Revolving Doors: Crowell & Moring secures three-partner team from Squire Patton Boggs while Dentons makes City hire from Fieldfisher

Revolving Doors: Crowell & Moring secures three-partner team from Squire Patton Boggs while Dentons makes City hire from Fieldfisher

City recruitment was active last week, as Crowell & Moring and Dentons made the standout hires while Baker Botts also made a City move. US firm Crowell & Moring led the way in the City, recruiting a three-partner team from Squire Patton Boggs a month after hiring financial litigation partner and former City head Robert Weekes from the …

‘Too far apart’: Ashfords and Boyes Turner abandon £60m merger talks

‘Too far apart’: Ashfords and Boyes Turner abandon £60m merger talks

Southern English law firms Ashfords and Boyes Turner have ditched their proposed merger which was set to go live in May after citing ‘structural differences.’ The firms were deep into merger talks that started in early 2017, with south west-based Ashfords having been eager to complete a tie-up with another southern outfit for some time. Ashfords had …

The comeback kid: Return to form as Reed Smith hikes London revenue 18% to $222m

The comeback kid: Return to form as Reed Smith hikes London revenue 18% to $222m

Reed Smith has bolstered City revenue by 18% to $222m amid a reversal of fortune which has seen global revenue rise for the second year running after a disappointing spell. Global turnover increased 5% to $1.17bn after the Pittsburgh-bred firm last year bounced back following two consecutive years of decline, increasing its top line by 4% …

King & Spalding posts stronger year globally with UK revenue up 12%

King & Spalding posts stronger year globally with UK revenue up 12%

US outfit King & Spalding notched a 12% growth in its UK business for 2018, with London revenue rising to $48.3m, up from $43.1m last year. Meanwhile, firmwide revenues rose 9% to $1.26bn from $1.14bn in 2017, while firmwide profit per equity partner rose 9% to $2.85m. The results in London in particular mark a stronger …

Revolving Doors: DAC Beachcroft hires from Kirkland in the City while Morgan Lewis leads international team push

There was no love lost between firms in the lateral market last week, with DAC Beachcroft, Withers and Reed Smith being the primary movers in the City while Morgan Lewis led a trio of firms looking further afield to the Middle East and Asia Pacific to expand their international benches. In the most significant City …

‘Not adequately protected’: Junior lawyers demand SRA response on concerns over toxic working conditions

‘Not adequately protected’: Junior lawyers demand SRA response on concerns over toxic working conditions

Junior lawyers have penned a letter to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) demanding clarification on the protection available to junior lawyers who are subject to ‘toxic’ work environments. The letter, published yesterday (13 February) by the Law Society’s Junior Lawyers Division (JLD), cited concerns around rulings from the High Court and Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal that …

Post-merger chemistry and an absence of crisis mark BCLP launch but firm is yet to settle into its stride

Post-merger chemistry and an absence of crisis mark BCLP launch but firm is yet to settle into its stride

Thomas Alan finds mixed omens in the wake of BCLP’s high-stakes union. A solid start cannot obscure that 2019 will be a crucial period for the Anglo-American challenger When indications of a merger between legacy firms Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) and Bryan Cave first emerged in late 2017, there were mixed reactions about the potential union. …

New Law meets Big Four – Has Deloitte got the conviction to match its free-thinking legal pitch?

New Law meets Big Four – Has Deloitte got the conviction to match its free-thinking legal pitch?

Thomas Alan asks if Deloitte can find a new angle on legal services The often cited but seldom-seen legal arrival of the Big Four has long passed into a professional joke, though renewed investment from the major accountancy groups in the last three years has given the debate fresh urgency. But, truly, something must have …

Dentons risks Venezuelan instability to secure Norton Rose Caracas business

Dentons risks Venezuelan instability to secure Norton Rose Caracas business

Dentons has acquired Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF)’s 26-lawyer Caracas office, coinciding with Venezuela’s acute economic and political crisis. As part of the acquisition, Dentons hired eight partners with a sector focus on energy and natural resources, as well as employment. Currently led by labour partner Juan Carlos Pró-Rísquez, who became NRF managing partner in the …

M&A focus: A sign of things to come? Europe’s deal market ends 2018 with a whimper after a forceful start

M&A focus: A sign of things to come? Europe’s deal market ends 2018 with a whimper after a forceful start

The ghost of political turmoil did little to hinder deal-doing in Europe in the first half of 2018 but its presence appears to have made itself increasingly felt as the year wore on. With plcs wary of major investments ahead of the threat of mounting Brexit-related convulsions, not to mention a mainland European economy that …