Black History Month: It’s vital to have BAME role models in the profession
Baker McKenzie’s global director of diversity Anna Brown features in our latest post for Black History Month.
Black History Month: “I’ve had to learn how to make connections across racial and class divides”
What’s your background? Did you always want to be a lawyer and how did you first enter the profession? I was born and raised in Accra, Ghana and educated there until secondary school. My father was a civil servant (now retired) and my mother owns and runs a nursery school. For tertiary education, I went […]
Hot 100 career quiz: James Knight
Managing partner James Knight featured in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 this year after floating Keystone Law on the London Stock Exchange.
Hot 100 career quiz: Darren Roiser
Darren Rosier, recently appointed KWM’s new managing partner, recalls his training contract at Slaughter and May.
Hot 100 Career Quiz: Sam Longworth
Stewarts family partner Sam Longworth featured in The Lawyer Hot 100 after a string of roles in major divorce cases.
Hot 100 career quiz: Chen Yun
Huawei Technologies’ Chen Yun featured in The Lawyer Hot 100 for being integral to the telecoms giant’s success in the UK.
Hot 100 career quiz: Karima Fahmy
Name: Karima Fahmy Position: General counsel Organisation: Grosvenor Estates Trained at: Lovells In the Hot 100 for: Leading Grosvenor’s legal team to help deliver a series of headline transactions. Read her full Hot 100 profile. What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee? I was on secondment to the Brussels office of Lovells (as it was then) […]
Hot 100 career quiz: Maria Ludkin
Name: Maria Ludkin Position: Chief Counsel Organisation: WaveOptics (formerly at GMB) In Hot 100 for: As GMB’s head of legal, fighting valiantly for workers’ rights. Read her full Hot 100 profile here. What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee? My supervising partner having early confidence in me and giving me my own cases to work on. I […]
Hot 100 career quiz: Daniel Brook
Name: Daniel Brook Firm: Hogan Lovells Position: Partner Trained at: Hogan Lovells In Hot 100 for: Eli Lilly’s landmark patent trial against Actavis. Read his full Hot 100 profile. What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee? I was a trainee at Hogan Lovells. During one of my seats, my supervisor gave me a model London […]
Hot 100 career quiz: May Smith
Name: May Smith Firm: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Position: Partner Trained at: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer In Hot 100 for: Newly promoted partner tipped for greatness. Read her full Hot 100 profile. What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee? It all remains pretty vivid. On the work side, a great variety of interesting work in areas of […]
The Hot 100 career quiz: Peter Dickinson
Mitie GC Peter Dickinson featured in The Lawyer Hot 100 after stepping up to become its acting CEO in unforeseen circumstances.
Hot 100 Career Quiz: Katherine Moir
Name: Katherine Moir Firm: Clifford Chance Position: Partner Trained at: Macfarlanes In Hot 100 for: Work on complex transactions, particularly in relation to listed plcs. Read her full Hot 100 profile. What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee? Doing my first deal as lead executive while on secondment at 3i. The deal value was […]
Hot 100 Career Quiz: Mark Humphries
Senior partner Mark Humphries appeared in The Lawyer Hot 100 for breaking the traditional law firm model with Humphries Kerstetter.
Hot 100 career quiz: Karon Monaghan QC
Name: Karon Monaghan QC Position: Barrister Firm: Matrix Chambers In Hot 100 for: Work for Unison against the Government in its four-year battle over Employment Tribunal fees. Read her full Hot 100 profile. What’s your most vivid memory from being a pupil? My most vivid memory of being a pupil? Confronting my pupil supervisor about his requirement that […]
Hot 100 career quiz: Kirsten Massey
Herbert Smith Freehills partner Kirsten Massey featured in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 for her role on the £12bn RBS rights issue litigation.
The Hot 100 career quiz: Ros Prince
Stephenson Harwood litigation partner Ros Prince appeared in The Lawyer Hot 100 for playing a critical role in the firm’s fraud practice..
The Hot 100 Career Quiz: Justine Campbell
Name: Justine Campbell Organisation: Centrica Position: Deputy Group General Counsel Trained at: Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer In Hot 100 for: Transforming Centrica’s legal function. Read her full Hot 100 entry. What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee? Almost losing a EU Merger notification document – Form CO – in Heathrow airport. In 1993 we had […]
Hot 100 career quiz: Roger Barron
Name: Roger Barron Position: Partner Firm: Paul Hastings In Hot 100 for: More mega-deals for long-standing client National Grid. Read his full Hot 100 profile. What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee/pupil? I was a trainee in the early 1990s and the main memories are of being allowed great responsibility on deals – sometimes […]
The in-house pupillage experience: training with the Nursing and Midwifery Council
Nursing and Midwifery Council barrister Matthew Cassells recalls a very different training experience from pupils in chambers.
Hot 100 career quiz: Rebecca Ferguson
Name: Rebecca Ferguson Position: Partner Firm: Gordon Dadds Trained at: Clifford Chance In Hot 100 for: Helping Gordon Dadds float on AIM. Read her full Hot 100 profile. What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee? I remember the very early days of being a trainee when the days in the office seemed incredibly intense […]
My Pride Story: “Over a 31-year career I’ve witnessed the hostile environment in law firms melt away”
CMS’s Adam Greaves on the shift in attitudes between 1980s AIDS related hatred of gay men to the near normalisation of gay issues today.
My Pride Story: “As a data protection lawyer I know pride and privacy must go hand in hand”
Openness about sexual orientation is good for the diversity agenda – but what if you simply want to keep your private life, well, private?
Hot 100 career quiz: Chris Whiteley
Name: Chris Whiteley Position: Managing partner Firm: Trethowans In Hot 100 for: Leading Trethowans to bumper financial results last year. Read his full Hot 100 profile. What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee? I recall being asked to serve a Bankruptcy Notice as I happened to live near the person being made bankrupt. They […]
My Pride Story: “Transitioning during my training contract was a tough experience”
Luke Williams’ introduction to the profession was a tough one, but working in legal education has proved a heartening experience.
Hot 100 career quiz: Natasha Rees
Forsters partner Natasha Rees featured in The Lawyer Hot 100 for her role on one of the year’s most high-profile trials.
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My Pride Story: “My LGBT grandfather was murdered – like him, I am trying to be true to myself”
The murder of an LGBT man in the 1950s had repercussions for Chris Williams, now a business services manager at BCLP.
Hot 100 career quiz: Rob Booth
Crown Estate GC Rob Booth featured in The Lawyer Hot 100 this year for leading his legal team through a raft of major deals.
Hot 100 career quiz: Amy Jacks
Name: Amy Jacks Firm: DLA Piper Position: Partner Trained at: DLA In Hot 100 for: Rising through the ranks to play a pivotal role in the development of DLA Piper’s core financial sector team. Read her full Hot 100 profile. What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee/pupil? Being sent out on site shortly […]
Hot 100 career quiz: Kiran Bhogal
Name: Kiran Bhogal Firm: Hill Dickinson Position: Partner In Hot 100 for: Successfully building Hill Dickinson’s health practice. Read her full Hot 100 profile. What’s your most vivid memory from being a trainee? Being told how to break into centrally locked cars while interviewing a client in Armley prison – thankfully not had to put this […]
Weightmans’ boss Schorah: We need to be more aggressive
Liverpool headquartered Weightmans has enjoyed a comfortable few years, which has seen it keep hold of its position of as one of the UK’s top 50 firms by revenue.
Ashurst: Overhauling remuneration is not enough
Paul Jenkins was a bold choice for managing partner, and now he’s running the firm during one of the most turbulent periods in its history.
- 15 July: Ashurst partners: ‘We can turn things around’
- 26 July: Ashurst CFO quits
Deloitte Legal: “We want to be the law firm of the future”
The story of the re-entry of the Big Four accountancy firms into legal services has occupied many minds in the last year or so. But in the UK, there is one notable absence – Deloitte. While its rivals EY, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers have all been busy hiring senior lawyers from top private practice firms Deloitte has stayed away from the UK market.
Irwin Mitchell private wealth: Big, but not a threat
Last November Irwin Mitchell announced that it was acquiring southeast firm Thomas Eggar. The deal gave the northern-focused Irwin Mitchell an additional six offices in the south of England and has boosted the firm’s turnover to £250m.
A&O’s new management: turbo-charging strategy
Allen & Overy’s (A&O) new management outlined their strategy to partners last month in the 45-degree Dubai heat. But what were the hot topics on the agenda?
Edmonds Marshall McMahon: The small firm making waves in fraud disputes
Private prosecution boutique Edmonds Marshall McMahon caused a stir earlier this year after it made the biggest lateral hires in its short history.
Orrick’s global boss: Our new strategy to bring London up to scratch
Orrick’s global boss and London head talk about bringing the firm’s base in the capital up to scratch to meet the needs of global clients, Microsoft and Instagram.
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Linklaters’ new boss: I’m reviewing everything
Linklaters’ new managing partner Gideon Moore speaks out about his plans to review everything at the firm to “check that what we’re doing still makes sense”.
Is HSF laying the groundwork for a US merger?
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) launched a new plan of action on Thursday (28 April) that gave an enticing hint at its plans for expansion in the US.
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BLP legal services head: I’ll triple our size in Manchester
Manchester has become a competitive breeding ground for back office-style legal processing centres and Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) wants to be one of the city’s biggest players.
Pillsbury chair Rishwain on the firm’s Chinese “hub” strategy
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman is among a minority of international firms to have by-passed Hong Kong and entered into Greater China via an office in Shanghai. Six years after its 2006 launch in Shanghai, the firm expanded its mainland China footprint to Beijing and most recently it announced a plan to set up a base in Hong Kong.
KWM bosses: Stability is on the horizon
King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) has had a turbulent few years. Since the merger with SJ Berwin in 2013 created a global firm made up of three separate partnerships, bosses have struggled to keep a hold on ‘big-hitter’ partners in the UK, keep finances in check and integrate 2,800 lawyers including 600 partners worldwide.
The JLD blog: Age and PQE do not stop you reaching top roles in the profession
Laura Uberoi is a Council Member at the Law Society and, alongside Kayleigh Leonie, represents junior lawyers of 0-5 years PQE. In October Laura was elected as president of her local law society and in doing so became one of the youngest and most junior solicitor to ever hold such a role across the country. […]
MIPIM Asia: Eversheds’ head of real estate feels like an ant on Everest
I feel like a tranquillised hippo. My limbs weigh two tonnes and my brain’s too heavy for my head. It’s November and I have 3,000lb-ungulate jet lag, so I must be at MIPIM Asia. For readers who only know MIPIM Cannes, MIPIM Asia is Cannes’ more refined Hong Kongese cousin. Each year about 900 property […]
Justicetech: Where the innovation is going to happen – and where it won’t
Julia Salasky, CEO of CrowdJustice, the online crowdfunding platform for legal action, spoke at the Law Society’s Future of Law lecture.
In this adapted version she shares her experience using innovative technologies to connect lawyers and clients with funds to take legal action
Access to justice: digitisation of the advice sector is the last hope
While firms are beginning to embrace the opportunities that tech can provide, the advice sector remains underfunded when it comes to digitisation.
The JLD blog: five pieces of advice for vacation schemes
A few weeks ago, I was asked by a paralegal at my firm whether or not they should apply be applying for vacation schemes or if they should go straight to the training contract applications. To be frank, it stumped me, as it’s something I’d not given much thought to since qualifying. It brought to […]
Why e-signatures should be the de facto standard for executing deals
By Richard Oliphant The market for legal services is highly competitive. The recent report by The Lawyer and Intapp (‘Navigating a new reality in the client-empowered’) revealed how law firms are investing heavily in ‘intelligent automation’ technologies and using data analytics to improve client service and stay ahead of the pack. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning […]
More borders, more fees: opportunities for lawyers after Brexit
In the wake of the Brexit vote, there is a need for some clarity on the general subject of globalisation and a law firm’s strategic positioning. First, globalisation is not a decision. It is a force and, for all intents and purposes, a force of nature. It is the movement of people, ideas, products, services, […]
Into the brave, new world: life after Brexit
After last week’s historic decision by the British people to leave the EU many will want know immediately what the implications are.
Sega in-house interview: The counsel at the console
The creativity and energy of Sega’s game developers are infectious, says Nicky Ormrod, who is kept busy by the pace of technological change and the demands of compliance
British Heart Foundation’s GC on working for a charity in a climate of media scrutiny
After a spate of scandals at other charities, GC Richard Macmillan can give BHF a clean bill of health after a thorough policy review
Siemens Gamesa’s Javier Cabezudo on merging two legal teams
The merger of two energy giants means a period of frenetic activity for legal boss Javier Cabezudo as he integrates two best-in-class legal teams into one
Square’s Sivan Whiteley on breaking the UK market and having the CEO of Twitter as a boss
Square Inc has not only Twitter founder Jack Dorsey at its head but also a former Bingham litigator who found her real home in the start-up world of fintech
The lawyer turned tech trailblazer leading Santander’s transformation strategy
Santander’s Gloria Sánchez Soriano is the legal tech trailblazer tasked with implementing a transformation strategy at one of Europe’s largest banks
Simplyhealth GC: why individual relationships beat panels
Jon Jansen-Alder likes boxing analogies. A veteran of more than 20 bouts, he still steps into the ring to slug it out with heavyweight rivals – but has he got a big fight on his hands as group general counsel of Simplyhealth?
Sodexo’s Ingo Koehler-Bartels on the challenges ahead in new Euro GC role
Food and facilities giant Sodexo is on the brink of a major regional reorganisation, and GC Ingo Koehler-Bartels is the lynchpin
OVH’s legal chief on outgunning the US internet giants
OVH’s legal chief is scathing of the US’s new data privacy laws, adding that his European internet provider company is a worthy challenger to the likes of Google.
Hot 100 alumni: Ashley Katz, Fried Frank
At the start of 2016 restructuring partner Ashley Katz became the latest big-hitter to move over to Fried Frank Shriver Harris & Jacobson’s growing London base.
Hot 100 alumni: Shami Chakrabarti
Shami Chakrabarti says she was surprised that the 13 January announcement of her imminent departure from civil rights charity Liberty attracted so much attention. Sandwiched between the deaths of celebrities David Bowie and Alan Rickman, the news still made the front page of several national newspapers, notably left-leaning The Guardian and The Independent
Hot 100 alumni: Tamara Box, Reed Smith
Since appearing in The Lawyer Hot 100 two years ago Reed Smith’s Tamara Box has taken on a new role at the US firm
Hot 100 alumni: John McDonnell QC, Three Stone
John McDonnell QC was named in the Hot 100 in 2005 for his diverse practice, celebrity client roster and the launch of his new chambers, Thirteen Old Square.
Hot 100 alumni: Helen Croke, Travers Smith
Now in her 16th year at Travers Smith, Helen Croke has been key to the success of the firm’s private equity group. One of eight partners in the firm’s dedicated private equity and M&A team, Croke qualified at Travers in 2001 and moved up into partnership seven years later. The team has remained largely unchanged […]
Hot 100 alumni: Cathy Pitt, head of funds, CMS
Cathy Pitt is building CMS’ strength in the ever-changing world of funds
Hot 100 alumni: Jonathan Berger, Harbottle & Lewis
Jonathan Berger has found the ideal place to pursue his media work
Hot 100 alumni: Dan Oates, Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson
Dan Oates is helping to build Fried Frank’s London private equity team
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My career story: “I left law to become a poet”
Mona Arshi is a prize-winning poet and former human rights lawyer. She recently won the Forward prize for best first collection. You began your training contract at JR Jones in the same week that Doreen and Neville Lawrence instructed the firm on the murder of their son Stephen. How did that time influence the rest […]
My career story: “I trained at a high street practice and ended up as GC at a legal recruitment company”
Hays general counsel for UK and Ireland Evelyn Styles tells The Lawyer why she chose a role in-house over private practice. Did you start your career in-house? I trained at a small high street practice and it gave me first hand experience of dealing with all aspects of legal maters, such as contract and commercial […]
My career story: Travis Perkins general counsel Deborah Grimason
Travis Perkins general counsel Deborah Grimason grew up around business – though she’d be the first to admit that her father’s bakery delivery business in rural Northern Ireland was a far cry from the FTSE 100 company she now guides through legal minefields. Grimason knew two things growing up: that she wanted to enter a profession […]
My career story: “I left the criminal bar to become a reputation management lawyer”
Natalie Sherborn left the criminal bar and is now a senior associate at defamation and reputation management firm Schillings. She tells us about how and why she made the move. What’s your background? I went to a state comprehensive school in Essex. I don’t know if anyone in our family even knew what a barrister was, […]
My career story: “I moved into private practice after being an in-house GC”
Maclay Murray & Spens partner Jill Reid entered private practice after 25 years in-house with Chevron UK, Shell and Dana Petroleum. Why did you make the move into private practice? I feel that my role [at Dana] as General Counsel and Company Secretary in an oil and gas operating company having assets in multiple jurisdictions with […]
My career story: “I moved into management”
Travers Smith’s David Patient gives his advice for those moving into a management role. Was moving into a management position always a career objective for you? It has certainly not always been a career objective for me, but something that evolved over time. I had the good fortune to have the opportunity to open our […]