Burges Salmon saw its average profit per equity partner (PEP) spike by 15 per cent, as its revenue posted more modest growth. The PEP metric went up from £446,000 to £512,000. Meanwhile, its revenue grew by four per cent from £104.9m to £108.7m. The Bristol firm smashed the £100m revenue milestone the previous financial year. […]
Allen & Overy’s flexible resourcing business Peerpoint has launched in Dubai, the latest jurisdiction included in its offering. The firm debuted its services in the United Arab Emirates in May, and it is now fully operational. The launch was driven by demand for projects within the firm’s network and from external clients over the years. […]
Mishcon de Reya has struck a deal to create a newly-merged entity with Taylor Vinters, just over a week after the firm’s partnership voted through its IPO proposals. This new business will offer legal and consultancy services, with MDR Taylor Vinters set to be led by the Taylor Vinters management team. Following the deal, Mishcon’s […]
Several members of Keystone Law’s leadership team have cashed out on millions of pounds worth of shares after the firm’s value recently hit its highest-ever peak. Those selling shares included chief executive officer James Knight, compliance and operations chief William Robins and finance director Ashley Miller. Robins gained the most from his recent sale by […]
Ofgem’s former GC Euan McVicar has moved back to Pinsent Masons after eight years in-house. McVicar joins as senior climate adviser in the firm’s climate change mitigation and sustainability team, having served as GC at Ofgem for two years. He moved to the energy regulator from Green Investment Group, where he served as GC between […]
Former WorldRemit lawyer Sam Ross has returned in-house after a spell at Stephenson Law. Ross has joined business Remote as VP general counsel. After a decade in-house, he moved to boutique Stephenson Law as associate director and head of scaleups last April. Remote is an HR technology platform for international payroll, benefits and compliance. It […]
As City firms compete to offer the best rates for newly-qualified solicitors, regional firms too have been vying to match salaries for their most junior lawyers. Burges Salmon has increased its NQ pay to £60,000 in Bristol, a rise of 15 per cent. This follows the decision of fellow Bristol-heritage firm Osborne Clarke to up […]
Mishcon de Reya is to lose one of its partners to a real estate fund, just days after the move of its international arbitration head was announced. Real estate special situations partner Omega Poole is leaving the firm after almost three years, having joined in 2019 from Brown Rudnick. Poole will become head of capital […]
Slaughter and May has increased its trainee salaries for the second time in 2021, with first-years now picking up £50,000. The firm last announced a pay rise in March, but has since raised first-year pay by £3,000 to hit £50,000. Meanwhile second-years will pick up £55,000, an uplift of £2,500. The rate has been steadily […]
Keystone Law’s revenue climbed to £33.7m for the six months ending 31 July, representing a 10.8 per cent increase on its last set of half-year results. This was alongside a significant hike in profit before tax, which in comparison to the first half of the last financial year, leapt by 109 per cent to reach […]
Informa’s head of legal for EMEA and APAC has taken on a new global general counsel role at FE Fundinfo. Lisa Maxwell is set to join Fe Fundinfo, a global fund and technology company backed by private equity house Hg Capital, as GC on 27 September. She will be the first GC, and lawyer, at […]
The Solicitors Regulation Authority shifted its attention towards Liz Ellen on the second day of tribunal proceedings, with the regulator criticising the former Mishcon de Reya partner for a “deeply unattractive” change in position. Opening submissions from the SRA’s counsel, James Ramsden QC of 39 Essex Chambers, heaped pressure on Ellen when referring to allegations […]
There is no doubt that the legal landscape has shifted dramatically over the past five years, none more so for in-house lawyers. No longer are law firms the sole external supplier of legal services, but rather consultancies and technology providers continue to edge themselves further into the picture. Unsurprisingly, this has led to the role […]
As Clifford Chance gears up for its leadership election this autumn, names of potential nominees have started to emerge alongside talk of wider management structural reforms. The firm will hold its process later this year, with its incumbent Matthew Layton understood to be set to leave the firm entirely once his term ends. The former […]
The news this week that Mishcon de Reya was seeking a listing may, on the face of it, appear a simple confirmation of a widely-anticipated event. However, the planned float is in no way a done deal, and executive chair Kevin Gold and managing partner James Libson need to persuade a lot of people outside […]
Best practices for planning and delivering a tech strategy for a legal department.
A number of success stories come to light in the public M&A rankings for Q1, with firms that have been busy investing being rewarded for their labours. But the magic circle are mysteriously absent, for now. The first few months of 2021 have seen over 8,900 transactions preliminarily agreed globally, according to Refinitiv data, the […]
Last month, Cooley unveiled its first revenue dip since it opened in the City in 2015. Behind that lies a major tussle over firm strategy – and in particular, its relationship with one of the most powerful companies in the world.
Clyde & Co is now searching for its next senior partner, as Peter Hirst became the third leader in a row to stand down early. A firm that was previously famed for leadership stability has some internal issues to solve.
When it comes to suffering a cyber crisis, it is often said to be a matter of when and not if. Therefore, creating and sticking to an action plan for when the situation arises is more important than ever before – and it is best not just left to the privacy specialists. This was the […]
The whole in-house legal industry is facing unprecedented stress levels fueled by an impending sense of urgency. Over the past few months, legal departments have dealt with uncertainty surrounding their teams, increased workload and complex work to support their businesses and stakeholders. Almost counterintuitively, there has never been a better moment to think about creating […]
Five years ago, LexisNexis asked the University of Cambridge business school a simple question on resistance to change: “Why is it that law firms are not changing as fast as some clients and some partners want?” The research revealed the most agile firms benefitted from leveraging the voice of the client. Not only was internal […]
As the client service transformation partner at TLT, Siân Ashton’s first question for a group of in-house lawyers during a virtual roundtable with The Lawyer was: “What causes you pain?” This was not an enquiry about the physical or mental wellbeing of GCs, but rather one for the workplace as she seeks to identify where […]
This year’s Litigation Team of the Year, sponsored by Gallagher’s Dispute Resolution/Major Risks Practice, shows the strength and breadth of London’s disputes market and the shortlisted litigation teams joined The Lawyer for a discussion in the lead up to this year’s virtual awards. Representatives from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Freeths […]
After many judicial speeches on the topic the summer saw three significant publications.
The Government has published its first statement setting out its vision for legal migration and border control as part of the new plan for immigration. This article summarises the key goals that form part of the vision.
The CMA recently launched its much anticipated review as to how competition law should apply to many common types of commercial arrangements (including, among others, distribution agreements (including exclusive and selective distribution), agency and franchising). It will, of course, be relevant in the automotive sector, bearing in mind that dealer agreements now fall under the “general” competition law rules rather (with the Motor Vehicles Block Exemption being confined to aftermarkets).
The Government’s much anticipated response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation has finally been released but those seeking clarity at this stage may be left scratching their heads. It appears to represent no more than an indication of the Government’s direction of travel under considerable media pressure to ensure that “something must be done” […]
By Bernardine Adkins, Sean Giles In 2018, new measures were introduced to expand the scope of government intervention in mergers. This year, the government’s briefing note accompanying the Queen’s Speech proposes new rules on investment screening. What does this mean for business? Our experts examine the existing UK foreign direct investment rules, and explain what any […]
By Lee Perry Part 5 of the Environment Bill, contains a number of disparate proposals relating to water – which could have major implications for many. Senior associate Joanne Sear and solicitor Grace Mitchell take a look at some of the key points in the Bill. Water resources planning According to its explanatory notes, the […]
By David Perry The recent Government consultation on ending no fault terminations of residential tenancies, which will effectively abolish assured shorthold tenancies, came to a close on 12 October. Many people will be looking to see what, if anything, results from that process. As a generational change in residential letting, many stakeholder groups are likely […]
By Angus Evers, Peter Williams The government is consulting on a proposed future trajectory for the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) for commercial buildings. Its favoured approach is raising the minimum EPC rating to B by 2030. When proposals for MEES were first put forward in 2014, the minimum EPC rating that would permit a […]
By Serge Amar, Nicolas Dubé How does one reconcile the concept of equality of the parties before the court and the guiding principle of fair debate with a party’s statutory advantage of being able to obtain information and evidence from its opponent? Such was the question examined in Ville de Montréal c. Sanimax Lom inc., wherein the Superior Court had to […]
By James Webb Despite 2018 being a very tough year for many in the food and drink industry, according to research compiled by Grant Thornton, M&A and private equity deal activity in the sector remained steady with a fall of just 2.8% compared to 2017. This is supported by our experience during the period where […]
By Alan Corcoran, Charlotte Walker The closure of a school prior to its sale meant the use for which the land had originally been given had ceased and so the proceeds of sale did not belong to the local authority. This was the decision in Rittson-Thomas v Oxfordshire County Council, which concerned the redevelopment of a […]
Have you ever considered using fiduciary management services? Does your scheme have a fiduciary manager? Are you considering appointing or replacing a fiduciary manager? If so, you should already be considering the implications of the Competition and Markets Authority’s final report into the investment consultants market. The new requirements arise from concerns around the operation of the […]