In-house lawyers have been notoriously slow to embrace the tech-backed delivery of legal services, but Legal Business research drawing on responses from more than 600 global clients shows many believe technology will transform the way they work.
Bursting at the seams: Milbank makes room for 50 extra lawyers in the City
Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy is gearing up for further growth in London by leasing extra office space, an extra 35% on top of its current City base.
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Easy access: EY lowers threshold for first UK trainee programme
Big Four accountancy firm EY will recruit eight trainee solicitors in the UK over the next two years, launching its first-ever lawyer training scheme in the UK.
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Ince & Co Singapore exits continue as energy head departs for Bakers
Ince & Co’s departures continue in Singapore with energy head Martin David being the latest to leave the firm, joining Baker & McKenzie as a partner in its Singapore energy practice.
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Freshfields and HFW criticised by Takeover Panel for breaching rules in Bumi transaction
In a rare step, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) have been publicly criticised by the UK Takeover Panel for breaching its code of conduct when advising on the formation of a multibillion-dollar Indonesian coal group.
Goodwin Procter opens Frankfurt base with the hire of four Ashurst partners
US firm Goodwin Procter is setting up shop in Frankfurt, establishing a real estate capital markets platform with four of Ashurst’s six Frankfurt real estate partners.
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Deep Blue sky thinking: The cutting edge of legal AI
Artificial intelligence is big news once again in law and beyond. Legal Business speaks to leaders in the field of advanced automation to assess what it means for the profession.
> How are you today?
* I’m afraid AI will change the legal profession.
> How long have you been afraid AI will change the legal profession?
* Since I started speaking to AI researchers.
> Can you elaborate on that?
* They were telling me about their latest research.
> I don’t understand you.
* Neither did they, that’s why I wanted to see a therapist.
> Tell me more…
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Applied science and snake oil: AI in practice
The cutting-edge science in artificial intelligence in law is startling, but does the tech currently offered by commercial legal providers match the hype?
It’s a sign of the times: Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) now has its own ‘robot’. In September, the firm announced it had teamed up with tech company RAVN Systems in a deal to use its artificial intelligence (AI) platform, known as the Applied Cognitive Engine (RAVN ACE).
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The i-Team: The client perspective on AI
Pioneering GCs are taking control of legal spend, armed with the latest tech. Can the rest of the in-house community keep pace?
If conventional law firms have been slow to embrace technology – and they have – their counterparts in-house have been barely moving. But in the last five years signs have emerged of ‘early adopters’ in the bluechip general counsel (GC) community who are willing to do more than apply new tools at the margins. The GCs are turning to technology to reshape the way they work.
AI and the law tools of tomorrow: A special report
The In-House Lawyer Survey – More than a number
Our fourth annual client survey shows the maturing role of in-house counsel leading to greater job satisfaction. But in winning more responsibility, are they taking on more than they can handle?
Career-wise, in-house is the new black. As Chris Fowler, general counsel (GC) for BT’s UK commercial legal services division, observes, there is now much more of a desire among millennials to work for companies than in private practice. With in-house teams evolving in status to become more important to the business, the role of the corporate counsel now is far more attractive to law graduates than ever before.
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The In-House Lawyer Survey – Bang for your buck
Our fourth in-house survey shows a softening stance towards external advisers from general counsel, reflecting the need for high-quality consultative advice.
With more than 20 years spent in multiple in-house legal positions, BAE Systems’ group general counsel (GC) Philip Bramwell has been at the centre of the evolution of the in-house legal profession. But despite seeing the GC rise in prominence to trusted adviser status, he doesn’t believe the role will shift so fundamentally that it will lessen dependence on external counsel.
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The In-House Lawyer Survey – Buying IBM
Client rankings from our fourth annual in-house survey show that GCs continue to trust premium advice. Can non-law firm providers make headway?
During the 1990s, when ITV’s current group general counsel (GC) Andrew Garard was serving a stint as head of legal at Reuters, a deal landed on his desk that required external advice. A revolving credit facility which, he says, was the first-ever syndicated loan deal done via the internet.
The In-House Lawyer Survey 2015: Balancing Acts
ABC – the brutally simple world of a private equity lawyer
As diversifying private equity houses continue to drive transactional activity in Europe, the battle to build high-end buyout teams intensifies. Who has made the right bets?
The philosophy of Richard Matthew Youle is simple: ‘If you’re moving firms then you’ve got to back yourself that you’ve got the charisma to bring in the clients and have chosen the right firm with a strong enough platform to service them. Then you better deliver the deal, because if you fuck it up, you’re toast.’
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GC Powerlist Ireland: Standing out
Our inaugural GC Powerlist: Ireland launch brought together Dublin’s legal elite to celebrate the achievements of 100 of the country’s finest in-house counsel.
The latest addition to our GC Powerlist series was launched on 7 October, highlighting the most influential in-house counsel in Ireland. The inaugural GC Powerlist: Ireland was released at a reception for those included in the publication, hosted at sponsor McCann FitzGerald’s Dublin office.
The cyber security roundtable: Victims and visions
As cyber security issues continue to dominate the headlines amid a fractious European backdrop, we assembled a group of senior GCs to ask how to handle the inevitable attacks.
Even the cynics that see cyber security as the latest in a long line of corporate fads generating its own compliance circus and attending cottage industry have to concede that such threats – and the increasingly entwined issue of privacy – are becoming a more pressing matter.
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North Africa round table – Through the gate
With North Africa becoming a regional hub for international clients doing business on the continent, we teamed up with Bennani & Associés to debate the practicalities of servicing clients in Algeria and Morocco.
For the avoidance of doubt, Africa is not a single market for international firms to crack. Not only is it a continent comprising 54 distinct legal jurisdictions, but there are also numerous entry points for global legal service providers to service their clients.
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The International Arbitration Summit
Arbitration specialists gathered for our first summit in London in September. Read full coverage of the key debates.
Life During Law – Edward Sparrow
The legal market has become more competitive. One way of measuring yourself is profit share. For some partners, the size of this share is very important. When I started getting offers, I realised money wasn’t something that motivated me. Other factors were much stronger.
I started out with a managing clerk – he was a bad influence in terms of litigation because he was at a stage where he couldn’t be bothered with the detail, but he was fantastic. He was the firm’s troubleshooter. Whenever the client had a problem – if there was fraud in the factory or somebody was stealing – he was the guy that got called in. He was like something out of a 1970s police programme. He was my first influence.