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The Euro Elite 2023

Euro Elite firms stay strong despite a turbulent year

Overview – Elite level

While the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis dominated the agenda for law firms in 2022, our annual Euro Elite report finds the continent’s leading independents still in a bullish mood

Success or failure? The push for gender equality is no longer a binary matter

While the debate surrounding gender is now broader than ever before, progress on female representation in law must not be overlooked

The M&A debate: Wrestling the bear – negotiating deals in the current market

Legal Business and Eversheds Sutherland gathered a group of leading GCs in November 2022 to share insights on the M&A market ahead

Caribbean Offshore Report: Light behind the cloud

Amid stormy market conditions, offshore law firms across the Caribbean are continuing to demonstrate their resilience. LB talks to some of the leading players about another year of challenges

UK Offshore Report: Weatherproof

Firms in the Crown Dependencies are readying themselves for the new economic reality, as Covid concerns give way to inflation and higher interest rates. LB sits down with pundits at the top offshore firms to find out how they are charting the way ahead

The Client Profile: Jelena Madir, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Jelena Madir, general counsel of Gavi, talks losing her job at Shearman, the billable hour and building a ship while sailing in a storm

Life During Law: Nick Vamos

‘I enjoy a geeky legal discussion as much, if not more, than most, but the greatest satisfaction comes from delivering the right outcome in a case.’

Leader: Shearman and Hogan Lovells – better the devil you don’t

It’s funny how the market gets about law firm mergers. Ringing around various senior lawyers for a hot take on what they thought of a Shearman & Sterling and Hogan Lovells tie-up, most were pretty scathing.

Pritchard: Stopping the bleeding at Travers will require hard-won loyalty and a pay overhaul

Looking at the recent wave of departures from Travers Smith brings to mind fears expressed by peers when we last did a major analysis of the firm back in 2019.

‘It will be important whatever happens’: Pallas Partners represents ClientEarth in climate action against Shell’s board

In what the client has billed ‘the first case of its kind seeking to hold corporate directors personally liable’, Pallas Partners is representing ClientEarth pro bono in its case against Shell’s board of directors for ‘mismanaging climate risk’.

Shearman and Travers hit with losses as recruitment turns to restructuring and leveraged finance

Ongoing talk of a merger with Hogan Lovells has prompted an exodus from Shearman & Sterling, with the departure of EMEA and Asia M&A head Philip Cheveley to Sidley Austin one of the headline moves in the London market in recent weeks.

‘With economic downturn, the need to pull the trigger on claims intensifies’ – leading City litigators look at the key disputes trends for 2023

‘Disputes arise when there is disruption, and it seems to me there’s just about every type of disruption at the moment.’

A not-so-equal footing: rankings data highlights Hogan-Shearman contrasts

An analysis of The Legal 500 rankings underlines some of the key factors driving the Hogan Lovells-Shearman merger talks

The Last Word: Next level

As part of our annual Euro Elite report, management at independent firms in Europe give their views on today’s market challenges