Depressed student sitting in library with laptop in college
Depressed student sitting in library with laptop
Dear Freshfields, Shoosmiths wants its logo back
Freshfields’ new branding, revealed this week by The Lawyer, has attracted plenty of attention for the deletion of its German heritage. But it’s also provoked deep scepticism. Lawyers who can barely use clip art are saying they could do better themselves, which is about as good an idea as getting graphic designers to draft an […]
Freshfields is rivalling Quinn for litigation growth
Of the Top 10 fastest growing firms in The Lawyer’s Global Litigation 50 2024 (GL50), seven have headquarters in the UK. Given that there are only 10 UK firms in the GL50, which ranks the world’s 50 largest litigation practices, that’s not bad. Add to that, the fastest growing firm in the list, disputes giant […]
Equity partnerships are shrinking
Major firms are redefining what it means to be a full equity partner
Rejoice, for the Brits are back
The Brits are back. We don’t mean the annual popular music jamboree at which microphones are dropped, singers’ bums are bared and popstars challenge each other to punch-ups. We mean UK-headquartered firms and their financial fortunes. For years, the contrast with their oppos from across the Atlantic, most of which have been beavering away driving […]
US firms have pushed NQ salaries to boiling point
Newly-qualified (NQ) lawyers have seen salary levels soar over the last decade. In 2014, a fresh-faced Clifford Chance lawyer could earn £67,500; that figure reached £150,000 this summer. It is US firms that have inflated the pot with constant base raises that align London and New York operations. But the ripples spread outwards. When Quinn […]
US firms score roles on Visa’s AI acquisition
Morrison & Foerster and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom are leading for longstanding client Visa in its acquisition of Cambridge-headquartered fraud-fighting outfit, Featurespace. MoFo is leading for Visa on the corporate side of the deal, while Skadden is advising on antitrust matters. Wilson Sonsini is acting as lead counsel for the target, Featurespace. The team […]
“Wasted time and costs”: Candey cleared of AML claims
Litigation boutique Candey has today been cleared by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) of anti-money laundering (AML) failures regarding a £24m deal for a Northumberland country estate in 2015. Managing partner Ashkhan Candey said in a statement that it was “regrettable” that the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) “did not engage with us on the substantive […]
Quinn, Jones Day and Slaughters fight it out in Libor transition test case
Slaughter and May, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and Jones Day head to court today (27 September) in a case brought by Standard Chartered against its own investors, in the first case arising from the termination of Libor. The legal battle, led by One Essex Court’s Kenneth MacLean KC, will play out at the London’s […]
Ex-Solicitor General returns to Bar after losing seat
The former Solicitor General in England and Wales, Michael Tomlinson KC has returned to his former career at the Bar at his old set 3 Paper Buildings (3PB). Tomlinson was one of 13 barristers to lose his seat in the July General Election, with his Liberal Democrat opponent in Mid Dorset and North Poole wiping […]
PCB Byrne and Guriev victorious in oligarch showdown
Sanctioned Russian billionaire Andrey Guriev has prevailed in the $1bn showdown between him and his former friend Alexander Gorbachev, addressing the decade-long battle between the pair over ownership of the global chemicals company PhosAgro. The dispute saw Essex Court’s Paul Stanley KC and David Scorey KC, instructed by CMS, go head-to-head with Brick Court’s Helen […]