Litigation too bespoke to pin down on price? HSF didn’t think so
HSF has adapted the fixed fees approach used for transactional work to the much less predictable world of disputes
UK50’s fastest growing firm isn’t led from London
Over the last decade, the UK’s Top 50 firms have trialled a variety of tactics to satisfy an incessant demand for revenue growth. Consolidation has been a feature of the decade, with ‘critical mass’ becoming a key term used by managing partners as they push forward their growth agendas. Internationalisation too is a hallmark of […]
A&O partner cuts will hit hardest outside the UK
A&O Shearman is looking to cut 10 per cent of its global partnership, but it’s doing so in a year in which its London recruitment team has been at its busiest. The firm has hired eight lateral partners in the City so far this year and last week’s announcement of “planned business changes” does little […]
Don’t worry Ashurst, there’s always next year
Before financials season got fully underway, The Lawyer took a look at the firms most likely to hit the milestones of £2bn, £1bn and £500m. There were not many, highlighting the challenge for firms to grow bigger and profitably. Of the seven likelies, just two definitely managed it – Linklaters and Bird & Bird – […]
London loves a lateral
For years, particularly since 2016 and the vote for Brexit, much has been written about the odds of London’s decline as a world financial hub. Most of it has focused on deal and investment activity. But there’s another metric, one that amply underlines the sheer pulling power of the City and suggests that far from […]
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 […]
Latham swoops to hire Travers tax partner
A senior tax partner from Travers Smith is set to join Latham & Watkins’ practice after 18 years at the UK firm. Simon Skinner, who had been at Travers since 2006 and is a former head of the firm’s tax practice, joins the US firm’s London office with a background in corporate finance, PE and […]
The UK top 50’s risers and fallers: Two firms grew turnover by 20 per cent
Two firms in The Lawyer’s UK top 50 managed to increase revenue by more than 20 per cent over 2023/24, highlighting a buoyant year across the legal industry. Kennedys’ turnover rose by 22.5 per cent from £313.6m to £384.3m, while Burges Salmon, this year’s fastest-growing top 50 firm, saw its total revenue balloon by 27.1 per cent […]
Dickson Minto ushers in new chapter with rare lateral hire
Dickson Minto has made a rare dip into the recruitment market with the appointment of a real estate partner from Walker Morris. The former group head of Leeds-based Walker Morris’ real estate practice Jeremy Moore has joined Scotland’s Dickson Minto as a partner with immediate effect. Moore will be based out of Dickson Minto’s London […]
Womble Bond revenue to hit £565m after US merger
Womble Bond Dickinson is preparing to expand significantly in the US, with a merger confirmed with Phoenix firm Lewis Roca. The geography-driven deal, which aims to plug several strategic gaps in the larger firm’s office network, is set to go live at the start of next year. The merged firm will be known as Womble […]
Quartet of US firms lead on Spectator sale
After months of negotiations, The Spectator Magazine has been sold to hedge fund tycoon Paul Marshall, with four firms in action. White & Case led for Marshall and Old Queen Street Ventures (OQS Media) on the acquisition. The acquisition follows a receivership process undertaken last year by Lloyds Banking Group and the acquisition of a […]