Kirkland & Ellis, Paul Weiss and Slaughter and May are advising on the proposed takeover of the Royal Mail’s parent company, International Distributions Service (IDS), by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky.
‘I have this condition, and I’m owning it’: HSF’s Samantha Brown on managing mental ill health alongside a legal career
For Mental Health Awareness Week, Samantha Brown, partner and regional head of Herbert Smith Freehill’s employment, pensions, and incentives group, spoke to LB about her own experiences with anxiety and depression, lessons from returning to work after taking time off, and how attitudes and language around mental health have changed for the better
‘I mistakenly thought severe anxiety was a good thing’ – Vinson’s London head on opening up about mental health
For Mental Health Awareness Week, Vinson & Elkins London managing partner Nick Henchie talked to LB about recognising mental health issues, seeking support, the importance of openness and honesty, and supporting the next generation of lawyers facing similar challenges
Bird & Bird to launch in Tokyo with Ashurst corporate hire as firm sets sights on €1bn revenue mark
Bird & Bird has announced it will open in Tokyo before the end of the year, with the new base set to be led by corporate partner Hiro Iwamura, who is joining from Ashurst.
The launch marks the first significant move for the firm since February’s unveiling of its new five-year strategy – which includes the ambitious goal of reaching €1bn in revenue within the next half-decade.
Travers departures continue as Linklaters and Fried Frank pick off transactional trio
In another blow for Travers Smith, respected corporate M&A and ECM partner Richard Spedding has left to join Linklaters, on the back of the departure of a private equity duo to Goodwin late last month.
A Legal 500 Hall of Famer for small to mid-cap equity capital markets, Spedding was at Travers or 25 years. Experienced in public M&A and the UK Takeover Code, Spedding recently co-led the firm’s team advising key private equity client Inflexion on its £342m takeover of DWF.
‘I have near total freedom to build a practice’: ex-Kirkland Hall of Famer Tumani on his new challenge
Legal 500 Hall of Famer Satnam Tumani, previously head of the SFO’s anti-corruption and bribery unit and a longstanding partner at Kirkland & Ellis, recently moved to boutique firm Edmonds Marshall McMahon. He spoke to LB about his brief to build a new practice, the contrasts between Big Law and boutique law, and his nostalgia for the days of letter-writing
‘We have an insatiable appetite for recruiting’: Keystone posts double-digit revenue rise as hiring picks up
Keystone Law has released its financial results for 2023-24, posting a 15.1% revenue boost to reach £87.9m.
The results, which cover the financial year to 31 January 2024, come after a sustained period of recruitment for the firm, which is continuing to sign up lawyers attracted to its non-traditional, decentralised model.
Norton Rose and DLA post rising revenues as global footprint drives growth
Norton Rose has reported an 8.7% increase in global revenue, marking a turnaround from two years of declining revenue.
Profit per equity partner (PEP) jumped almost 33% from $1.05m to $1.4m in 2023, as the number of equity partners declined by 21% from 644 to 506.
‘Nobody will want to feel like they are the poor cousin’: Freshfields reignites talent war with £150k NQ pay hike
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has broken ranks from its Magic Circle peers on associate salaries, increasing newly-qualified (NQ) pay from £125,000 to a new high of £150,000.
The move puts clear water between the firm and Slaughter and May, Linklaters, A&O Shearman, and Clifford Chance, all which pay their NQ lawyers £125,000.
Eversheds, A&O, and Standard Chartered GC among winners at debut Legal 500 UK ESG Awards
Eversheds Sutherland, Allen & Overy and Womble Bond Dickinson were among the major winners at the inaugural Legal 500 UK ESG Awards 2024, which welcomed more than 400 guests to the InterContinental London Park Lane on 24 April.