Sean Martin FCA
Osborne Clarke is moving in on Taylor Wessing
Both Taylor Wessing and Bird & Bird set €1bn (£858m) revenue targets in the summer. For Taylor Wessing, this means finding an additional £377m in revenue by its 2028 target date, while 2Birds needs £313m to hit its 2029/30 target. These firms are scaling up from a defensive position – they are contending with smaller […]
If Sidley hires full teams, it can lose them too
The City’s rush for leveraged finance talent has proven one thing – one partner just isn’t enough. Investments need to account for individual circumstances and performance. Why hire a sole rainmaker who might leave after three years when a team of five guarantees strength in numbers? This was critical in Sidley Austin’s thinking when it […]
The firm that could win the sports law gold
And just like that, the Olympics are coming to an end. A bit of a comedown for many, but not for the sports lawyers of Northridge Law. Within the space of two Olympic cycles, the sports boutique has cemented itself as, just possibly, the most heavyweight sports team in the country, hop, skipping and jumping […]
The UK has three new £100m firms
An old-school Lincoln’s Inn firm with royal connections. A media-savvy employment specialist. And a full-service regional outfit with a non-lawyer CEO. The similarities aren’t immediately apparent but Farrer & Co, Lewis Silkin and Birketts all passed £100m in revenue in 2023/24, leaving rivals trailing in their wake. That’s what’s so impressive about these three firms. […]
This duo is having another crack at Leeds
In recent years, Leeds has become a hotbed for new players in the legal arena. And so the burning question old-timers have been asking is: what are their ambitions and how’s that going to affect us? Well, Gowling WLG appears content with its real estate team from Womble Bond Dickinson and has no major expansion […]
Pinsents to track staff hours to combat burnout
Pinsent Masons is trialling a new system where staff working consistently long hours are flagged to senior staff. Through burnout alerts, bosses will receive a notification through a new time-tracking system if their employees are perceived to be overworking. A spokesperson for the firm commented: “We are in the process of trialling new resource management […]
Live Webinar: Retain Clients and Talent with Effective Resource Management
In today’s changing market, both client retention and talent retention are top priorities for law firms globally. During this expert panel session, we will hear from industry experts on leveraging strategic resource management to boost lawyer utilization and equitable access to opportunities, while lowering costs and ensuring DEI goals are met. Discover how real-time insights […]
Ireland’s final big five firm ditches all-equity structure
McCann Fitzgerald has introduced a salary partner tier having been the final all-equity holdout at the top of the Irish legal market. The change was enacted earlier this year and was in operation during the May promotion round, which was also the largest in its history. Promotion numbers almost trebled year-on-year when McCanns announced its […]
Sicily yacht tragedy: Clifford Chance “heartbroken” at loss of Christopher Morvillo
Clifford Chance has said it is “heartbroken” at the passing of New York litigator Christopher Morvillo after Mike Lynch’s superyacht sank this week, while DWF has said its former chair Jonathan Bloomer will be “sorely missed”. Clifford Chance partner Morvillo was one of six individuals who went missing after the Bayesian sank this week. Invited aboard […]
SRA vs top UK firms: Simpson Thacher is latest in wave of regulatory stand-offs
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is not alone in facing scrutiny from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), with six UK200 firms and another US50 firm coming under pressure from the regulator since 2021. Here’s how they fared. As revealed on Monday, Simpson Thacher’s London office has been accused of not having in place a compliant firmwide […]