This time, walk the talk behind the ESG bandwagon

This time, walk the talk behind the ESG bandwagon

Three letters seem to be everywhere you look these days: ESG. Law firm after law firm seems to be offering environmental, social and governance advice and even new practice teams to corporates on a weekly basis. Press releases talk about helping clients ‘navigate the regulatory requirements’ and ‘lead the way’. The fastest land animal is …

Going viral – Risk management and professional indemnity survey 2021

Going viral – Risk management and professional indemnity survey 2021

Sponsored by After a succession of years in the public eye and with no lack of controversy in 2020, it was going to take something seismic to prevent the perennially relevant slew of misconduct claims dominating the law firm risk agenda. Last year, that seismic event happened, with the world plunged into chaos as a …

Letting go: anathema to a control-freak partner

Letting go: anathema to a control-freak partner

Two observations from the GC of BT Technology, Chris Fowler, stand out in our innovation feature, ‘Arrested development’. One: ‘If the work is repeatable and needs delivering to certain set outcomes at a certain price point, you become agnostic as to who is actually doing the work’ – suggesting the sacred cult of the individual …

Stevens & Bolton posts eleventh year of turnover growth in latest set of financials

Stevens & Bolton posts eleventh year of turnover growth in latest set of financials

LB100 firm Stevens & Bolton has unveiled solid financial results for 2020/2021, marking 11 consecutive years of revenue growth. In spite of the pandemic, the South East heavyweight has posted turnover of £29.1m, which represents a 2% increase on last year, while profit per equity partner in its all-equity partnership increased by 10% to hit £267,000.

Revolving Doors: A&O makes US leveraged finance play as Latham strengthens Middle East offering

Revolving Doors: A&O makes US leveraged finance play as Latham strengthens Middle East offering

A number of Global 100 firms have made key hires from each other internationally in a busy week for lateral recruitment. Allen & Overy has strengthened its US leveraged finance practice by adding two new partners in New York. Gordon Mak and Stanimir Kostov have joined A&O as partners from White & Case, where they …

Global London: Non-US firms in London – On standby

Global London: Non-US firms in London – On standby

The issue on every European partner’s lips in our Global London report in 2016 was the outcome and fallout of the UK’s Brexit referendum on 23 June that year. Even then, just a few months before the vote, there was a palpable hope that Britain would not do the unthinkable. Those hopes were soon dashed. …

The work from home dilemma – get creative

The work from home dilemma – get creative

If 2020 was about surviving coronavirus and lockdown, 2021 is most certainly about rebuilding and making up for lost time. With the Covid-19 vaccine rollout progressing well, and pubs and shops reopening ahead of a supposed return to normality by late June, going back to the office is becoming a reality. As The Legal 500 …

300 not out…the story of Legal Business spanning three decades

300 not out…the story of Legal Business spanning three decades

‘In the course of the last 30 years, a lot has changed in the legal world but a lot has stayed the same,’ observes Chris Saul, the former senior partner of Slaughter and May. Four months before the first-ever issue of Legal Business hit desks in January 1990, Billy Joel released the song We Didn’t …

The Euro Elite overview: Enduring endurance

The Euro Elite overview: Enduring endurance

Much of the narrative of Legal Business for the past 300 issues has involved the internationalisation – and the failed internationalisation – of the UK-based global firms. When I started out in legal journalism in the late ‘90s, the activity of the major Anglo-Saxon firms in mainland Europe was at its peak. Many, like White …