Litigation Top 50: The five firms leading the way since 2013
Since 2013, the same five firms have occupied the top five positions in The Lawyer’s Litigation Top 50.
When politics and reputation meet: Mishcon has cemented its punchy brand in the Labour anti-Semitism dispute
Earlier this week, Mishcon became a public player in a toxic battle over anti-Semitism that is threatening to engulf the Labour Party.
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Wilson Sonsini has landed in London: “We’re here to complement, not compete”
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has arrived in London. The US firm revealed in June that it was to launch a office in the City to provide US access and support to UK-based technology and life sciences companies. It officially opened yesterday, based on Old Street in the heart of London’s technology community. The new shop will […]
Polo shirts and geeks: Inside Mishcon’s tech incubator
“We want to be at the forefront of law firm tech innovation,” says Mishcon’s chief technology officer Nick West
This year’s financials show how much Clifford Chance and A&O have played catch-up
It is a historical oddity of magic circle figures that there is always one firm that has an off year.
Litigation too bespoke to pin down on price? HSF didn’t think so
HSF has adapted the fixed fees approach used for transactional work to the much less predictable world of disputes
Pinsents and Everton FC: advice from a law firm, with no lawyers required
While the provision of legal advice is central to any law firm, many are branching out into other areas. One recent project taken on by Pinsent Masons for football club Everton was notable because it had little to no involvement from lawyers. Instead, it was managed from start to finish by the firm’s dedicated legal […]
DLA Piper’s offices overhaul: If you’re going open-plan for costs, you’re doing it wrong
DLA Piper’s recent office overhauls in Australia, Manchester and next London are not about cramming more people in.
It’s not about the kit. In tech and innovation, firms need to learn to speak fluent human
There will soon be a transfer market for law’s tech celebrities, and the internal opportunities are attractive.
My Pride Story: “Being gay is no big deal for me – thanks to the work of those who came before me”
Solicitor apprentice Hal Donovan gives his take on LGBT in law as one of the newest entrants to the profession.
The JLD column: The SRA needs a null hypothesis for SQE – and a Plan B
Avid Lawyer 2B readers will be well aware of the SRA’s plans to radically alter the process of qualifying as a solicitor via the introduction of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE). For those less familiar with the topic, it can be summarised as follows: whereas the current formula for qualification can crudely be expressed as […]
I clinched a training contract only after ignoring my diversity
When I first started making training contract applications I concentrated heavily on my ‘diverse’ background. I realise now I was wrong to do so.
Six things to consider if you want to float your law firm
Nothing comes for free – before going for the IPO firms need to understand six key points.
Freshfields lockstep: the war for talent gets teeth
This is the first fissure revealing the implications for those of us who are not superstars; we’re not worth as much as we thought we were.
KPI: Make kindness a performance indicator
Should kindness be a significant measure of success for all leaders and all teams? asks LBC’s Paul Gilbert
2018 financials: Why the Clifford Chance Carillion deal is more important than Freshfields losing Higgins
Across the board, we’re hearing of splendid figures all round, with the mid-tier proving its worth once again.
Slaughters can’t grow all its own talent anymore – no wonder it has to bring in laterals
Warning: we must now confront the unthinkable. Slaughter and May lateral hires will start to be seen as the norm.
What we can expect from the SFO’s next director
As the non-announcement leaked out, there was much scratching of collective heads and asking, who is she? Because she isn’t One Of Us.
US lateral hires: Asda shows a payoff for Gibson Dunn’s competition push
A US firm displacing the mighty competition department at Slaughter and May, no less, has not gone unremarked by City partners.
Transatlantic tie-ups have slowed local growth for UK legacy firms
US-UK mergers can be divided into two waves: pre- and post-Hogan Lovells.
Global growth obsession: Six firms that are setting the trend
In 2016 Global 200 billings totalled $128.4bn – a 3 per cent increase on 2015’s $124.4bn. A large part of that growth is thanks to six ambitious firms.
Herbert Smith Freehills tops mammoth settlements in 2017
If settlements are conducted behind closed doors then they seldom achieve the attention and excitement of the cases that make it to trial, for the fact there is no binary winner or loser. That may have to change, because so far, three of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases for this year have settled.
The sad story of Cobbetts
As it emerges that eight former Cobbetts lawyers have been referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, we recall the story of an ambitious firm caught out by the recession.
Clifford Chance lances the boil with lockstep review
Clifford Chance partners have voted to extend the firm’s lockstep ladder once again this week. But who is going to benefit from this change?
LIA SocGen settlement: This saga is nowhere near over
As far as litigation is concerned, settlements are supposed to be the gentle way out. But in the case between the Libyan Investment Authority and Societe Generale, it has come to signify the end of one headache and the beginning of another.
How partner exits sparked Ashurst’s strategy u-turn
Last year Ashurst’s mounting partner exits signalled serious trouble within its ranks. But as firms prepare to release their year-end financials, the consensus is that the storm at Ashurst has calmed. Will it last?
Longer term tenancies? Potential implications for lenders
Walker Morris’ Housing and Banking Litigation experts Karl Anders, Justin Coley and Sandip Singh explain the UK government’s consultation on introducing longer-term tenancies in the private rented sector, with a particular focus on potential impacts for lenders…
Assessing creditworthiness in consumer credit: FCA publishes final rules and guidance
The results of a large-scale survey by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2017 indicated, among other things, that: 75% of UK adults had one or more consumer credit products or loans in the previous 12 months; 4.1 million people were “in difficulty” because they had already failed to pay domestic bills or meet credit […]
Open Banking, fintech and the Brexit hokey cokey
By Miles Trower London is, arguably, the most important global hub for financial services. As a result, the consequences of the Brexit vote, the ensuing uncertainty and the eventual transitional and regulatory framework applying to UK financial services and how it will continue to access overseas markets has been subject to huge speculation. Much of […]
FCA consultation on a Global Financial Innovation Network
By Russell Kelsall On 7 August 2018, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a consultation on the creation of a Global Financial Innovation consultation. With innovation in the global financial services market rapidly increasing, it is important for firms to consider the options for building, implementing and sharing experiences of digital solutions.
Austria: The DPA’s strict view on retention periods
At the end of July, the Austrian Data Protection Authority (‘DPA’) published its first decision on retention periods applying the General Data Protection Regulation (‘GDPR’; DSB-D216.471/0001-DSB/2018). The decision is final. The DPA had to decide for which period a provider of telecommunications services (hereinafter: the ‘controller’) may (respectively must) retain so-called master data, required for […]
Switzerland maintains its globally leading position in international arbitration
By Michael Feit Switzerland has a long-standing tradition to serve as the seat for international disputes. Thanks to its very arbitration friendly legal framework, and overall encouraging factors such as Switzerland’s neutrality, stability and business-friendly environment, Switzerland has remained a top choice for international arbitration for parties from all over the world…
New provisions concerning critical infrastructure in Romania
By Irina Radu One of the major objectives of the EU is reducing the vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure and increasing their resilience. An adequate level of protection must be ensured and the harmful effects of disruptions on the society and citizens must be limited as far as possible. Critical infrastructures extend across many sectors of the […]
CEE: Keeping track of data processing
By Gelu Maravela and Daniel Alexie Depending on the size of the operator, the frequency of processing activities, and the character of the data that is processed, keeping records of all processing activity should be deemed necessary for a considerable number of operators. From our point of view, only operators that process personal data in […]
Kazakhstan introduces new ‘Squeeze-Out’ mechanism for major shareholders
On 2 July 2018, Kazakhstan adopted the Law No. 166VI “On amendments and changes to certain legislative acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Insurance and Insurance Activities, the Securities Market” (the “Law”). The Law entered into force on 15 July 2018 (with the exception of certain provisions, which will come into force later). Among […]
Amendments to the Hungarian Data Protection Act
By Dorottya Gindl The Hungarian Parliament has recently adopted legislation with the aim of harmonising the national data protection rules with the rules of the GDPR, and supplementing the national rules in areas not regulated by the GDPR. The Parliament adopted Act XXXVIII of 2018 (“Amendment“) in an extraordinary session and the new regulations entered […]
Changes to Entrepreneurs’ Relief: What do you need to know?
By Mark Braude A significant and welcome change to the Entrepreneurs’ Relief (ER) rules was announced in the Finance Bill 2019 last month. It is aimed at shareholders who would otherwise lose their entitlement to ER as a result of being diluted below the 5% required shareholding…
FCA publishes evaluation of Guaranteed Asset Protection intervention
By Alanna Tregear The Financial Conduct Authority (the FCA) said, as part of its 2018/2019 Business Plan, it wished to investigate the effectiveness and impact of its interventions into certain markets and industries. The FCA intends to conduct three pilot evaluations, the first being an evaluation of the FCA’s September 2015 intervention into GAP insurance. […]