How AI saved the day on the SFO’s Rolls-Royce probe
The Serious Fraud Office has expanded its use of AI software to speed up investigation time and bring down costs, but its use is not without its challenges
The first £200,000 NQ draws near
The latest newly-qualified (NQ) salary rise from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer still managed to raise interest last week, despite the fact enormous pay hikes are the new normal these days and that even £150,000 isn’t unusual any more (as of last week, Quinn’s £180,000 tops the market alongside Gibson Dunn). But it is still significant because […]
New York alone isn’t worth it anymore
European firms see more value in having a physical office in the Square Mile than they do in the Big Apple. Last week, Spanish firm Uría Menéndez became the latest to shut up shop in New York, having been there for 30 years. Uría was the final member of Slaughter and May’s fabled Best Friends […]
Here’s one solution to Linklaters’ departures
Thanks to Paul Weiss, Skadden and Kirkland & Ellis (but mainly Paul Weiss), Linklaters has a few empty chairs at Silk Street. One way a firm can replenish its ranks is through lateral hiring – enter Travers Smith corporate partner Richard Spedding – or internal promotions. Last month, a total of 14 lawyers were made up […]
Paul Weiss has rewritten the playbook
Paul Weiss’ UK spending spree is far from over. Just a year ago, this firm was small fry among the US City titans. Cue an audacious carve-out of some of Kirkland & Ellis’ superstars last summer and everything changed. That initial raid (which included debt finance heavyweight Neel Sachdev and corporate star Roger Johnson) was […]
The Cristiano Ronaldo of law firms is…
In October 2018, the journalist and critic of the Saudi Arabian regime Jamal Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The international reaction was swift. Dozens of major organisations, including HSBC, Ford and JP Morgan Chase, dropped out of the planned “Davos in the Desert” Saudi investment summit. “We are going […]
The Passport: De Brauw ushers in third generation of PE lawyers
Welcome to The Passport, your regular round-up of the most important stories to come from the European legal market. In this edition we take a look at the third generation of De Brauw’s private equity group and how domestic and regional firms in Ukraine may look to reshape after the war. De Brauw has entered […]
Litigation boutique in SDT hearing over alleged AML failures
Litigation firm CANDEY appears before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) this week, alongside former partner Richard Morris, over allegations of anti-money-laundering (AML) failures. The matter regards a £24m deal for a Northumberland country estate in 2015. No actual fraud or money-laundering has been identified. The SRA alleges that the firm and Morris, who left for […]
Cleary hires from Kirkland as recruitment drive continues
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, which up until 18 months ago had steered clear of the lateral hiring market, has added a new London partner from Kirkland & Ellis. Alexander van der Gaag is joining Cleary from Kirkland’s debt finance team. He worked at Kirkland for nine years, arriving as an associate from Baker McKenzie. […]
The move to greener offices: Clarke Willmott collects commuting info from staff
Clarke Willmott is assessing the environmental footprint of its offices, with the firm collecting information on its staff’s route to work and an expected relocation in Cardiff. The firm is gathering data from its employees to improve the accuracy of emissions data that the firm holds. A survey has been created with the firm’s consultants, […]
Osborne Clarke partner set for SDT referral over Zahawi letters
An Osborne Clarke partner is being referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) following a formal complaint made by Clifford Chance’s former UK tax head. In July 2022, ex-Clifford Chance partner Dan Neidle made headlines for a series of posts on the tax arrangements of leading Conservative politicians, including Nadhim Zahawi. He claimed that Zahawi had […]
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