In January 2016, The Lawyer embarked on a new project. We found five fresh-faced young newly-qualified solicitors and decided to follow them in their careers. Seven years on, we are revisiting them to find out how they are doing. Five is an admittedly small sample size, but their fates to date make for interesting reading. […]
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has stepped in to close London firm Fletcher Day. As revealed by The Lawyer earlier this week, HM Revenue and Customs had issued a winding-up petition against Fletcher Day; however the SRA has now intervened to protect the interests of clients. In a statement the SRA said: “An intervention means […]
The largest 200 UK law firms are revealed in The Lawyer’s UK 200 latest report.
In its century-old history, Teresa Owusu-Adjei was PwC’s first black female partner, and is now its first head of legal who isn’t a lawyer. Having initially trained as a chartered accountant and known as a PwC ‘lifer’ for having remained at the firm ever since, Owusu-Adjei is now tasked with drawing together its legal offerings […]
In January 2016, The Lawyer embarked on a new project. We found five fresh-faced young newly-qualified solicitors and decided to follow them in their careers. Seven years on, we are revisiting them to find out how they are doing. Five is an admittedly small sample size, but their fates to date make for interesting reading. […]
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has stepped in to close London firm Fletcher Day. As revealed by The Lawyer earlier this week, HM Revenue and Customs had issued a winding-up petition against Fletcher Day; however the SRA has now intervened to protect the interests of clients. In a statement the SRA said: “An intervention means […]
The largest 200 UK law firms are revealed in The Lawyer’s UK 200 latest report.
In its century-old history, Teresa Owusu-Adjei was PwC’s first black female partner, and is now its first head of legal who isn’t a lawyer. Having initially trained as a chartered accountant and known as a PwC ‘lifer’ for having remained at the firm ever since, Owusu-Adjei is now tasked with drawing together its legal offerings […]
Allen & Overy has joined Linklaters in hiking its newly-qualified solicitor pay, despite the pair last year deciding not to match rates announced by Freshfields and Clifford Chance. A spokesperson for A&O told The Lawyer, “We have increased our NQ salaries to £125,000 p.a. in line with the market.” Earlier today, Linklaters also upped NQ […]
Barclays’ legal team was once among the most influential in the UK. That power has diminished over the last decade, yet the banking giant still packs a punch when it comes to talent management. Some 40 lawyers are understood to have left Barclays in the UK last year. There are cost-cutting measures at play here, […]
Keystone Law, the poster child for the platform firm, is likely to break the psychologically important £100m revenue barrier in 2025. The success of this firm has spawned a new market, which is challenging traditional firms on the talent front. More than 3,500 lawyers now work across a variety of fee-sharing outfits, research from Atlas […]
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Gowling WLG and Norton Rose Fulbright’s London offices will all be under water in a few decades. This trio shares idyllic views overlooking the Thames, but they will all be submerged in the river by the year 2100 as climate change-induced sea level rises occur. And this is based on the […]
Talent churn is accelerating among the junior ranks with today’s associates more mobile than the generations before them. The concept of long-term professional loyalty is fading as Gen Z rises. These lawyers ask not what they can do for you, but what your firm can do for them. This generational shift in working attitudes is […]
Hooray, big-ticket M&A is having a mini-revival and so are the firms that make so much of their money out of it. Already in 2024, major European M&A deals to have been announced include International Paper’s £5.8bn planned acquisition of London-listed packaging company DS Smith, which trumped another offer from rival Mondi. Other significant matters […]
Litigation funders will be keeping a close eye on an upcoming review into third-party funding regulation, as well as proposed caps on returns and costs. The Civil Justice Council is looking to produce a full report by the summer of 2025. The review follows an increased focus on litigation funders and their role in disputes, […]
In its largest promotions round ever, Ashurst has elevated eight London lawyers to partner out of 30 worldwide. The firm has made up eight lawyers in London, as well as seven in Sydney. In total, 17 promotions were made in Ashurst’s Australian offices, meaning just five were made outside of either London or Australia. Loans […]
Frustrated Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) candidates are calling on the SRA to increase accessibility to the appeals process after a results error saw 175 candidates mistakenly told they had failed their exams. On Monday last week, the SRA announced that 175 candidates who sat SQE1 in January and were told they had failed on 14 […]
The administrators of collapsed firm Axiom Ince have filed a creditors’ bankruptcy petition against its former boss. Filed at the end of last week, the petition will seek to force Pragnesh Modhwadia’s bankruptcy, The Lawyer understands, applying to the court for his assets to be taken and sold to pay debts to the administrators. Pinsent Masons […]
Partnership promotions are continuing apace, with three City firms announcing a fresh new set of partners for 2024. Addleshaw Goddard has bumped up 26 lawyers this promotions round, which is the largest number of lawyers to make partner in one go in the firm’s history. The international firm’s partner count now stands at 429. Nine […]
