From trainee to partner at A&O: How experiences for Black lawyers have changed
As part of Black History Month, The Lawyer spoke to four Allen & Overy lawyers, from trainee to partner, about their experiences in the law.
City talk: Slaughters and MoFo cash in on longstanding Arm ties
Lengthy discussions over Arm’s multibillion-dollar listing proved fruitful for its advisers as the legal fees wracked up ahead of its Nasdaq float. Since Arm’s parent company SoftBank announced in February 2022 that plans to sell to NVIDIA had fallen through, all eyes were on Arm to complete its IPO now valued at $54.5bn (£44bn). For the […]
SRA calls in the Met on Axiom Ince probe
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is liaising with law enforcement authorities over allegations made regarding embattled firm Axiom Ince, as the Metropolitan Police Service confirms a referral was passed on by the regulator. In August, the regulator suspended three partners from Axiom Ince, the firm that acquired Ince Group just four months before and was […]
Dozens exit Axiom Ince for Birketts and Horwich Farrelly
Axiom Ince has taken another hit this morning, losing a large team to Birketts and over 30 lawyers to Horwich Farrelly (HF). HF has taken the largest cohort yet from the ailing firm, onboarding more than 30 lawyers including nine partners and one associate partner. Partners Stef Johnston, Jarrod Parker, Alison Beesley, Chris Foulkes, Richard […]
3 Paper Buildings’ turnover soars by 18 per cent
Linklaters retention drops again to 78 per cent
Linklaters is retaining 46 of its 59 qualifying trainees for this autumn round, posting a retention rate of 78 per cent. No qualifiers will be kept on fixed-term contracts (FTC) unlike the previous round this year where one was offered an FTC. Eleven of the qualifiers were also part of the cohort transferred over from […]
Knights returns to merger mode to snap up West Midlands firm
Listed firm Knights has acquired the West Midlands firm Thursfields in a deal worth £12.5m as it aims to enter another period of rapid growth. Knights has been a prolific acquirer of mid-market law firms over the past decade, with Langleys (£17.7m), Shulmans (£17.6m), Keebles (£12.6m), ASB (£12.5m) and Coffin Mew (£11.3m) among its most […]
Spotlight: On your marks, get set, litigate
Millions of people around the world will tune in to the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Paris this evening. With both the Olympics and Paralympics set to dominate headlines over the coming weeks, we climb to the top of the 10-meter platform for a deep dive into one of the firms that specialises […]
BDB Pitmans prioritises US firms for network launch
BDB Pitmans is throwing its entire weight into finding mid-market US firms to join its soon-to-be-launched international network, Broadfield. The Lawyer understands there is space in the proposed network for multiple US firms with BDB Pitmans managing partner John Hutchinson describing the UK and US as “starting points” for its grand plan. The firm announced […]
PZ Cussons GC joins tobacco business
British healthcare company PZ Cussons has lost its general counsel to tobacco business Imperial Brands. Kevin Massie is making the move to the owner of the Lambert & Butler, Rizla and Golden Virginia brands after four years of leading the legal, governance and compliance function. In a LinkedIn post, he wrote: “I will soon be […]
3VB AND TWENTY ESSEX: HOT ON THE HEELS OF THE MAGIC CIRCLE
This report contains: A history of the dominance of the magic circle sets an analysis of the two challengers to the magic circle a breakdown of the sets’ activity at the commercial court over the years
The European 100’s newest managing partners
This report includes: an analysis of 18 European 100 firms that have seen new managing partners since the start of 2023 a consultant’s top tips for an MP-t0-be an overview of the trends in the European 100 leadership selection
Litigation Tracker: Q1 2024 (Claims)
This dashboard: contains an overview of the claims at a selection of courts in the UK. allows you to compare activity at the courts in Q2 2024 against Q2 2023.
Litigation Tracker: Q2 2024 (Judgments)
This dashboard: contains an overview of the judgments at a selection of courts in the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai during Q2of 2024. allows you to compare activity at the courts in Q2 2024 against Q1 2023.
UK Top 50 partner promotions
This report includes: analysis of partner promotions at the UK Top 50 firms since 2020 insight into regional promotion trends a look at the progress towards gender parity in partner promotions data on the practice areas experiencing the highest number of promotions.
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US firms go for gold
This summer has seen two sizeable acquisitions in Paris by major international firms of smaller boutique practices. First, Paul Hastings bolstered its white collar team with the incorporation of Antonin Lévy & Associés. The move brought three partners and nine associates into the US firm’s fold, upgrading its offering as a key Paris practice. Then […]
Knights wants to rescue your firm
Few UK start-up firms have experienced the same meteoric rise as Knights. Its position as a mid-tier disruptor and consolidator has been largely unchallenged, helping it to lift revenue by a market-topping 185 per cent over the last five years. With so many sub £50m firms contending with the twin issues of a cashflow crunch […]
The NQ pay scales show cracks
How did your firm fare in salary review season? For associates at Freshfields, their firm can claim the early-mover advantage prize after announcing a bold NQ salary jump to £150,000. But its moment was short-lived. Within a week, Quinn had upped its junior lawyer pay from £152,000 to £180,000. If there was an award for […]
Senior associates are a boon and bane for the mid-tier
Mid-market firms have been forced to re-evaluate their hiring strategies in the face of greater competition for partners. With lawyers more likely than ever before to switch firms, these firms have to move fast to secure the right talent, and one handy way to achieve that is to recruit from outside the partnership. Where first-time […]
Kirkland’s beaten Linklaters again
Does anyone need any confirmation of the gradual takeover of the City by rampaging US law firms? No, thought not. If, however, your answer is yes, then more evidence of the Americanisation of London can be found in the upcoming edition of the UK Corporate 50. Much of the focus in this year’s report is […]
Live Webinar: AI Updates
One year after GenAI tools have revolutionised the way we think about AI and how the legal sector operates, we delve into how legal AI tools are addressing client challenges and explore the industry’s response to AI-related concerns. Join this webinar to hear the panel discuss: • What impact has GenAI had on the legal […]
TLT boosts turnover by 12 per cent
TLT’s transition into national firm territory has been solidified after the firm posted a 12 per cent revenue rise from £157m to £174m. It has been a year of expansion for TLT, with the firm moving into Birmingham for the first time after taking a team of 10 from Shoosmiths. That group hire has helped […]
Slaughters innovation pro departs firm
Slaughter and May’s head of legal operations is set to depart the firm after 19 years. Jane Stewart has been with Slaughters her entire career, spanning numerous roles. She joined the firm in 2005 as a trainee solicitor, qualifying into the corporate finance team as an associate in 2007. After spending nearly 10 years as […]
External candidate victorious in Dentons’ CEO search
Dentons has elected a successor to global boss Elliott Portnoy, hiring its next leader from Big Four giant EY. A former global vice chair of EY, Kate Barton joins Dentons as its next global CEO. She will replace Portnoy, who stands down in November after 11 years. Dentons kickstarted the CEO search last December, stressing […]
Clifford Chance targets US and quicker billing as revenue hits £2.3bn
Clifford Chance’s revenue hit £2.3bn in 2023/24, up 9 per cent from the previous year when it broke through the £2bn revenue barrier for the first time. Net profit was up 10 per cent last year from £781m to £856m, an improvement from the previous year when the firm’s net profit remained flat. Profit per […]