Shaping the industry – the veterans’ view on what mattered in the last 25 years

Legal Business asked more than 20 legal heavyweights to name the defining moments that shaped the profession since the launch of Legal Business. Wim Dejonghe, managing partner, Allen & Overy On globalisation in law: ‘Domestic firms going global – this has been the main event of the last 25 years. That started in the mid-1990s …

Evasive Action – Can Olswang live up to its own ambitions?

TMT leader Olswang is hard to pin down these days as profits ebb, reports of discord emerge and a leader suddenly departs. Can the firm push on with its ambitions to take brand Olswang global? ‘David is in back to back meetings every day for the next four weeks,’ says the Olswang staffer. ‘It would …

Double-edged – cutting both ways with third party funding

It’s been a turbulent year for third-party funders, from court battles shining a spotlight on risky investments to new entrants and exits. Legal Business scopes the changing landscape for litigation’s bankrollers. In early autumn, high-flying disputes lawyer Harvey Rands was taking a vacation in upstate New York. While many spend breaks catching up on books …

Consumed – Can burning ambition from Down Under recast Herbert Smith for the global stage?

With the fall-out from the merger of Herbert Smith and Freehills subsiding, the emerging global challenger needs to galvanise its business under new leadership. Will the Australian suitor’s ambition provide the jolt needed or has Herbert Smith been absorbed? ‘I couldn’t talk about this over the phone,’ said one senior partner at Herbert Smith Freehills …

Back in the game – revival at last for real estate but the players have changed

As investors place their bets on London’s property market, battered real estate teams are finally seeing a revival after the bleak post-Crunch years. Legal Business talks to the property lawyers who are back at the table. Any Londoner will tell you that the Capital resembles a mass construction site these days. Around Victoria, for example, …

The Knowledge Management Report – 20 standout teams in the know

Knowledge in law firms remains crucial but hard to capture. In a special report, we assess the standout KM teams aiming to give their lawyers an edge and clients the intelligence they crave. Not so long ago, access to the knowledge management (KM) function at a law firm meant running the gauntlet to avoid confrontation …

The Target – will tougher measures finally boost gender diversity in the City?

Faced with dire rates of female retention, law firms have abandoned previous resistance to public gender targets for their partnerships. Will it work? It had been a fairly dry debate at the 2013 Georgetown Law panel discussion in London, covering a number of worthy issues facing the profession. Dry at least until near the end, …

The Programme – how Dundas & Wilson fits into the CMS masterplan

With a takeover of Dundas & Wilson under its belt and a barrage of post-Lehman re-engineering in place, CMS Cameron McKenna hopes it can secure its breakthrough globally and at home. LB investigates a complex beast that some of its own partners don’t understand. On 10 December the London partners of Dundas & Wilson were …

Strategic Recruitment: The Product

The debate over the value of partner recruitment has intensified in recent years. Legal Business analyses hiring trends at top 50 firms and assesses the link between lateral hiring and financial performance The mixed fortunes of law firms in recruiting partners can be summed up using a simple compare and contrast exercise. Compare the fanfare …

Great expectations – Neuberger speaks

Lauded as the outstanding jurist of his generation, Lord Neuberger carried huge weight of expectation on assuming the leadership of the Supreme Court. Eighteen months in, Legal Business caught up with the UK’s most high-profile judge Given that the Bar has remained in mourning for the golden generation of the Bingham-era House of Lords, viewed …