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The Client profile: Stephanie Dominy, Snyk

‘There is a creative and artistic side to me but also a very pragmatic and logical one. While I left that creative side behind, sometimes it still wants to get out.’ From speaking to Stephanie Dominy, general counsel (GC) of the hyper-complicated, open-source software security start-up Snyk, both her logical and creative credentials are in no doubt.

Dominy came to the UK at age 12 from Singapore while on an artistic mission: at the time she was training to be a ballet dancer, and had enrolled at a performing arts school. As such, she recalls that becoming a lawyer ‘wasn’t even intentional’. She says: ‘It was somewhat the expected thing, a safe career, something you would work hard at and then you will be recognised. I studied law at King’s and people were getting ready to go off and do training contracts, so I thought I might as well do the same!’ Continue reading “The Client profile: Stephanie Dominy, Snyk”

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Life During Law: Natasha Harrison

My maths teacher was married to a criminal barrister, so I did a mini-pupillage at his set. Loved it but decided I didn’t want to do criminal law. Over the years that followed I did more mini-pupillages, including at a commercial set, a common law set, as well as work experiences at law firms, the BBC and Foreign Office. All of which confirmed I wanted to do commercial law.

I really wanted to go down the barrister route, but I was the first person in my family to go into law and I didn’t know any barristers growing up. I had been to Durham rather than Oxbridge and I was a girl. Continue reading “Life During Law: Natasha Harrison”

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The Legal 500: Competition: Close competition

‘Brexit was a big moment,’ notes Allen & Overy (A&O) London antitrust group head Mark Friend. ‘It has big ramifications for antitrust practitioners because the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) is no longer able to enforce EU competition law but on the other hand, it is increasingly flexing its muscles. The high-level theme is that the CMA has an opportunity to compete on the international enforcement stage – freed from the shackles of the EU. We’ll see it taking an increasingly high-profile role.’

The UK’s departure from the EU has had an impact on all areas of legal practice, but perhaps none more so than antitrust and competition. Traditionally, the CMA as the UK regulator was largely subservient to the EU, meaning that all high-level work was European-facing. Though one may expect that Brexit would cause the London market to suffer, the emergence of the CMA as a global regulatory force has meant that London competition work is of greater global importance than ever before, to the extent that numerous US giants have been in hiring mode. Continue reading “The Legal 500: Competition: Close competition”

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The Legal Business Awards and GC Powerlist UK 2021: Great to be back!

Pinsent Masons, Travers Smith and easyJet were among the major winners at the 2021 Legal Business Awards, which returned as a live event following the pandemic, bringing together 600 guests in Covid-safe conditions at the Grosvenor House hotel on 30 September.

As is tradition, the event was preceded by a reception to mark the launch of our annual GC Powerlist – acknowledging the contribution of key general counsel (GCs) at influential businesses. Later, the main event got underway in the Great Room at Grosvenor House, with Legal Business managing editor Mark McAteer welcoming the guests to the evening’s proceedings and thanking them for a huge turn out at one of the first in-person events to take place for some time. Continue reading “The Legal Business Awards and GC Powerlist UK 2021: Great to be back!”

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Legal Business 100: Main Menu

Overview

Marathon, not a sprint

Events since coronavirus hit should have triggered a crisis of epic proportions. But our LB100 report makes it clear that, against all odds, the starter pistol on panic has yet to be fired

Main table

Partner earnings table

Core stats

Second 25

The great leap upwards

After a year of triumph over adversity, the LB100’s chasing pack are priming themselves to reach new heights

Second 50: City and Boutique

Percentage play

While the performance of the mid-market and boutique London-based firms in the second 50 is more muted than other areas of the LB100, these firms pack a considerable punch

Second 50: Regional View

Faster, higher stronger

The regional firms in the second 50 of the LB100 have proved that their stamina and talent can help them rise to meet the toughest of challenges

Methodology and notes

The Last Word

Going the distance

LB100 leaders give their views on another remarkable year and offer their prognosis on the 12 months ahead

 

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LB100: Methodology and notes

LB100 LAW FIRMS

The firms that appear in the Legal Business 100 (LB100) are the top 100 law firms in the UK (usually LLP partnerships but also some alternative business structures – see footnotes), ranked by gross fee income generated over the financial year 2020/21 – usually 1 May 2020 to 30 April 2021. We call these the 2021 results. Where firms have identical fee incomes, the firms are ranked according to highest profit per equity partner (PEP). Continue reading “LB100: Methodology and notes”

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Sponsored briefing: Interview: Mohammed R Alsuwaidi – chair, founding partner, Alsuwaidi & Company

Can you give our Legal Business readers an overview of Alsuwaidi & Company.

Alsuwaidi & Company is a full-service business law firm, rooted in regional know-how. Since the firm’s inception in 1997, we have supported leading businesses across the UAE and beyond, assisting them to navigate complex and commercial challenges. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Interview: Mohammed R Alsuwaidi – chair, founding partner, Alsuwaidi & Company”

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We’ve listened: important new changes to The Legal 500 UK 2022

This month’s issue of Legal Business may be dedicated to the largest firms in the UK by revenue but sibling title The Legal 500 is a much more inclusive church. The latest UK solicitors guide includes no fewer than 1,154 distinct firms operating in the UK across nearly 10,000 distinct rankings, of which nearly 4,500 are in the all-important London market. And with client feedback levels up 50% to more than 50,000 responses across the UK, they should reflect general counsel opinion better than ever.

We’re going to be taking a closer look at the rankings themselves and the performance of the LB100 in the next issue of Legal Business but there are a few important points about the most recent research that I want to highlight now. This year, on top of my general drive towards pushing for quality at the top of our core City rankings, improving diversity and ensuring our rankings are as reflective of the current market as possible, we have made two new tangible changes. Continue reading “We’ve listened: important new changes to The Legal 500 UK 2022”

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LB100 Overview: Marathon, not a sprint

The phrase has long been a cliché among industry circles, but no-one is better at being cautiously optimistic than a law firm leader. For years, individuals have been compelled to temper any bullishness on market outlook with a healthy recognition that disaster is probably just around the corner. After all, few things make the sting of a downturn worse than the humiliation of hubris. Yet this year’s Legal Business 100 (LB100) has again seen all those risk-averse catastrophists not only surviving but thriving.

To say much has changed since our 2020 report would be an understatement. Last year in profit terms, the message was clear that firms were cutting their cloth accordingly in light of a seemingly inevitable bout of financial turbulence in the year to come. Continue reading “LB100 Overview: Marathon, not a sprint”

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LB100 Second 25: The great leap upwards

Analysing and then explaining the performance of the LB100’s 26-50 bracket is far from straightforward. The monumental disruption of the last year would seem to mandate a slip in standards or market activity at least somewhere, but across the board, leaders seem almost embarrassed by their near-universally buoyant performances.

Three of the top ten fastest-growing firms by revenue are in the 26-50 category, with expansive listed firm Knights the fastest in the entire LB100, after growing by 39%. Granted, Knights has bolted on a number of new offices to inflate the increase, but the acquisitiveness is representative of a flourishing market. Average revenue for the bracket increased by a respectable 4% to £154.7m, while average revenue per lawyer (RPL) remained flat at £273,000. Continue reading “LB100 Second 25: The great leap upwards”

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LB100 Second 50: Regional View – Faster, higher, stronger

The regional and smaller national firms that sit in the 51-100 bracket of the Legal Business 100 (LB100) have again proved their mettle. Twenty nine firms, with an average of 250 lawyers and 30 equity partners, have shone again.

Following last year’s 7% overall revenue growth, the group’s collective revenue was down to £1.41bn for 2020/21 – although there are two fewer firms in this category than last year. It is the average performance that tells the complete story: a striking revenue increase of 11% from £47m to £53m. This growth is also reflected in per lawyer metrics across the group. Revenue per lawyer (RPL) held steady at £192,000, but profit per lawyer (PPL) jumped 14% from £37,000 to £43,000. Average profit per equity partner (PEP), however, also moved up an impressive 8% to £352,000. And, while the performance of non-City firms in the second half of the LB100 is not nearly as strong on average metrics as their London counterparts (see part III), the gap is certainly narrowing and the firms in this group have far outperformed City and boutique firms on a year-on-year basis. Continue reading “LB100 Second 50: Regional View – Faster, higher, stronger”

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LB100 Second 50: City and Boutique – Percentage play

The 21 London-based firms that sit in the second half of the LB100, many of which are specialist, focused players, are known for packing a punch that belies their size. These firms average 179 lawyers and 29 equity partners and have a combined turnover of more than £1bn. The group contains some of the strongest private wealth and family firms in the country (Boodle Hatfield, Farrer & Co, Forsters, Harbottle & Lewis, Payne Hicks Beach); the strongest disputes and tech firms (Bristows, Kingsley Napley, Stewarts, Wiggin); and the definitive boutique, pensions specialist Sacker & Partners.

Perhaps because many of these outfits were lean going into the pandemic, and perhaps also their service lines are tighter than firms elsewhere in the table, the changes overall have been less dramatic than elsewhere in the LB100. Average revenue is broadly in line, up 3% from £47m to £48.3m, with a revenue per lawyer (RPL) of £271,000. But in profitability terms, while these firms are clearly high-performing, the gains in the last financial year have been modest. Profit per lawyer (PPL) and profit per equity partner (PEP) are both up by just 2%, to £85,000 and £469,000 respectively. Continue reading “LB100 Second 50: City and Boutique – Percentage play”

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LB100 proves pacier than hoped but there’s plenty of ground still to cover

While commentary from LB100 leaders in recent years may have occasionally sounded like a broken record, with gingerly repeated soundbites about ‘cautious optimism’, this is certainly not true of our 2021 report.

This time last year, despite the market’s best efforts to put a brave face on things, we were still very much in the throes of coronavirus uncertainty, with no-one really knowing the true extent of the damage. ‘I’m more worried about what happens next year,’ noted Roland Turnill, Slaughter and May’s head of M&A in 2020, spelling out the quandary felt by many at the time. ‘The financial crisis was six to eight months of nothing happening, but this could be a bit more of a lull and then six months from now it gets tough. It will be a funny-shaped recovery.’ Continue reading “LB100 proves pacier than hoped but there’s plenty of ground still to cover”

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Sponsored briefing: Recent patent highlights in Turkey

Geographically positioned between Europe and Asia, Turkey is a strategically placed country, with a population of 82 million and a larger youth population than any EU member state. Taking its place on the list of G20 countries, Turkey aims to position itself in the global value chain and strengthen its export platform by focusing on high-tech patents, including electronic machinery and equipment, automotive spare parts, railway and maritime transport, energy generation and efficiency projects. In addition, as a natural transport hub, Turkey is a transitional trade platform between Europe and Asia, which significantly increases the relevance of appropriate IP rights protection.

Turkey has substantially harmonised its intellectual property laws with the EU legislation and the international agreements such as the Paris Convention and TRIPs, to provide effective legal means for enhanced patent enforcement capabilities. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Recent patent highlights in Turkey”

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Sponsored briefing: Methods of money laundering: Circumventing anti-money laundering mechanisms

Money laundering continues to be an issue for both financial services providers and their clients. In particular, money launderers continue to circumvent compliance measures by relocating to less-regulated, often cash-intense sectors. Because money launderers are not bound by parliamentary decision processes, they are able to react faster and exercise more flexibility than those who are responsible for keeping them in check. This goes to show that it is not only helpful but necessary for compliance officers and other diligent actors to be able to empathise with money launderers and how they operate.

At Teichmann International, we believe that in order to be able to effectively prevent money laundering, one needs to look at compliance from the money launderer’s perspective. Money launderers generally avoid methods and industries that fall within the scope of Anti-Money Laundering Acts. Moreover, they frequently split larger amounts of incriminated money to undercut threshold values for cash payments. Particularly well suited are investments in tangible assets because they facilitate placement of incriminated cash by changing the value carrier. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: Methods of money laundering: Circumventing anti-money laundering mechanisms”