoffs, he’s looking forward to eating the recession for breakfast
Mofo sees the bright side

6 April 2009

Morrison & Foerster chairman Keith Wetmore does not subscribe to the increasingly prevalent view that the current economic downturn will leave the world’s top law firms irrevocably changed.
Focus, Law firm management: A year of living dangerously

30 March 2009

If last year was bad, the first three months of 2009 have been even worse.
O’Melveny puts brave face on Kavanagh exit

30 March 2009

The new head of O’Melveny & Myers’ London litigation group David Foster mounted a bullish defence of his firm’s disputes capability in the City last week following the exit of partner David Kavanagh to Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.
Quinn Emanuel desperate for Dan

30 March 2009

Was A&O’s Dan Cunningham’s exit perfect timing for all concerned? asks Julia Berris
WolfBlock fails to keep the wolves from the door

30 March 2009

The financial crisis claimed another US law firm victim last week when 300-lawyer Philadelphia firm WolfBlock called time on its long history.
Chadbourne wants blood to help New Yorkers

26-Mar-2009

Chadbourne & Parke will transform the main conference room in its Manhattan office into a hospital ward today as it holds a blood drive in support of the New York Blood Center.
Citi law firm guru predicts end of associate lockstep

23 March 2009
New Skadden chief still thinks big

23 March 2009

Executive partner inherits a firm that seems capable of defying the crunch.

The LawyerMatt Byrne Editorial

The Lawyer
Matt Byrne Editorial