Sidley Austin is the latest US firm to announce its partnership promotions, electing 24 new partners, but making up just one in London in a reduced partnership round.
Continue reading “US partner promotions: Sidley Austin makes up just one in London in reduced round”
Unless you have been too busy reconciling your cheque book stubs against your monthly paper bank statements, you may have heard that the financial technology (fintech) sector is white hot right now.
Magic Circle firm Slaughter and May has followed up steep rises in salary earlier this year with bumper bonuses as high-performing junior lawyers pocket over £15,000.
Continue reading “Christmas comes early for Slaughter and May associates with biggest bonuses yet”
The criminal courts charge is, or was, one of the less well thought-through criminal justice reforms of recent years. Since April this year, courts have had a duty under section 21A of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 to impose a fixed charge ‘in respect of relevant court costs’ on those convicted of offences.
Continue reading “Guest post: The strange, slow death of the criminal courts charge”
After nearly a decade in the role easyJet’s longstanding head of legal and compliance, Andrew Winterton, is leaving to join a start-up taxi app company.
Continue reading “Taking off: easyJet legal chief Winterton to depart for taxi app company”
Wall Street’s top firms have announced their bonuses for associates, with many matching the levels of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, which became the first US firm to set the benchmark for US associate bonuses this year.
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has promoted one partner in the City in a global promotions round which saw the firm elect nine new partners globally in locations including New York, Washington and Hong Kong.
Both The Law Society and The Bar Council have called for legal professional privilege (LPP) to receive statutory protection in the forthcoming Investigatory Powers Bill.
Continue reading “Privilege under threat: Legal lobby raises alarm over Snooper’s charter”
Our profession is facing a growing tension between the drive for profit – the resurgent guiding principle of the 2000s – and the increasing demand for more social responsibility among businesses. Post-recession, we can add increased competition, the scrutiny of the business press and a growing focus on efficiency into the mix, all of which amounts to a potential recipe for trouble. Continue reading “Comment: NRF’s Martyr – ‘Society craves balance but the profession drives our people in a different direction’”
DLA Piper has made a major finance play in the City with the hire of former Slaughter and May partner Mark Dwyer and Baker & McKenzie structured finance veteran Vincent Keaveny.
Avoiding the prospect of a costly and public trial, Clifford Chance (CC) has settled a professional negligence claim against it over the high-profile Excalibur dispute brought by the case’s funders and Greek shipping tycoons, the Lemos family, for an undisclosed sum.
Continue reading “Weapons down: CC settles high profile Excalibur negligence case”
After spending most of 2015 launching new offices and forming international alliances, Kennedys has announced one merger and two formal alliances with three Scandinavian firms in a bid to boost its European presence.
Hogan Lovells and Mayer Brown have announced significant international recruitment today (9 December). Hogan Lovells has improved its disputes practice with the hire of Baker & McKenzie’s Hong Kong head of international arbitration James Kwan, while Mayer Brown has hired a three-lawyer team from Clifford Chance (CC) in Frankfurt to expand its M&A and restructuring practice.
Legal education reform. First principles. Root and branch. It was ever thus. Attending the Westminster Legal Policy Forum (WLPF) seminar this week, the legal education community was much exercised about the latest attempts to reform the framework for training lawyers.
In business as in life, if you want respect you have to start by expecting it and not putting up with its absence. Perhaps the ludicrous attempt to bully the commercial legal profession into taking on more pro bono with the threat of a levy on the UK’s largest law firms will make that point sink in.
Continue reading “Comment: The moment of truth arises – will the profession stand up to Gove?”
In a move that demonstrates consolidation is still very much on trend for national law firms, Irwin Mitchell’s continuation of its aggressive expansion policy by merging with the south-east based Thomas Eggar this month has garnered a mixed reaction from the market.
Continue reading “Market reaction: jury still out on Irwin Mitchell’s £40m takeover of Thomas Eggar”
US prosecutors have told a New York judge of new guilty plea deals offered to three senior Dewey & LeBoeuf executives after the criminal case over the biggest law firm bankruptcy in history collapsed recently.
The latest LLP filings at Companies House by Macfarlanes have shown the highest-paid member at the firm pocketed £2.04m in 2014/15, 33% more than in the previous financial year.
Continue reading “Macfarlanes’ top-earning partner pay leaps by a third, annual LLP accounts show”
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) general counsel John Collins has resigned just 11 months after becoming the top lawyer at the leading High Street bank.
Continue reading “Top RBS lawyer resigns as John Collins makes surprise defection to Santander”
Cravath Swaine & Moore has set the benchmark for US associate bonuses becoming the first major law firm to announce its end-of-year awards.
Continue reading “Cravath kicks off bonus season with associates in line for up to $100,000”
