The end of A&O’s marathon O’Melveny merger bid reveals the stark choices facing the Magic Circle Alex Novarese This article sits in the news leader slot of our latest issue, but when considering Allen & Overy (A&O) and…
LB100 drives income up 9% to £26.35bn but fears mount of a chaotic no-deal as Brexit fallout spreads Alex Novarese With daily headlines reminding the City of the Brexit-induced crisis engulfing the UK, the Legal Business 100 (LB100) has shrugged…
Comment: As specialists thrive in law’s Darwinian age too many drift on Alex Novarese There are times in my career as a legal pundit where I’ve gone against trend to argue the unpopular view.…
Heal thyself – Top GCs and firm leaders on the future of law Alex Novarese Alex Novarese, Legal Business: Catherine, how much progress are you seeing at law firms in listening to the stuff clients…
Profit per partner and other enduring hypocrisies Alex Novarese No-one got into journalism to be consistent, the trade typically being more attractive to trouble-makers than those hunting for enduring…
Global 100 results show US question looming ever more ominously Alex Novarese Judging the world’s largest law firms, it is becoming a familiar tradition after we unpack the results of the Global…
Comment: Less dire than expected but profession may yet squander influx of BAME lawyers Alex Novarese The good news is that up close the reality turns out to be not as awful as the cynics have…
Comment: A Big Four breakthrough will need a far better GC offensive Alex Novarese This title is on the record as having doubts regarding the Big Four’s legal ambitions, at least judged against claims…
Paywars III – City elite caught between rock and hard place Alex Novarese The news last month that Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer was to push through the highest real-terms pay rises by a major…
The influx of BAME lawyers may yet be squandered Alex Novarese The good news is that up close the reality turns out to be not as awful as the cynics have…
Cross-selling to glory will only get the Big Four so far Alex Novarese This title is on the record as having doubts regarding the Big Four’s legal ambitions, at least judged against claims…
Comment: Vital signs – the passing of old Ashurst holds surprising new life Alex Novarese Sometimes in institutional terms, something has to die before something new can live. The good news for Ashurst, as chronicled…
Comment: Being most things to most clients isn’t sustainable (and it’s choking the City elite) Alex Novarese Years ago, in the immediate wake of the banking crisis, I wrote a column on the notion that top London…
Lucrative, dependable business-as-usual Alex Novarese The fourth, and largest, Disputes Yearbook returns to find the contentious legal scene much as we left it in 2018.…
Gender diversity debate: Quantum of equality Alex Novarese Alex Novarese, Legal Business: Tracey, shall we talk about the background of the All Rise project? Tracey Dovaston, Barclays: We…
City paywars: a history lesson – Freshfields hikes hark back to era of Magic Circle domination Alex Novarese The news this week that Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer was to push through the highest real-terms pay rises by a major…
Comment: US firms in London – ‘We haven’t been bullish enough!’ Alex Novarese There was never any doubt that 2018 would prove another good year for US law firms in London coming off…
Innovation needs champions as Axiom doubts emerge Alex Novarese We have at LB Towers something of a reputation for being sceptical of the claims to fresh thinking surrounding much…
The big 30 – Make ‘em partner or you’ll lose ‘em Alex Novarese Having recently shared a few drinks with one of the most talked-up youngish corporate lawyers in the City, the question…
US firms in London – the new apex predators are here Alex Novarese There was never any doubt that 2018 would prove another good year for US law firms in London coming off…
