A leading insolvency practitioner has said KWM’s Europe financials were “more mismanaged than BHS” as even its administrators walked away over fears of not being paid. 10 Jan: AlixPartners pulls out of KWM administration
KWM EUME managing partner Tim Bednall has told all staff in an internal memo this afternoon that the firm will no longer be able to pay any salaries at all.
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has advised French lens maker Essilor on its £40bn merger with Ray-Ban owner Luxottica.
A record number of barristers have been made up to silk this year, with 113 QC appointments announced this morning (12 January).
KWM new European partnership – which consists of 32 partners – has been invited to a partner conference in China in February where they will be told about the new strategy for the global firm following the LLP going into administration this week.
Welcome to The Passport: your regular guide to all the most important and meaningful developments in the European legal market. This week, we’ve a Finnish double-header as we look at how Roschier is taking inspiration from its founder to empower a new generation of leaders in law, the deal turning heads in Helsinki, Cuatrecasas’ trans-Atlantic […]
Mishcon de Reya has announced its partner promotions for 2023, with seven lawyers joining the firm’s partnership. The firm has made seven promotions to junior equity partner, while another has been made an equity partner in the firm. In 2021, Mishcon tweaked its structure, which saw a large group of legal directors promoted to the […]
Osborne Clarke is broadening out its chief operating officer function, having appointed investment funds partner Tim Simmonds to the role earlier this year. Simmonds has been a partner at Osborne Clarke since 2011 and was previously at legacy Berwin Leighton Paisner. His appointment as COO followed the election of real estate partner Conrad Davies as […]
The UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) has expanded its pool of external legal advisers, with Slaughter and May and Hogan Lovells among its key law firms. Since the start of 2023, the Leeds-based bank has issued contract awards for legal services to Slaughters, Hogan Lovells, Addleshaw Goddard, Ashurst, Pinsent Masons, Mills & Reeve and DLA Piper. […]
Revenue fell by 5.5 per cent at Debevoise & Plimpton’s London office last year, from $173m to $163.3m. Average revenue per partner in London was also down, by 16 per cent to $7.4m, while average revenue per lawyer in the City fell by 12.2 per cent to $1.3m. Globally, Debevoise narrowly avoided posting a drop […]
This report contains: a stratification of the 26 UK Top 100 firms, plus three key Independents, present in Leeds a breakdown of headcount and growth data for all 29 firms commentary of the key challenges and opportunities for firms in the city
This report contains: ranking of the Nordic 50 firms on a headcount basis analysis of the four jurisdictions in the region gender diversity at firms in the Nordic region in focus.
This report contains An overview of cases heard at the courts in Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong Jurisdiction specific profiles
This report contains: an overview of Eversheds Sutherland’s litigation practice in the UK analysis of financial performance and headcount metrics a detailed look at the firm’s national approach a breakdown of the firm’s four core disputes practices.
We are pleased to present the key findings from The Lawyers’ In-house Sentiment Survey sponsored by Gowling WLG. Organisations across the UK are looking at the outlook for 2023 with an abundance of caution. The main question facing UK corporates and their legal teams in the next 12 months is not ‘are we headed into […]
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As the markets uneasily shook into 2023, much attention was given to the role of restructuring lawyers and the need for firms to bolster their teams. However, there’s an area that’s shown little sign of dwindling in a slowdown: competition. There are plenty of US firms with sizeable, or longstanding, competition practices in London, namely […]
Law firms are well-accustomed to a bit of friendly – and sometimes unfriendly – rivalry. How else are they to remain competitive in such a merciless market? The ongoing talent wars means firms must be sharp about talent retention, whether that means upping the cash stakes, hastening the track to partnership or getting vocal about […]
It sounds mad, but this very thing happened twice in Scandinavia late last year
Wage bills are climbing, and it’s not just because of the hefty pay packets of the lawyers. From the executive suite to the postal room, firms are dipping into their cash piles to raise wages for business service professionals (BSPs). How that cash is being dished out, however, reveals the social divisions that characterise the […]
For growth potential, firms are looking to the Midlands
Junior lawyers might think it’s a haven away from the billable hour tyranny, but new research suggests that the in-house legal sector has reached peak crisis mode. The rising complexity of workloads, combined with deepening budget cuts and mis-matched legal resources, means burnout is now a set feature of working life for many senior in-house […]
Kirkland & Ellis has hired a partner in its ESG and impact practice group in London from DLA Piper. Rhys Davies previously served as DLA’s international sustainability and ESG lead. He spent 16 years at the firm and was given the nod to partner in 2017, while he was still in Perth, Australia. He relocated […]
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Homburger are among the firms to have landed roles on the historic tie-up of Swiss banks UBS and Credit Suisse. The merger comes after the intervention of the Swiss Federal Department of Finance, the Swiss National Bank and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority, which intervened last week. It […]
Merchant bank Close Brothers is to establish an in-house litigation team. The bank has set up a small litigation group led by head of bank legal, litigation, Jessica Wicker. It is understood that the group has been put together as the team works in a more structured and consistent way in relation to litigation. Wicker […]
Uncertainty looms for lawyers at MJ Hudson as the legal arm will not be included in the sale of the firm to a private investor, The Lawyer can confirm. Tower Gate Capital, a subsidiary of MJ Hudson, has agreed to sell its UK fund management business to a private investor via special purpose acquisition vehicle Khepri. […]
It’s been a hectic week for banking and finance lawyers, as clients swarmed for advice following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). Lawyers needed to act quickly and calm their clients after a rise in interest rates pushed SVB to the brink, with banking giant Credit Suisse going on to receive a capital injection […]
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has successfully quashed an Employment Tribunal ruling in a case that pitted the Lord Chancellor against a group of 50 judges. The latest decision means the tribunal case will now need to be reheard. Five judges, represented by Leigh Day and Sintons, were selected by the initial Employment Tribunal as […]
