Shifts that started with the financial crash galvanised in the decade that followed. Predictions of the rise of US firms were hastened by the reputational demise of banking clients and the acceleration of the private equity market. ‘Clients that were niche pre-financial crisis – the likes of Blackstone, KKR and Carlyle – became the successors …
Continue reading “30 years of LB100 – 2012-22: Don’t look now”
The genuine regret with which numerous market commentators and former partners talk of Ince’s downfall arguably bears testament to the firm’s historic repute. Many remember the controversial rescue deal which saw listed firm Gordon Dadds snap up Ince & Co in 2019 as part of a pre-pack administration. As one rival shipping partner recalls: ‘When …
Continue reading “LB100: Ince profile – Ince Gordon Dadds – Collapse of an institution?”
When Legal Business last took a deep dive into the firm’s then ‘unrivalled financial success’ in 2016, the entrepreneurial reputation of the Mishcon brand took centre stage. For this, the then managing partner Kevin Gold (pictured) and marketing maverick Elliot Moss were largely credited. ‘Mishcon has continually broken from the pack, often in a colourful …
Continue reading “LB100: Mishcon profile – All that glisters is not Gold”
LB100 LAW FIRMS The firms that appear in the Legal Business 100 (LB100) are the top 100 law firms in the UK (usually LLP partnerships but also some alternative business structures), ranked by gross fee income generated over the financial year 2021/22 – usually 1 May 2021 to 30 April 2022. We call these the …
It is always educational and entertaining to view how the industry has evolved through the eyes of those veterans who lived it, and this – the 30th anniversary of the LB100 – presented the perfect opportunity to do that. Some of the recollections from pundits on the 1990s speak of a time that appears far …
Continue reading “30 years of LB100 – So much has changed but also shades of déjà vu”
It’s been another hectic period on the lateral hiring front, as global juggernauts and national firms made significant moves in the infrastructure, M&A, financial services and disputes spaces. The week’s biggest move came at Kirkland & Ellis, which recruited Allen & Overy’s global co-head of infrastructure Sara Pickersgill. Ranked in The Legal 500’s hall of …
‘In the event of a recession, the lawyers will be fine. They always are. Unless you work at Ince.’ So quips one senior market commentator when discussing early indications from our Legal Business 100 research this year. Indeed and notwithstanding the unfortunate Ince (if you’ve missed it, more of its embattlement in ‘Ince owns up …
Continue reading “A sneak preview of the LB100 – the lawyers are always fine, aren’t they?”
The phrase has long been a cliché among industry circles, but no-one is better at being cautiously optimistic than a law firm leader. For years, individuals have been compelled to temper any bullishness on market outlook with a healthy recognition that disaster is probably just around the corner. After all, few things make the sting …
