Comment: After their lost decade, the current crisis should see the Magic Circle back on world-beating form Alex Novarese Sometimes a shock looks certain to leave life forever changed only for things to carry on much as normal. Sometimes,…
‘Stay home, save jobs’ – How the legal elite are charting a course through half-lockdown summer Alex Novarese Try driving across London or walking its crowded parks in sunny May and it becomes hard to remember that the…
Comment: Welcome back to the office? Re-thinking law’s real estate for the post-corona age Guest Blog If we can already make a few forecasts about some aspects of the post-coronavirus world, currently pole position among things…
Comment: Law firm leaders already know a lot about the post-Corona world but dare they take advantage? Guest Blog What we do not know about the surreal period we’re in thanks to the coronavirus pandemic would fill the proverbial…
Comment: Denial and a brutal end – Why cutting partners is still taboo Guest Blog The issue no law firm leader wants to address right now is whether partner ranks need to be thinned. Polite…
Comment: Gauging the profession’s Covid-19 response – Turns out five years of spouting values wasn’t just puff Alex Novarese Casting my mind back to the ancient history of mid-March when I penned my first piece assessing the impact that the…
The slaughter of innocence – A&O’s former chief on the stark staffing choices facing crisis-hit law firms Guest Blog Law firms around the world are being forced to contemplate something a good many have never had to face before,…
Covid crystal ball – A&O’s former chief sets out the post-lockdown dynamic awaiting the legal elite Guest Blog No-one knows the robustness or timing of the economic restart, but many now predict a deep second quarter contraction followed…
Comment: Allen & Overy’s election delivered an all-star line-up but have the big issues been resolved? Alex Novarese Towards the end of 2019, Legal Business remarked that the issue at the heart of Allen & Overy (A&O)’s looming…
Comment: Latham vs Kirkland means everyone else loses – They own the global elite now Alex Novarese Skadden Arps, Clifford Chance, Linklaters and, currently, Kirkland & Ellis – over the last 30 years these firms have all…
NRF asks staff to cut working hours by a fifth and defers partner pay in re-introduction of financial crisis-era flexi scheme Marco Cillario Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) is asking its staff to agree to a 20% cut of weekly working hours and delaying profit…
Competition, supply chains and act of God clauses – First considerations for GCs in their Covid-19 responses Guest Blog Businesses have shown remarkable resilience through an era defined by increasingly rapid change. Innovation, diversity and agility have driven adaptability…
US worst hit as Cadwalader becomes latest firm to respond to Covid-19 with pay cuts Nathalie Tidman Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft has become the latest firm to take drastic financial measures as the Covid-19 pandemic reaches new…
Supreme Court rules in favour of Morrisons in landmark data breach case Thomas Alan In a significant move for the future of large data breach and privacy cases, Morrisons Supermarkets has successfully defeated a…
Pioneering City arbitration set secures DC launch with latest member Alex Novarese Int-Arb Arbitrators & Mediators (Int-Arb), the specialist set of advocates launched earlier this year, is opening a new branch in…
‘Brutal clarity on priorities’ – A&O’s former chief looks back to the banking crisis for lessons to aid law firm leaders now Guest Blog What lessons can we learn from the 2008/09 financial crisis to help law firm leaders manage the escalating disruption of the coronavirus…
Coronavirus latest: Reed Smith to limit partner drawings as firms start to bunker in for the crisis Thomas Alan Reed Smith has ringfenced a portion of its cash reserves against partner distributions as a means to mitigate the impact…
Ashurst launches consulting arm to handle Covid-19 demand with Deloitte partner hire Nathalie Tidman Ashurst has launched a consulting business with the hire of a senior Deloitte partner in Australia to deal with growing…
A&O takes coronavirus threat to task with raft of belt-tightening measures Nathalie Tidman Allen & Overy has pre-empted a likely financial hit from the coronavirus crisis with a host of measures, including altering…
Guest comment: Covid-19 and City regulators – The limits of forbearance Guest Blog Forbearance is something of a dirty word in UK financial regulation, at least with regulators themselves. It describes a situation…
