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BT: the most innovative in-house team in the FTSE 100
Revamped panels, radical collaborations and new model law, not to mention the UK’s biggest telecoms M&A deal ever. It’s all going on at BT
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Magic circle out of the picture as HSF leads FTSE litigation rankings
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has emerged as the most-popular adviser to FTSE 100 companies on High Court and Court of Appeal (CoA) cases, data gathered for The Lawyer Market Intelligence tool has shown. The firm was instructed on 11 cases brought by FTSE 100 companies with reported judgments between January 2012 and July last year, […]
Win on behalf of Chief Constable in discrimination claim case
Judgment has been delivered in the widely publicised proceedings against the Chief Constable of Northumbria Police by the former Director of Legal Services, Denise Aubrey, following her dismissal. All Ms Aubrey’s claims were dismissed including her claims for sex discrimination, harassment, victimisation, disability discrimination, whistleblowing and unfair dismissal. The case gave rise to widespread publicity in […]
HSF biggest winner as FTSE 100 set aside £31bn for litigation bills
The FTSE 100 set aside £31.3bn in the last 12 months to pay litigation legal bills, compensation and regulatory fines, new research by Thomson Reuters has found.
Stewarts victorious in ExCel business interruption case
The Stewarts-repped London International Exhibition (ExCel) Centre has successfully seen off an appeal by insurers over its Covid-19 business interruption claim. The case, which was one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases of 2023 and Top 10 Appeals of 2024, concerned whether pandemic lockdowns entitled the Centre to claim £16m under the disease occurring “at […]
A&O Shearman to cull partnership by 10 per cent
A&O Shearman has set out its post-merger integration plans, which includes closing one of its global offices and reducing its partnership by 10 per cent by the end of the financial year. The firm said today that its partnership would reduce within the year following a strategic review of its business post-A&O’s tie-up with Shearman. […]
Dentons and Reed Smith win roles on Thomas Cook sale
Dentons and Reed Smith have taken the leading roles on eSky Group’s purchase of travel business Thomas Cook. Dentons private equity partner Nicholas Plant, along with Michał Wasiak, a partner in the firm’s Warsaw office, were at the helm of the team for Polish purchaser eSky. They were supported by corporate associate Alex Macdonald, IP […]
The Lawyer Podcast: Why lawyers now control football
Football law has typically been the domain of sports specialists. However, in recent years, there has been a growing number of large, elite firms and chambers entering the football market. Clifford Chance and Freshfields act for Manchester City, and Slaughter and May and Linklaters represent the Premier League. Latham and Watkins worked on the Chelsea […]
Ex-Ashurst employee probed by SRA over missing laptops
A former Ashurst employee has agreed to the outcome of an investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), after he was found to have stolen two laptops and sold them. Irfan Malik, an IT service desk analyst, was accused of removing “two laptops from the firm’s IT storeroom without its knowledge or consent”. The SRA […]
UK Corporate 50 2024
This report contains: an overview of the UK corporate market in 2023 and the positive shift in mood among lawyers at top corporate practices ranking of the top 50 City firms based on UK corporate revenue, highlighting those achieving significant growth insight into firms’ strategic plans for its UK corporate group over the next five years
3VB AND TWENTY ESSEX: HOT ON THE HEELS OF THE MAGIC CIRCLE
This report contains: A history of the dominance of the magic circle sets an analysis of the two challengers to the magic circle a breakdown of the sets’ activity at the commercial court over the years
The European 100’s newest managing partners
This report includes: an analysis of 18 European 100 firms that have seen new managing partners since the start of 2023 a consultant’s top tips for an MP-t0-be an overview of the trends in the European 100 leadership selection
Litigation Tracker: Q2 2024 (Claims)
This dashboard: contains an overview of the claims at a selection of courts in the UK. allows you to compare activity at the courts in Q2 2024 against Q2 2023.
Litigation Tracker: Q2 2024 (Judgments)
This dashboard: contains an overview of the judgments at a selection of courts in the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai during Q2of 2024. allows you to compare activity at the courts in Q2 2024 against Q1 2023.
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The UK’s law firms have abandoned Elon Musk
“I’ve seen the future, and it’s porn, sharks and Nazis.” Twitter hadn’t even been founded at the time, but the above quote from the niche 2005 sitcom Bromwell High turned out to be unintendedly prophetic when considering the journey of one of the planet’s largest social media companies. Once ‘the world’s town square’, Twitter, latterly […]
What a Simpson Thacher rumour says about A&O Shearman’s future
One of Europe’s most enduring rumours is about Simpson Thacher & Bartlett opening in Luxembourg. It is one of the jurisdiction’s key referrers of work for the local Luxembourg players, meaning there is an amount of paranoia among them about what would happen if Simpson Thacher decided to open its own office there. The idea […]
The UK’s best personal injury firm is also its best commercial one
Which is the best personal injury firm in the country? Irwin Mitchell, perhaps? Maybe Leigh Day, or Slater & Gordon? Wrong, wrong, wrong. The answer in fact is Cheshire six-lawyer outfit Gavin Edmondson Solicitors, which according to the website reviewsolicitors.co.uk scores better than almost 2,500 PI firms across the country for its quality. What about […]
All eyes are on Mishcon’s cash bet
Cash piles rose during the pandemic, but the latest year-end shows a turnaround. Across the UK 200, debt levels are increasing, and those precious cash reserves are being eroded by a tide of rising costs. This evidence suggests the trend is most prominent among firms that occupy the mid-tier; these firms are spending big as […]
Magic circle firms are too big
Who says UK firms are getting left behind in the global legal market? Whoever it is should take a look at the top end of this year’s UK 200, which later this month highlights that for the first time ever, all four magic circle firms have a turnover of more than £2bn (though it’s worth […]
Ashurst and Slaughters lead as Segro buys property rival
Slaughter and May is advising longtime client Segro on the property investment company’s purchase of Tritax Eurobox. Corporate partners David Johnson and Sally Wokes are leading for the London-listed warehouse heavyweight, Segro. Meanwhile, the target Tritax is being advised by Ashurst. Corporate partners Karen Davies and Simon Bullock are at the helm of the team, […]
Changing of the guard: Latham names new London boss
Latham & Watkins has appointed a new managing partner for its London office to succeed Stephen Kensell after four years at the helm. Ed Barnett will take charge effective immediately, with Kensell due to retire at the end of the year. Barnett is a corporate partner at Latham and has been with the firm since […]
Slaughters bows to pressure with NQ pay rise
Newly-qualified solicitors at Slaughter and May are officially joining the £150,000 pay club after the firm brought its pay review forward. The firm had previously stated it would hold its pay rate at £125,000 until at least November this year. The new salary took effect on 1 September, putting the firm in line with Freshfields […]
Revenues up, profits up: UK top 50 firms in record-breaking year
Five UK 200 firms posted a total turnover in excess of £2bn in 2023/24, while one topped £3bn for the first time in a year when both revenue and profit grew significantly. The top 50 firms ranked by global revenue generated a total £33.4bn last year, up by 8.4 per cent on the previous year. […]
TDR names new GC after Holdsworth exit
Private equity house TDR Capital has promoted Emma Gilks to the top general counsel role after David Holdsworth returned to private practice last month. Gilks has been at TDR Capital since 2015 when she joined as a legal counsel from Reed Smith. Having qualified at Reed Smith in 2012, Gilks worked in the firm’s corporate […]