This post has been updated with The Lawyer’s 2021 ranking of the top 100 European law firms by revenue. For many firms in Europe, the difficulties of 2020 turned out to be how to meet capacity when workflows roared back in the second half, and how to keep their staff motivated through waves of lockdowns […]
In its century-old history, Teresa Owusu-Adjei was PwC’s first black female partner, and is now its first head of legal who isn’t a lawyer. Having initially trained as a chartered accountant and known as a PwC ‘lifer’ for having remained at the firm ever since, Owusu-Adjei is now tasked with drawing together its legal offerings […]
Asset management consultant MJ Hudson is terminating the training contracts of its 12 trainee solicitors, The Lawyer has learnt, amid concerns over its financial viability. The Lawyer understands that the terminations, which will be effective as of the end of this month, include trainees at various stages of their contracts. Company concerns have been brewing […]
The Ince Group has been placed into administration following a year of audit delays, asset sales and a suspension of its shares. In an announcement to the London Stock Exchange today, the company noted that the “length of the auditing process has put pressure on cash flows to the business”, adding that its major creditors […]
This post has been updated with The Lawyer’s 2021 ranking of the top 100 European law firms by revenue. For many firms in Europe, the difficulties of 2020 turned out to be how to meet capacity when workflows roared back in the second half, and how to keep their staff motivated through waves of lockdowns […]
In its century-old history, Teresa Owusu-Adjei was PwC’s first black female partner, and is now its first head of legal who isn’t a lawyer. Having initially trained as a chartered accountant and known as a PwC ‘lifer’ for having remained at the firm ever since, Owusu-Adjei is now tasked with drawing together its legal offerings […]
Asset management consultant MJ Hudson is terminating the training contracts of its 12 trainee solicitors, The Lawyer has learnt, amid concerns over its financial viability. The Lawyer understands that the terminations, which will be effective as of the end of this month, include trainees at various stages of their contracts. Company concerns have been brewing […]
The Ince Group has been placed into administration following a year of audit delays, asset sales and a suspension of its shares. In an announcement to the London Stock Exchange today, the company noted that the “length of the auditing process has put pressure on cash flows to the business”, adding that its major creditors […]
Allen & Overy has joined Linklaters in hiking its newly-qualified solicitor pay, despite the pair last year deciding not to match rates announced by Freshfields and Clifford Chance. A spokesperson for A&O told The Lawyer, “We have increased our NQ salaries to £125,000 p.a. in line with the market.” Earlier today, Linklaters also upped NQ […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Stewarts-repped London International Exhibition (ExCel) Centre has successfully seen off an appeal by insurers over its Covid-19 business interruption claim. The case, which was one of The Lawyer’s Top 20 cases of 2023 and Top 10 Appeals of 2024, concerned whether pandemic lockdowns entitled the Centre to claim £16m under the “at the premises” […]
A&O Shearman has set out its post-merger integration plans, which includes closing one of its global offices and reducing its partnership by 10 per cent by the end of the financial year. The firm said today that its partnership would reduce within the year following a strategic review of its business post-A&O’s tie-up with Shearman. […]
Dentons and Reed Smith have taken the leading roles on eSky Group’s purchase of travel business Thomas Cook. Dentons private equity partner Nicholas Plant, along with Michał Wasiak, a partner in the firm’s Warsaw office, were at the helm of the team for Polish purchaser eSky. They were supported by corporate associate Alex Macdonald, IP […]
Football law has typically been the domain of sports specialists. However, in recent years, there has been a growing number of large, elite firms and chambers entering the football market. Clifford Chance and Freshfields act for Manchester City, and Slaughter and May and Linklaters represent the Premier League. Latham and Watkins worked on the Chelsea […]
A former Ashurst employee has agreed to the outcome of an investigation by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), after he was found to have stolen two laptops and sold them. Irfan Malik, an IT service desk analyst, was accused of removing “two laptops from the firm’s IT storeroom without its knowledge or consent”. The SRA […]