US firms are on a hiring drive to gain clout in London and boost their English law capabilities, and the tactic is paying off Many of the UK offices of US practices in this year’s Top 30 International Firms in London revenue table have been on lateral hiring sprees recently, but few have been as […]
If you were to guess which might be the best-performing US firm in 2020, it could be one that hasn’t even opened yet. Two new US firms in our annual survey – Quinn Emanuel and Ropes & Gray – have been in London for less than five years, but Quinn already tops the London revenue […]
Mettenheimer’s fancy new job could see Freshfields grab more work in Germany There must have been a shortage of T-shirts in the Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer kit room in the past 27 years, as longstanding German partner Konstantin Mettenheimer’s attempt at a very Anglo-Saxon idiom demonstrates. “As the English say,” the tax specialist quips, “been there, […]
Madrid move shows how Clydes is changing the insurance law game The move of a four-partner team from DAC Beachcroft’s Madrid office to Clyde & Co reflects how far the firms have diverged since their respective autumn 2011 mergers. When Clydes first mooted joining forces with Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) many thought it a […]
Enforceability really matters in cross-border disputes, and arbitration offers the best solution Last month the French Supreme Court refused enforcement of a $284m (£186m) judgment obtained in New York by ‘vulture fund’ NML Capital against the government of Argentina. The New York judgment awarded NML the face value of distressed Argentinian government bonds it had […]
It may not offer a better work-life balance, but the GC life is tempting lawyers For many private practice lawyers the pull in-house is often based on the belief it offers some relief from the daily grind. Not so, research by professional services firm Towers Watson suggested last week, triggering debate among our readers. One […]
After a testing time with CVC, Clifford Chance now seems poised to lose Carlyle. David Walker’s departure means young guns must step up if the team is to stay strong It was not quite what Matthew Layton was expecting when the Clifford Chance global corporate head escaped on sabbatical in February this year. The firm’s […]
Supreme Court ruling could see family courts allowed to pierce the corporate veil in divorce battles As lawyers wait for the Supreme Court’s judgment in the case concerning the divorce of oil tycoon Michael Prest on the extent to which the corporate veil should be capable of being pierced by divorce proceedings, the question has […]
Prematurely promoting women to fulfil board quotas lets down those who are there on merit This month saw the publication of Lord Davies’ second annual progress report on women on boards. The primary recommendation of his original report, published in February 2011, was that FTSE 100 boards should aim for a minimum of 25 per […]
Grim fascination about the long torment of France and its legal market Even the most casual observer of the European legal scene could hardly have failed to notice just how much movement there has been in Paris of late. The doors have been spinning throughout the legal scene, with partners coming and going from UK, […]
Employment law is one area where there is generally a steady demand for talent, particularly those who have high level experience acting for employers. Recently this has been even more the case due to the increasing number of disputes that have arisen due to the economic climate. “We’ve seen international demand for high-calibre employment lawyers, […]
The quickest way to cut costs at hard-pressed firms is for partners to take less out of the business Managing a firm when fee income is at best fluctuating and at worst volatile is challenging, to say the least. Overheads remain painfully consistent (with a tendency to rise) but income is unfortunately much less predictable. […]