In-house interview: Crabtree & Evelyn GC Katie Power on the benefits of flexibility
The UK is being slow to shift from the traditional nine to five, but thanks to Katie Power, Crabtree & Evelyn is using flexible working to its advantage
DLA Piper accused of “flagrant breach” of SRA rules
DLA Piper and one of its corporate partners are facing allegations of dishonest assistance over advice given to a collapsed medical technology company and one of its billionaire directors. Partner and UK head of corporate Charles Cook and DLA have been named as defendants in a claim being brought by Macfarlanes on behalf of Enigma […]
Decline and stall: the clock is ticking for Linklaters’ finance team
In late 2019, Linklaters’ global head of banking Davide Mencacci left his base in Hong Kong to visit the London headquarters of the firm. It was a standard trip for a practice leader; catching up with fellow partners, updating management and shaking hands with clients. All seemed normal, but there was something brewing. Just a […]
Top 50 US law firms in London
Kirkland and Latham top the US 50 law firms in London table in 2021.
Associate takes on Ropes in “unrelenting workload” claim
In-house interview: Crabtree & Evelyn GC Katie Power on the benefits of flexibility
The UK is being slow to shift from the traditional nine to five, but thanks to Katie Power, Crabtree & Evelyn is using flexible working to its advantage
DLA Piper accused of “flagrant breach” of SRA rules
DLA Piper and one of its corporate partners are facing allegations of dishonest assistance over advice given to a collapsed medical technology company and one of its billionaire directors. Partner and UK head of corporate Charles Cook and DLA have been named as defendants in a claim being brought by Macfarlanes on behalf of Enigma […]
Decline and stall: the clock is ticking for Linklaters’ finance team
In late 2019, Linklaters’ global head of banking Davide Mencacci left his base in Hong Kong to visit the London headquarters of the firm. It was a standard trip for a practice leader; catching up with fellow partners, updating management and shaking hands with clients. All seemed normal, but there was something brewing. Just a […]
Top 50 US law firms in London
Kirkland and Latham top the US 50 law firms in London table in 2021.
Starling Bank faces discrimination claim from former employee
A former employee of Starling Bank has brought claims of whistleblowing and discrimination against the group, with its general counsel also named as a respondent in the case. Gulnaz Raja, who was deputy secretary to Starling’s board from 2019 to 2020, is taking on the business in the Employment Tribunal a year after leaving. Court […]
The UK’s law firms have abandoned Elon Musk
“I’ve seen the future, and it’s porn, sharks and Nazis.” Twitter hadn’t even been founded at the time, but the above quote from the niche 2005 sitcom Bromwell High turned out to be unintendedly prophetic when considering the journey of one of the planet’s largest social media companies. Once ‘the world’s town square’, Twitter, latterly […]
What a Simpson Thacher rumour says about A&O Shearman’s future
One of Europe’s most enduring rumours is about Simpson Thacher & Bartlett opening in Luxembourg. It is one of the jurisdiction’s key referrers of work for the local Luxembourg players, meaning there is an amount of paranoia among them about what would happen if Simpson Thacher decided to open its own office there. The idea […]
The UK’s best personal injury firm is also its best commercial one
Which is the best personal injury firm in the country? Irwin Mitchell, perhaps? Maybe Leigh Day, or Slater & Gordon? Wrong, wrong, wrong. The answer in fact is Cheshire six-lawyer outfit Gavin Edmondson Solicitors, which according to the website reviewsolicitors.co.uk scores better than almost 2,500 PI firms across the country for its quality. What about […]
All eyes are on Mishcon’s cash bet
Cash piles rose during the pandemic, but the latest year-end shows a turnaround. Across the UK 200, debt levels are increasing, and those precious cash reserves are being eroded by a tide of rising costs. This evidence suggests the trend is most prominent among firms that occupy the mid-tier; these firms are spending big as […]
Magic circle firms are too big
Who says UK firms are getting left behind in the global legal market? Whoever it is should take a look at the top end of this year’s UK 200, which later this month highlights that for the first time ever, all four magic circle firms have a turnover of more than £2bn (though it’s worth […]
Changing of the guard: Latham names new London boss
Latham & Watkins has appointed a new managing partner for its London office to succeed Stephen Kensell after four years at the helm. Ed Barnett will take charge effective immediately, with Kensell due to retire at the end of the year. Barnett is a corporate partner at Latham and has been with the firm since […]
Slaughters bows to pressure with NQ pay rise
Newly-qualified solicitors at Slaughter and May are officially joining the £150,000 pay club after the firm brought its pay review forward. The firm had previously stated it would hold its pay rate at £125,000 until at least November this year. The new salary took effect on 1 September, putting the firm in line with Freshfields […]
Revenues up, profits up: UK top 50 firms in record-breaking year
Five UK 200 firms posted a total turnover in excess of £2bn in 2023/24, while one topped £3bn for the first time in a year when both revenue and profit grew significantly. The top 50 firms ranked by global revenue generated a total £33.4bn last year, up by 8.4 per cent on the previous year. […]
TDR names new GC after Holdsworth exit
Private equity house TDR Capital has promoted Emma Gilks to the top general counsel role after David Holdsworth returned to private practice last month. Gilks has been at TDR Capital since 2015 when she joined as a legal counsel from Reed Smith. Having qualified at Reed Smith in 2012, Gilks worked in the firm’s corporate […]
Clifford Chance loses second tech partner this year
Clifford Chance has lost its second senior tech partner in London in as many months. The firm’s co-head of data protection and cybersecurity, Simon Persoff, has left for DLA Piper. Persoff joined Clifford Chance in 2020 from DLA where he was a senior consultant. After training at Baker McKenzie, Persoff worked in-house and as an […]