The world’s top 50 litigation practices generated a record $24.3bn (£14.9bn) last year, exclusive new data produced by The Lawyer for this year’s Global Litigation Top 50 report has revealed. DLA Piper has once again claimed the crown of the world’s largest litigation practice by fee income with a 7.9 per cent rise in total […]
Litigation is an engine room of firms’ earnings but many clients, keen to keep a grip on the purse-strings, are forcing a reworking of fee arrangements Ever since The Lawyer launched the Global Litigation Top 50 in November 2008 it has focused on the money. For the past five years, neatly kicking off in time […]
Pinsent Masons is expanding its French presence with the acquisition of six-lawyer boutique Ichay & Mullenex Avocats. Ichay & Mullenex partners Diane Mullenex and Frédéric Ichay will become partners at Pinsents, while fellow partner Annabelle Richard will be a legal director. The bolt-on follows Pinsents’ 2012 launch in Paris with a team from Marccus Partners […]
Ashurst has hired Linklaters debt capital markets partner Francis Kucera, in a boost to its securities and derivatives practice. Kucera has been at Linklaters since joining as a trainee in 1989. He works primarily from the firm’s City base but is a regular visitor to its Warsaw office, where he has held the post of […]
The hourly rate is fast becoming an anachronism and firms must heed client warnings and foster more flexible solutions, say general counsel The response to last week’s news story trailing the results of the exclusive in-house research contained in today’s The Lawyer Global Litigation Top 50 highlights the ongoing row about litigation fees. “Litigation lawyers […]
The Lawyer’s annual report into the top 50 firms for global litigation is eagerly awaited by those with ambitions to grow their contentious business. It’s clear who the winners have been. Freshfields was 27th in the rankings in 2008; now it’s 15th, with disputes representing more than a quarter of total turnover. Norton Rose Fulbright’s mergers have […]
Beleaguered Law Society officials are braced for up to 1,000 angry criminal legal aid solicitors to swamp a special meeting in less than a fortnight’s time as the row over Chancery Lane’s leadership peaks. Proponents of a motion of no confidence in the society’s president and chief executive have organised coach convoys from at least […]
A total of six law firms have been named in a report listing ‘1000 companies to inspire Britain’ by the London Stock Exchange. UK 200 firms Bates Wells & Braithwaite, Berrymans Lace Mawer, Matthew Arnold & Baldwin and Stewarts Law are joined by US firm Edwards Wildman Palmer and Preston firm Fletchers Solicitors on the […]
Even magic circle firms are introducing a merit-based component to salaries Lawyers’ pay: too high or too low? Billed by the hour or fixed fee? It’s an endlessly interesting topic, not least for associates currently feeling the impact of more merit-based pay structures. Now, it seems, firms are viewing strict locksteps as a little old […]
As the city enjoys a boom, its foremost legal firms are poaching each other’s staff Confirmation that Irwin Mitchell’s commercial litigation chief John Lord will be joined by five partners and 24 staff in his move to TLT highlights the continuing fluidity of the Manchester market. Lord joined Irwin Mitchell to head up the Manchester […]
Boutiques bloom as the legal market adapts to a sluggish economy Although the eurozone crisis has in the main swerved the Netherlands, things have taken a turn for the worse recently. The eurozone’s fifth largest economy has had its AAA credit rating slashed to AA+ by Standard & Poor’s on the basis of its poor […]
Move of the week Clifford Chance has named Matthew Layton as global managing partner, taking over from outgoing head David Childs. Layton will begin his reign from the beginning of next year, replacing Childs who is to retire. Layton has been a partner at Clifford Chance since 1991. He became global head of corporate practice […]