These US firms aren’t making enough money in London
To be in the global law market requires a strong City presence, of that there can be no doubt. The Lawyer’s US 50 report underscores just how vital London is; the multimillion-pound investments being made by US titans shows that growing in the City is not only advantageous, but essential. And yet. You might be surprised […]
The $20m lawyers have arrived
$20m partners are rare, but they are multiplying. Paul Weiss, Kirkland, Davis Polk, Weil Gotshal and latterly Latham are reshaping their partner compensation for the big figure, stretched upwards from the $9m that Paul Weiss paid for Scott Barshay in 2016. As The Lawyer reported yesterday, even Cleary – Cleary! – is now considering it. […]
Most firm leaders are from the right political bloc
Power is largely siloed. When we look at the top 25 firms in The Lawyer’s UK200, partners drawn from the practices most identifiable with the firm’s culture almost always end up in the managing partner spot. There are two exceptions in Slaughters’ Deborah Finkler (disputes) and Pinsents’ Laura Cameron (health/safety), but firms have largely stuck […]
Blackadders goes forth to the UK200
Every year we bid goodbye to famous old names from Britain’s legal scene. Whether by merger or misadventure in the last few years the likes of BLM, Coffin Mew, Ince, RadcliffesLeBrasseur and Taylor Vinters have made graceful or not-so-graceful exits from the ranks of the UK200. But every mighty tree that falls in the forest […]
Paul Weiss’ Soho home is getting full
If everyone puts their feet up for the rest of the year, Paul Weiss will feature above Covington, Morgan Lewis and Cleary Gottlieb in The Lawyer’s next iteration of its US 50 rankings based on headcount. That’s based on Paul Weiss’ current list of London lawyers, which numbers 117 when including some partners who are […]
Noerr’s Warsaw goes solo in ongoing CEE restructure
Noerr’s Warsaw office is setting up shop on its own, after it emerged that the German giant was pulling out of the Central and Eastern European market (CEE). In April, Noerr revealed it would be transferring its practices in Bratislava, Budapest, Bucharest and Prague to Kinstellar. At the time, there was no mention of Noerr’s […]
NQ pay: HFW and Bird & Bird unveil salary increases
Bird & Bird and Holman Fenwick Willan are the latest firms to announce pay increases for their newly-qualified solicitors, with the latter rising to £100,000. HFW has increased its pay from £95,000 to £100,000, while Bird & Bird has put in place a slightly lower rise of £3,000 to £98,000. Bird & Bird’s increase comes […]
Barrister GC sparks debate over SQE sign-off
A general counsel – who qualified as a barrister – has taken to networking platform LinkedIn to protest against rules meaning she cannot sign off qualifying work experience (QWE) for those undertaking the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE). Natalie Connor, a VP of legal at Crowdcube and consultant GC for Legal Edge, has worked as a […]
Paul Hastings on course to hit $200m City turnover
Paul Hastings is expecting to generate over $200m (£158m) in its London office this year after investments made across its finance and litigation groups. The firm is estimated to have brought in $174m (£138m) over 2023, meaning it is looking to grow its revenue in the City by at least 15 per cent in this […]
The Passport: Linklaters downsizes in Stockholm
Welcome to The Passport, your regular round-up of the most important stories to come from the European legal market. In this edition, we look at the troubles facing Linklaters in Stockholm, the surprisingly positive consequences of Weil Gotshal’s exit from Central and Eastern Europe, as well as recent shake-ups in the Danish real estate market. […]