Addleshaws’ front desk knows you better than you know yourself
Addleshaws has hired former actors and ex-Disneyland pros to spice up the client experience. Is the front of house team brilliant – or downright spooky?
Firms up north need London
Despite Leeds and Manchester being home to half of the UK Top 50 firms and together forming the largest legal hub outside London by far, a lingering snobbery persists around the quality of northern lawyers. Why? Sources say junior lawyers in the North aren’t exposed to the same level of training and high-calibre work as […]
Mills & Reeve is playing a risky little game
First, there was the Brabners Bog, and now Mills & Reeve – or should we say Reeds? – has got itself a wetland. It has partnered up with longstanding client Albanwise Environment on a nature recovery project in west Norfolk. Home to threatened species including otters, dragonflies and wildfowl, the Stoke Ferry wetland is positioned […]
Clifford Chance is biting back at the US firms
Once, let’s say around two decades ago, the most eye-catching lateral hires stories were all about US firms raiding the Brits in the latter’s back yard. Then, thanks to the sheer scale of the investment of US firms in London and the growth of this City market, came US-on-US moves. Now, the top UK firms […]
The chambers that collapsed is not a one-off
The skip outside the now-defunct 9 Stone Buildings is a forlorn remnant of a 130-year history. But it’s a gift of a metaphor. Anyone following the shape of legal services will be increasingly aware that chambers’ challenges mimic those of law firms. For 9 Stone Buildings’ fate is the amplification of a trend that is sweeping […]
Paul Weiss isn’t disrupting the trainee pay market – yet
As Freshfields goes for a more American look, Paul Weiss is appealing to aspiring UK lawyers with a £250 grant to buy smart attire. Unveiling a generous vacation scheme package, the US firm has also hit top of the market rates with an £180,000 NQ salary. That figure will likely be even higher once its […]
DLA brings new chief’s start date forward
DLA Piper’s global co-CEO elect Charles Severs is set to begin his term two months earlier than planned. The new date will see Severs begin his term in November, replacing the outgoing Simon Levine who has been in the firm’s top job for a decade. Corporate partner Severs joined DLA in 2003, having spent the […]
Lawyers circled Earth 2,400 times more last year as travel bounces back
The UK’s top 20 firms logged the equivalent of 2,407 more trips around the world in 2023 than they did in 2022, as business travel surged post-pandemic. According to Companies House data, these firms in 2022 collectively emitted 25,766 tCO2e from business travel – the equivalent of driving 65.9 million miles in a typical petrol-powered […]
HSF and Morgan Lewis kick off multibillion-pound Russian aircraft dispute
The highly anticipated Russian aircraft trial has got underway, as aircraft lessors and their insurers battle over who should pay for planes stranded in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. Brick Court’s Mark Howard KC began the proceedings yesterday (2 October) with an opening statement focused on the “clear and simple language” of the “operator […]
WFW set for first City office move in 30 years
Watson Farley & Williams has ended its search for new London premises, opting for a building that enables it to be the sole tenant of its City space. The firm has signed a lease at 25 Moorgate with developer Barings. The lease will run for 15 years, with the firm expecting to move into the […]
Former Taylor Vinters CEO exits Mishcon post-merger
The former CEO of Taylor Vinters has left Mishcon de Reya 21 months after the firms completed their merger. According to Companies House, Matt Meyer was terminated as a member on 30 September 2024. Meyer was a member of the senior management team at Mishcon and sat on the board, where he had responsibility for […]