This year’s UK 200 shows how firms are battling a feeble economy with ruthless efficiency. A decade ago those words would most likely be employed to describe a 12-month period of booming revenues and profits across the UK’s largest firms, driven by debt-fuelled M&A and a buoyant legal market. That was certainly not the case […]
Litigation-heavy firms continue to be the high rollers in the ever-popular profit per equity partner stakes. Profit per equity partner (PEP) is not the most worthy benchmark, but it is the most enduring. Our table shows the PEP rankings for the top 100 firms by revenue in The Lawyer UK 200 Annual Report 2013 Profit […]
Trade mark law is now so complicated that even specialist judges find it hard to interpret In 1994 the legislature made a major change to trade mark law. This was intended to provide the ability to register “non-traditional” trade marks such as colours and shapes, as well as words and Logos. It can now safely […]
Move of the week Gunnercooke has hired four new partners. Tim Drake, Matthew Searle, Alistair Crellin and Peter Davis have joined the London office, founded in 2012. Drake was previously an equity partner at MJ Hudson. Searle has left his position as head of the corporate team at South West firm Adams and Remers. Crellin […]
It’s the overhead that just keeps costing. Managing property costs is central to many firms’ strategies in straitened times. When it comes to a law firm’s overheads, they don’t come much bigger than property. This is the unavoidable headache that can be the difference between success and failure. Consequently, for the second year we have asked […]
As Tom Wood, head of professional services industry at Barclays, says, “Economic conditions remain tough, meaning law firms’ clients are also looking for ways to help their cash-flow and therefore could be taking longer to pay. Finding the right balance of client relationships and cash collections is paramount for firms.” The good news is that […]
Business techniques are transforming law firms, helping them battle the slow economy. At last month’s inaugural The Lawyer Management conference and awards, one of the key themes was how the UK’s top firms are increasingly driving efficiencies in their businesses through better use of technology, a sharper focus on financial management and an all-round clearer […]
New competition authority will have to work hard to restore the reputation of the UK regime The UK competition regime took a big step towards reform on 1 October when the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched, attended by competition minister Jo Swinson and the CMA’s senior leadership team. The CMA will take over the […]
Shanghai free trade zone frenzy shows the country needs to offer little to keep the money rolling in The news that Shanghai is setting up a free trade zone (FTZ) has excited analysts since its announcement in July. Nearly three months later the authorities released the plan to the public. They were cutting it fine. […]
Complex web of interests after ailing football pundit’s enduring power of attorney decision Alongside the news earlier this month that former footballer and television presenter Jimmy Hill is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease came the accompanying stories that his family are in dispute over his care. Hill’s children are concerned about the management of his affairs […]
Darren Riley, assistant GC at National Air Traffic Services, deals with everything from volcanic ash clouds to international airspace agreements Most general counsel do not find themselves in the somewhat tricky position of having to try to “get the whole world moving again”, as National Air Traffic Services (Nats) assistant general counsel Darren Riley did […]
Lawyers working in the world of regulatory and compliance are looking at an increasingly complicated sector, particularly when it comes to financial services. This sector has taken a good old bruising in the past few years and recently underwent a dramatic overhaul when the Financial Services Authority was abolished and replaced with the Financial Conduct […]