Law firms

There has been more attention of late on the corporate ambitions of major audit groups but news this week is…

Asia: Fears over Hong Kong’s judicial autonomy see vote of no confidence passed in local law society head

Hong Kong lawyers turned out in force last night (14 August) to cast a vote of no confidence in local…

Taylor Wessing and BLP advise on £97m Heron Plaza sale as City real estate mandates stack up this summer

Taylor Wessing and Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) have both secured roles on the latest major real estate deal to emerge…

On Chancery Lane – Law Society appoints NHSLA head as successor to outgoing chief

In the days when in-house lawyers have gained increasing influence in law and business, the Law Society could be seen…

Norton Rose Fulbright hires oil and gas head from South African firm Bowman Gilfillan

Norton Rose Fulbright has enhanced its top tier energy practice in South Africa with the hire of energy specialist Lizel…

Guest post: Wild Boys: Why some at the Tax bar need to learn to say no

It’s quite a rarity for a practising lawyer to suggest serious unethicality on the part of his or her colleagues,…

Financial results 2013/14: Slater and Gordon unveils UK revenue jump

Australian-listed firm Slater and Gordon (S&G) has today (12 August) announced financial results for the 2013/14 year, with UK revenues…

Former News International legal duo face solicitors tribunal

More than three years after it emerged that the phone of murdered teenager Milly Dowler had been hacked – leading…

Harper Macleod merges with Bird Semple to create top 100 firm

Scottish firm Harper Macleod, the legal advisor to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, has expanded by merging with private client…

Dechert gains Singapore licence after 8 month wait

Eight months after applying for a Foreign Legal Practice licence to open in Singapore, US law firm Dechert has been…

Trainee Retention: Clifford Chance and Herbert Smith Freehills reveal retention rates

Following a spate of healthy trainee retention rates in recent weeks, magic circle firm Clifford Chance (CC) and international firm…

‘Clients are more confident about the market’: Baker & McKenzie becomes world’s largest law firm

Baker & McKenzie has overtaken DLA Piper as the world’s largest law firm, with revenues for the year ending 30…

Guest post: Stop being proactive, stop being commercial, stop being nice

I made a mistake. It was in 1989. I went in-house and found I was good at my job. It…

Slaughters posts high trainee retention rate while BLP keeps on 83%

Slaughter and May, which is well known for its high retention rates, has kept on 33 out of its 34…

‘The overall benefits are potentially enormous’: Bucks County Council granted ABS licence with emergency services group

In a move that has been welcomed by the Legal Services Board, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has granted an…

Ashurst starts out-of-hours worker redundancies

Jaishree Kalia

The past year has seen a number of UK firms scale back their back-office support teams to become more efficient…

Wachtell, A&O and Gibson Dunn lead on Walgreens acquisition of Boots

The largest drug retailer in the US, Walgreens, has instructed Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Magic Circle firm Allen…

HSF snatches Freshfields former energy co-head

Herbert Smith Freehills has landed a blow on Magic Circle firm Freshfields with the hire of the firm’s former co-head of energy…

Former Freshfields lawyers open boutique following Magic Circle firm’s Barcelona exit

Two of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s lawyers have set up an IP/IT specialist boutique in Spain following the closure of the…

Financial results 2013/14: Burness Paull posts 20% revenue increase alongside 25% profit rise