Tech Pioneers: How KPMG’s consulting arm is taking on private practice
An inquisitive, fact-finding approach has propelled Nicola Brooks into a role at a KPMG unit dedicated to helping in-house teams undergo digital transformation
The long read: What future for Hong Kong’s legal market?
For decades, Hong Kong has been at the centre of Western law firms’ strategies, with its long history as one of the world’s key financial centres. However, times have changed since the first firms set foot in the region.
Data dive: the firms hitting $1bn for the first time
The number of firms producing turnover of more than $1bn continues to rise, according to The Lawyer’s Global 200 report.
Global Litigation Top 50: the success stories of 2019
The speed of growth in contentious activity at many firms over 2018/19 is almost as high as it has ever been over the past five years.
Travelers roundtable: change must come to the legal sector… and come quickly
Delegates at a roundtable hosted by The Lawyer and sponsored by Travelers agreed that traditional firm models are outdated, as technology and the Big Four provide opportunities and threats
The Mancs at Bank: JMW’s stealth raids on London boutiques have netted 20 partners in six months
For the regional mid-tier, the biggest issue is whether to stick or twist. Should they rely on income from their comfortable local market, or take that bet on the City? JMW, so long synonymous with its Manchester home, planted itself in London completely afresh earlier in the year, taking on 16 partners and with four […]
GC2B roundtable: How customer expectations are shaping direction of the global real estate market
Fourteen GCs and senior counsel at a roundtable hosted by The Lawyer and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner discuss how the latest trends create challenges and opportunities for firms
Tech Pioneers: How Ashurst created its vision of a digital future
Ashurst is finally enjoying a renaissance with the launch of its digital products unit, but the focus is on providing innovative solutions exclusively for its clients
As US firms target health, Covington leads the way – but Cooley and Goodwin are muscling in
There are few industries that are on the brink of a technological revolution as life sciences and health care. The possibilities that AI, nano-implants and new wearable software present are still only imaginable in futuristic TV programmes. Nevertheless, the tech revolution is already happening, and even if it doesn’t fall under the radar for the […]
The long read: How the Big Four measure success in the legal market and how they can be beaten
The Big Four are making a renewed effort to impact the legal market, with big-money innovation as their weapon – but traditional providers may not be as vulnerable as they think if they stick to their strengths.
You think A&O has problems? Take a look at O’Melveny in London
While many commentators will now be disparaging Allen & Overy’s US practice, the firm with the bigger overseas headache is O’Melveny & Myers (OMM). Just this year Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld made several swoops on OMM’s London ranks, sending the latter’s partnership headcount to just three. O’Melveny has had plenty of time to […]
After Burford, litigation funders need a healthy dose of transparency
Litigation funders live and breathe disputes, but this was not the sort of dispute Burford Capital was used to. On August 8, Burford’s share price plunged 66 per cent after a ferocious attack from San Francisco-based hedge fund Muddy Waters, whose founder Carson Black questioned the accuracy of the funders accounting practices. Black described the […]
Case study: how Cornerstone set up an agile team that made use of direct access to barristers
In-house lawyers at one infrastructure services company have responded to a new telecoms code by establishing direct relationships with barristers.
Baker McKenzie better together – the benefits of an open-plan office
With a big-ticket office move potentially on the horizon, Baker McKenzie was keen to trial new ways of working
Case study: How Norton Rose Fulbright turned to Japan to become more efficient
Norton Rose Fulbright has coupled a Japanese agile-working framework with automation software to dramatically cut document production time
“We will not keep silent”: Brick Court QC’s call to lawyers at Extinction Rebellion
Extinction Rebellion has been out in force this week, with members of the legal profession lending their support to the cause. This is what Brick Court’s Richard Lord QC had to say at the gathering outside the Royal Courts of Justice. We are standing in a place steeped in legal history, where for centuries notions […]
Global law firms may duck Hong Kong politics, but it won’t shelter them from the economics
Whenever law firm leaders tell you about the importance of ‘purpose’ to organisations, there is a mysterious gap when it comes to civil liberties. The Hong Kong protests against the proposed extradition law that could hand its citizens into mainland Chinese jurisdiction gave birth to a crisis that posed thorny questions to the business community. […]
Colonialism? You won’t find that here, says Interlaw chair
Interlaw chair Glenn Cunningham responds to an exchange between Dentons’ Joe Andrew and Greenberg Traurig’s Richard Rosenbaum on the issues of colonialism, vereins and traditional law firm structures.
Joe Andrew on corporate colonialism, round 2: attacks on my argument are ‘tone deaf’
Dentons’ chairman Joe Andrew rebuts comments made by Greenberg Traurig’s Richard Rosenbaum over traditional law firm structures and vereins. An old adage in the law is if you have a good case, argue it, and if you don’t– change the subject. My opinion piece was about law firms that take a colonial attitude towards Africa […]
Colonial? A unified global firm that respects its partners is far from that
Greenberg Traurig executive chairman Richard Rosenbaum responds to Dentons’ Joe Andrew’s opinion piece published last week. The recent opinion piece strongly touting the verein model as the only obvious answer and disparaging other methods of global law firm growth as “colonial” brought to mind a saying I was taught early on in my career: “The […]
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Dentons chief: the old law firm model is simply colonial
International law firms still operate on an antiquated, colonial model that ignores the globalisation of the economy, says Dentons chair Joe Andrew.
Everyone calm down: the Big Four won’t have it all their own way
Fair play to the four horsemen of the apocalypse, who have successfully managed to spook a large proportion of firms in the top 100.
Thinking beyond ‘going digital’
‘Going digital’ is a phrase buzzing around even the most technology-averse boardrooms. Businesses, including law firms, are recognising the threat presented by falling behind in an increasingly digital world, and they are mobilising accordingly. That is promising, but also missing the larger issue. Going digital in the legal industry means much more. Too many lawyers […]
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Why I have changed my mind about the new Solicitors Qualification Exam
When news first emerged that the SRA were planning to make changes to the way solicitors qualified in England and Wales, I was of the view that the system did not need changing and worked well. Indeed I had been through a very similar training system, as had my colleagues at major City and global […]
Firms need to do more for their diverse lawyers than simply widening access
The new online recruitment portal launched recently by Rare Recruitment in collaboration with several top City law firms is undoubtedly a welcome initiative as pressure continues to mount on the legal profession to do more on diversity and social mobility. Launched last month, Vantage builds on Rare’s existing contextual recruitment software and uses advanced analytical […]
Not quite a gender crisis, but there are a lot of angry female barristers out there – and with good reason
The poor pipeline of female employment silk applications isn’t due to shyness or lack of ability; it’s structural.
Discrimination at the Women’s World Cup
Winston acted in one of the highest-profile cases in the history of gender equality in sports, as the USA women’s football team took on the US Soccer Federation.
Formation of contract and enforcement of terms: What negotiators need to know
By Gwendoline Davies, James Crayton Gwendoline Davies, Head of Commercial Dispute Resolution, and James Crayton, a partner in the Commercial Contracts Team, offer practical advice arising from the recent case of Volumatic v Ideas for Life [1], which highlights the risks of doing business in the absence of a concluded contract. Why is this case of interest? […]
Who needs a guarantor agreement?
By David Asker A guarantor is an individual who is agreeing to pay the rent if the tenant defaults on payments. Guarantors can often be necessary when renting to students or those in part time or low paid work, but any landlord can ask for a guarantor agreement if they feel there might be an element […]
Housing possession court duty scheme
By David Asker The Government is holding a consultation covering additional legal support for those facing eviction or repossession. Currently, the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme (HPCDS) offers free advice on the day to anyone at risk of eviction or repossession, this service is not means tested and is therefore available to anyone who finds themselves […]
CJEU: “opt-out” language does not create valid cookie consent – Austria
By Wolfgang Tichy, Gunther Leissler, Serap Aydin On 1 October 2019 the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU“) provided guidance on whether website operators may obtain consent to the use of cookies via a preselected tick-box. 1 Background of the case A German company organised a promotional lottery on its website. It obtained the consent of […]
CJEU decides on obligation of social media operators
By Gunther Leissler, Andreas Natterer, Sara Khalil Case: C‑18/18; Eva Glawischnig-Piesczek vs Facebook Ireland Limited On 3 October 2019 the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) provided guidance on Social Media operators obligations to monitor their networks for “hate speech”. 1 Background of the case In 2016 Eva Glawischnig-Piesczek, a (former) Austrian politician, was exposed […]
The solvency test in Guernsey: Are you sure your company is solvent?
By Bryan De Verneuil-Smith, Mathew Newman What is the Guernsey solvency test? The solvency test, found in section 527 of the Companies (Guernsey) Law 2008 as amended (“the Law”), is used to determine whether a Guernsey company is solvent. For non-regulated companies, it is a two-part test. For regulated companies there is a third part to the […]
Regulatory investigations: A survival guide
By Natalie Barton-Howes, Emma Bufton Natalie Barton-Howes provides practical advice to help you to understand the enforcement powers companies face and how to navigate a regulatory investigation in order to minimise the disruption to your business.
Data protection: GDPR – Where are we now?
By Alex Ha Kyung Kim, Emma Bufton Alex Ha Kyung Kim provides an update on the key developments in regulatory guidelines and enforcement actions, sharing key takeaway points and his outlook for the near future.
The Queen’s speech sets out what’s next for building safety reforms
By Sue Ryan, Lindsay Hammond Our article, back in December 2018, “The Ban on combustible Materials in the External Wall of Buildings – what you need to know” identified that since the publishing of the Hackitt Interim Report in December 2017 and the Final Report in May 2018, the Government has been under increasing pressure to […]
Your property journey
By Edward Pitt Start-up series part 6 At inception, your business may consist of one or two people and have no ‘fixed abode’. Mobile technology allows us to work remotely and has enabled countless start-ups to be created from the kitchen table, coffee shop and students’ union. Meetings can be held via Skype, desks can […]
When email goes badly wrong: Managing data breaches
By Claire Graham A recent data breach, in which emails revealed sensitive patient data, is reported to impact almost two thousand individuals and underscores the importance of a comprehensive data and cybersecurity programme. What learnings can you take from the case to mitigate breaches at your organisation? The Charing Cross data breach The data breach […]
Employment Briefing – October 2019
Various briefings related to employment are covered in this article. These include: Ongoing Government consultations Employment Tribunal update Data subject access requests – do you know the rules? New laws on pregnancy and maternity discrimination on the horizon? Case Law Update – October 2019 Click to read them in detail.