HSF is leaning on London
Of the UK Top 50 firms, just 16 have no overseas offices, and of the remaining 34, more than half (19) were bigger outside the UK last year. Internationalisation is a hallmark of a Top 50 firm, but for many it is the UK that keeps the investment pipelines pumped. For firms with international offices, […]
Good things happen when partners aren’t in charge
The upcoming UK200 has welcomed its sixth employee ownership trust (EOT) member. Altrincham’s Myerson Solicitors joins Yorkshire’s Ison Harrison and the West Midlands’ Talbots Law in embracing employee ownership, having converted from a limited liability partnership (LLP) to a 100 per cent employee-owned company last week. The EOT model allows all employees to take a […]
UK50’s fastest growing firm isn’t led from London
Over the last decade, the UK’s Top 50 firms have trialled a variety of tactics to satisfy an incessant demand for revenue growth. Consolidation has been a feature of the decade, with ‘critical mass’ becoming a key term used by managing partners as they push forward their growth agendas. Internationalisation too is a hallmark of […]
A&O partner cuts will hit hardest outside the UK
A&O Shearman is looking to cut 10 per cent of its global partnership, but it’s doing so in a year in which its London recruitment team has been at its busiest. The firm has hired eight lateral partners in the City so far this year and last week’s announcement of “planned business changes” does little […]
Don’t worry Ashurst, there’s always next year
Before financials season got fully underway, The Lawyer took a look at the firms most likely to hit the milestones of £2bn, £1bn and £500m. There were not many, highlighting the challenge for firms to grow bigger and profitably. Of the seven likelies, just two definitely managed it – Linklaters and Bird & Bird – […]
All eyes on Clifford Chance and Pannick in fight for Man City’s future
After 18 months of secrecy, speculation and extraordinary legal fees, the Premier League’s case against Manchester City over more than 100 alleged rule breaches is set to begin today. City, England’s most successful football club over the past decade, has denied any wrongdoing. There is an air of the Boris Berezovsky v Roman Abramovich trial […]
It’s double-digit dreamland as top 100 enjoy best year since financial crisis
Forty-four of the UK’s top 100 law firms posted double-digit revenue growth in 2023/24, the highest number since before the great financial crisis. In 2007/08, 61 of the top 100 grew by double digits; that figure dropped to 15 the following year and nine the year after as the economy collapsed. Last year, nearly all […]
Boutiques battle it out in $14bn Russian mogul dispute
Russia’s largest transport operator, FESCO, had its chance today to block the $13.8bn dispute brought by jailed Russian businessman Ziyavudin Magomedov from going to trial in England, as the case entered its fourth day in a courtroom comprising over 50 lawyers. Magomedov, represented by litigation boutique Seladore Legal, argues that an elaborate conspiracy saw his […]
Leigh Day victorious as High Court blocks Cumbria coal mine plans
Planning permission to build a new coal mine in Cumbria has been quashed following today’s High Court ruling that the approval was unlawful. Leigh Day secured the win on behalf of Friends of the Earth and South Lakes Action on Climate Change (SLACC). The pair made the claim regarding a December 2022 decision to grant […]
The Lawyer European Awards 2024: Shortlist revealed
The Lawyer’s European Awards is back this year to crown the crème de la crème of the European legal market. We received a huge number of entries from firms across the Continent, seeking to pick up some of the most prestigious prizes in the profession. The event will be held in-person at the JW Marriott […]