HSF energy co-head leaves for Latham
Latham & Watkins has targeted Herbert Smith Freehills’ energy practice again, this time hiring energy co-head John Balsdon. 30 August: When Latham calls: The man behind the standout hiring spree of 2016
Asia moves: Allen & Overy, Clyde & Co and K&L Gates expand in China
A raft of international firms have focused their recent recruitment efforts on building up corporate offerings in China, but Linklaters has lost another China corporate partner to its US rival in recent weeks.
A&O and HSF advise as 21st Century Fox makes bid for Sky takeover
Allen & Overy (A&O), Skadden and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett have won lead mandates on the proposed sale of Sky to 21st Century Fox.
RPC hunts for new managing partner as Watmough retires
RPC managing partner Jonathan Watmough is retiring from the firm, prompting a search for his successor.
KWM tells staff it cannot guarantee wage payments after January
KWM has told lawyers and staff they will be paid in January but salaries cannot be guaranteed beyond then. 9 Dec: KWM confirms ‘detailed discussions’ with multiple parties
Moves: Macfarlanes competition head moves to White & Case
White & Case has hired Macfarlanes competition head Marc Israel as its hiring spree in London continues.
2016 in Review: Heroes, villains and a lot of money
There’s two more weeks of 2016 and, if the rest of this year is anything to go by, anything could happen. Who, for example, could have predicted Olswang and Nabarro would merge with CMS Cameron McKenna? (Well, we did – 24 hours before those firms decided to tell their partners). The Panama Papers scandal had law firm bosses furiously scanning 20 years’ of emails for the words “Mossack Fonseca”, while the Volkswagen emissions scandal was a happier story for lawyers (except VW’s in-house team, that is). And that’s before we’ve even mentioned Brexit and Donald Trump.
The best in-house interviews of 2016
What hasn’t happened in the in-house world this year? Shrinking panels, turmoil (see Lloyds or Barclays for prime examples of this) and the implementation of new technology were the biggest trends in 2016. Eversheds may have been the overall winner in The Lawyer Market Intelligence’s panel roundups for the year, but the fight for more […]
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You think law firms will escape the populists? Think again
“People in this country,” pronounced Michael Gove this year, “have had enough of experts.” And therein lay the leitmotif of 2016, a year in which we learned to embrace the unexpected and the irrational. Both were contained in the quote by Gove, a man who ran the UK education and justice departments for years, and who might therefore have been expected to prize knowledge and its uses. His politically expedient decision to attack experts should serve as a warning to lawyers and firms.
How to improve your financial management
Effective financial management is typically all about constant focus and incremental change. Throughout this year’s The Lawyer UK 200: Financial Management report you will find numerous examples of where and how firms have achieved changes to debt levels or lock-up (the combination of work-in-progress (WIP) and debtor days). Even though on the face of it these changes may look slight, ultimately they can have a very significant impact.
KWM confirms takeover offers and launches talks with a “small number of parties”
King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) has confirmed it has received a number of “indicative purchase offers” and is now “entering into detailed discussions with a small number of parties”.
Mishcon boss Gold reappointed to lead firm as he celebrates 20th year in charge
Mishcon de Reya managing partner Kevin Gold will remain in his role for another three years after running uncontested in the firm’s latest leadership elections.