Revealed: The Top 20 Cases of 2020
The Lawyer’s annual synopsis of the cases to watch is here; featuring a Hollywood libel dispute, AI-related rows and a mammoth banking claim over forex.
Litigation heavyweights primed for forex battle next year
A £1bn class action against five banks over rigged forex trade has been given the go-ahead after a judge ruled a timetable that will see the banks attend a series of hearing over the next year. In a hearing on November 6 in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), the schedule of hearings has been confirmed, […]
HSF partner capital increased by £13m over 2018/19
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) asked partners to cough up an extra £77,000 each in capital over 2018/19, the firm’s most recent LLP accounts have revealed. The figures reveal that HSF’s partner capital increased by £13.4m over the last financial year, as the firm sought to balance out its bank borrowings. The accounts state that partner […]
An arbitration payoff for Clifford Chance, HSF and Freshfields, but not in London
The importance of arbitration at the major City firms has moved from anecdata to data. The silk appointments of 2020 show how much international arbitration has become a key part of the disputes armoury. The six silk appointments of 2017 set a record for the number of solicitors appointed to the Queen’s Counsel. But the […]
HSF drafted into forex litigation to defend Japanese bank
Revealed: The Top 20 Cases of 2020
The Lawyer’s annual synopsis of the cases to watch is here; featuring a Hollywood libel dispute, AI-related rows and a mammoth banking claim over forex.
Litigation heavyweights primed for forex battle next year
A £1bn class action against five banks over rigged forex trade has been given the go-ahead after a judge ruled a timetable that will see the banks attend a series of hearing over the next year. In a hearing on November 6 in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT), the schedule of hearings has been confirmed, […]
HSF partner capital increased by £13m over 2018/19
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) asked partners to cough up an extra £77,000 each in capital over 2018/19, the firm’s most recent LLP accounts have revealed. The figures reveal that HSF’s partner capital increased by £13.4m over the last financial year, as the firm sought to balance out its bank borrowings. The accounts state that partner […]
An arbitration payoff for Clifford Chance, HSF and Freshfields, but not in London
The importance of arbitration at the major City firms has moved from anecdata to data. The silk appointments of 2020 show how much international arbitration has become a key part of the disputes armoury. The six silk appointments of 2017 set a record for the number of solicitors appointed to the Queen’s Counsel. But the […]
Occupy London headaches for Slaughters and Kirkland
What do Slaughters, Bakers, Kirkland, White & Case and Skadden have in common? A mighty, London office-shaped management headache. The lease on all of these firms’ City homes is due to expire by, at latest, 2026. And in the timeless words of Joe Strummer, the question for the leaders of these firms boils down to […]
HSF has sidestepped the talent wars
There’s no doubt that firms are using non-UK growth to power their global figures. Of the 35 Top 50 firms for which The Lawyer has historical global revenue data, all but four saw higher growth outside the UK in the five years since 2019. Included in this group is Herbert Smith Freehillls (HSF), where London remains […]
PE acquirers should target these three firms
Which law firms are private equity houses looking to invest in? The answer, if the conversations we’re having with managing partners are anything to go by, is ‘pretty much all of them’. Most regional firms of note have had speculative approaches at some time in the last five years or so, as private equity gradually […]
Who’s in and who’s out at Barclays
Barclays’ legal team was once among the most influential in the UK. That power has diminished over the last decade, yet the banking giant still packs a punch when it comes to talent management. Some 40 lawyers are understood to have left Barclays in the UK last year. There are cost-cutting measures at play here, […]
The platform firm has moved mainstream
Keystone Law, the poster child for the platform firm, is likely to break the psychologically important £100m revenue barrier in 2025. The success of this firm has spawned a new market, which is challenging traditional firms on the talent front. More than 3,500 lawyers now work across a variety of fee-sharing outfits, research from Atlas […]
Don’t wait for the climate crisis to come to you
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Gowling WLG and Norton Rose Fulbright’s London offices will all be under water in a few decades. This trio shares idyllic views overlooking the Thames, but they will all be submerged in the river by the year 2100 as climate change-induced sea level rises occur. And this is based on the […]
Ashurst promotions: Eight City lawyers make the grade
In its largest promotions round ever, Ashurst has elevated eight London lawyers to partner out of 30 worldwide. The firm has made up eight lawyers in London, as well as seven in Sydney. In total, 17 promotions were made in Ashurst’s Australian offices, meaning just five were made outside of either London or Australia. Loans […]
SQE shambles: Candidates lambast pricey appeals process
Frustrated Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) candidates are calling on the SRA to increase accessibility to the appeals process after a results error saw 175 candidates mistakenly told they had failed their exams. On Monday last week, the SRA announced that 175 candidates who sat SQE1 in January and were told they had failed on 14 […]
Ex-Axiom Ince boss to face bankruptcy petition
The administrators of collapsed firm Axiom Ince have filed a creditors’ bankruptcy petition against its former boss. Filed at the end of last week, the petition will seek to force Pragnesh Modhwadia’s bankruptcy, The Lawyer understands, applying to the court for his assets to be taken and sold to pay debts to the administrators. Pinsent Masons […]
Addleshaws, Eversheds and Simmons unveil partner promotions
Partnership promotions are continuing apace, with three City firms announcing a fresh new set of partners for 2024. Addleshaw Goddard has bumped up 26 lawyers this promotions round, which is the largest number of lawyers to make partner in one go in the firm’s history. The international firm’s partner count now stands at 429. Nine […]
Cooley defends Grindr in new High Court class action
Cooley is set to defend social networking and dating app Grindr in a High Court class action launched by Austen Hays, a new collective actions firm owned by Gateley. The claim alleges that Grindr is in breach of UK data protection laws for sharing sensitive data with third parties for commercial purposes without their users’ […]
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