Joe Tirado argues that dissenting opinions in arbitration are a double-edged sword There are many so-called ‘hot’ topics in international arbitration that could have been the subject of this article, but ultimately the topic chose itself. In arbitration, a dissenting opinion is a written statement that an arbitrator can make to express their disagreement with …
Continue reading “Dissent, it turns out, comes at a price even in disputes”
A few years ago – during what in retrospect turned out to be a boom – you knew where you stood with City law. The market kept growing and, while the man in the street associated lawyers with courts and disputes, those in the industry knew success came from the other side of the equation. …
Continue reading “Disputes revival has huge implications for City law”
So much ink has been spilled over game-changing developments in recent weeks – namely the partnership vote in favour of the A&O Shearman deal, and Paul Weiss’ assault on the talent pools of the Square Mile – that it can be difficult to find an angle that isn’t hackneyed to within an inch of its …
A glance at our Legal Business 100 table this year shows the post-Covid, frothy corporate market conditions have finally come to an end. The significant number of red, downward pointing arrows for profit metrics in particular means the leaders of the top 100 firms by revenue in the UK have reason to be nervous. The …
Continue reading “Silence is not golden as Legal Business 100 firms need a different tune”
‘AI is the bandwagon of the day. The last six months or so have seen an explosion of law firms talking about the impact of AI, but not really working out whether it is even a good or bad thing.’ John Banister, Wiggin From AI to economic headwinds to flexible working patterns, leaders at Legal …
Chatting with a male managing partner recently about – what else – the hire of Kirkland’s debt superstar Neel Sachdev into Paul Weiss in London, talk eventually turned to the Barbie movie (obviously). With the managing partner intending to see the film soon, I ask him to report back on whether he thinks its messaging …
Continue reading “Women deal stars prove you can have it all – but don’t worry men, you are Kenough”
‘Paul Weiss hasn’t got enough partners in London for doubles ping pong!’ scoffed a senior source at the beginning of August when it emerged that the Wall Street powerhouse had lost its City managing partner, Alvaro Membrillera, to Kirkland & Ellis. What a difference a few short weeks make. While the political skirmishes inside Kirkland …
Continue reading “Paul Weiss’ hire of Kirkland rock star is the shake-up we didn’t know we needed”
The most enjoyable part of analysing the proposed merger of Allen & Overy (A&O) and Shearman & Sterling has been hearing the reactions of leaders at peer firms to the video featuring senior partners Wim Dejonghe and Adam Hakki. Hot-takes from around the City have been often amusing. Says one US firm leader: ‘It’s clearly …
Continue reading “A&O Shearman is a marriage of necessity, not convenience”
Amid a hectic start to June for lateral hiring, Freshfields has had a busy week, having added four new partners to both its London and New York practices. Derivatives and structured products specialist James Duncan will join the firm’s global transactions practice in London from Shearman & Sterling, following the news of its merger with …
It’s surprising how much conversations around social media have shifted over the last three years. There used to be a tacit understanding that LinkedIn was for professional posts only, deal announcements, partner moves, conferences, market commentary and the like, while Facebook (and Twitter, if you really must) was for everything else. Hilarious memes and posts …
Continue reading “Oversharing? Navigating social media can be fraught but there is much to admire”
