Posted on

Private Client perspectives: Ayesha Vardag

What made you decide to become a lawyer and, once you’d made that decision, why did you choose family law?

I wanted to be an actress, a journalist or a novelist, not a lawyer at all. I got interested in law spending time with my lawyer aunt in New York during my gap year, but still went to Cambridge to read English Lit. But I found that more of a crash course than an exploration, and felt that I might as well switch to the intellectual attractions of law. After a term I realised that studying law is terribly dull, it was the last thing I wanted as a career and I didn’t apply for any law jobs. I went straight to the BBC when I graduated. But then a scholarship that I’d forgotten I’d even applied for came through to study for a masters in European law in the French-speaking university in Brussels. I remember at the time my boyfriend told me: ‘Just because you get an opportunity it doesn’t mean you have to take it.’ But the BBC was supportive and I wanted the voyage of discovery offered by this exciting international frolic. Continue reading “Private Client perspectives: Ayesha Vardag”

Posted on

Planning for the unpredictable: navigating the private wealth market amid political uncertainty

Vying political parties and a constantly fluctuating international climate are driving firms to further develop their private wealth practices in the UK in a bid to capture work from the lucrative sector.

Most recently, Addleshaw Goddard launched a private wealth finance offering in London with the addition of partner Laura Uberoi from Macfarlanes to service private bank, family office and high net worth clients around the world. The hire comes as firms including Maurice Turnor Gardner, Hunters Law, Mishcon de Reya and Stephenson Harwood are also recruiting for their burgeoning practices.
Continue reading “Planning for the unpredictable: navigating the private wealth market amid political uncertainty”

Posted on

Breaking down silos: family law in the UK in 2024 and beyond

As familial relationships become increasingly complex, the law governing these relationships does too. With the idea of the family unit extending to include unmarried, cohabiting couples and nontraditional routes to parenthood, the law surrounding and protecting all families is shifting to reflect this.

Unmarried couples were declared the fastest growing family type in the UK in 2019, with the Office for National Statistics reporting a 25.8% increase in cohabiting couples from 2008 to 2018. Despite this, and despite the fact that other countries such as New Zealand and Australia have provisions for so-called ‘de-facto’ relationships, there are currently no protections for couples in this position in the UK.
Continue reading “Breaking down silos: family law in the UK in 2024 and beyond”

Posted on

Private Client Yearbook 2024 – Editor’s Letter

Welcome to the first-ever Private Client Yearbook from The Legal 500 and Legal Business.

This supplement, in association with London firm Hunters Law, brings together analysis of the key issues in both family law and private wealth today, as well as interviews with leading figures in the market.

In a frank and open interview with Lucy Enright, one of the country’s top divorce lawyers, and Legal 500 family Hall of Famer Ayesha Vardag, talks about everything from her personal journey into family law, to her top cases, through to why she believes the post-pandemic work from home movement is bad for both the legal profession and mental health. Vardag’s fellow family Hall of Famer, Sandra Davis at Mishcon de Reya, also shares the highlights in her ‘incredible’ career with Enright.

Meanwhile, Baker McKenzie’s London wealth management head, and private client Hall of Famer, Ashley Crossley tells Isabel Caine about the importance of personal perseverance and resilience and why the UK private client market is readying for its biggest challenge yet – the potential abolition of the non-dom regime.

It’s a topic that is explored in great depth in ‘Planning for the unpredictable: navigating the private wealth market amid political uncertainty’, in which partners have their say on how high-net-worth clients in the UK can stay ahead of the curve ahead of the next General Election.

We also take a detailed look at how the law needs to change to better reflect the huge variety in what modern families look like today, with leading family lawyers having their say in ‘Breaking down silos: family law in the UK in 2024 and beyond’.

Elsewhere, we showcase the firms with the most Legal 500 private client rankings in the UK.

You can also find out what’s happening in private client law around the world in the articles from our partner firms in locations from Austria to India.

We hope you enjoy this first Private Client Yearbook, and we’d love to hear from readers about the burning issues you think we should be covering in future.

Please do get in touch if you’re keen to share ideas.

Georgina Stanley
Head of global research and reporting
[email protected]

Return to the Private Client Yearbook contents

Posted on

‘Doubling down’: CC’s London PE head sets out strategy as buyout partners predict uptick

Clifford Chance

Spencer Baylin, Clifford Chance’s recently-appointed London private equity head, discussed his ambitions for the practice with LB as we garnered views from peers on how the market is faring.

In December, CC lifer Baylin stepped up to the role soon after the high-profile loss of Christopher Sullivan to Paul Weiss’ M&A practice amid the US elite firm’s aggressive drive to build a top-tier corporate practice. Continue reading “‘Doubling down’: CC’s London PE head sets out strategy as buyout partners predict uptick”

Posted on

‘Feels good to be bold’ – Freshfields executes on New York private capital ambitions with hire of Latham PE pair

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

In what will be viewed by rivals as a further shot across the bows, Freshfields has continued to make determined inroads with its US strategy, this time hiring private equity M&A partners Neal Reenan and Ian Bushner in New York from Latham & Watkins.

The investment is another coup for a firm that has become no stranger to putting its money where its mouth is on executing a bullish American strategy, and is especially striking, given the increased demand for quality private capital practitioners as client demand continues to escalate. Continue reading “‘Feels good to be bold’ – Freshfields executes on New York private capital ambitions with hire of Latham PE pair”

Posted on

‘Activity was phenomenal after a slow start’: Greenberg sustains global growth for tenth consecutive year

Greenberg Traurig has announced a 6% increase in revenue, reaching $2.3bn, while PEP rose 4%, climbing from $2.32m to $2.4m.

While slightly slower than last year’s 9% revenue increase, this growth still marks Greenberg’s tenth consecutive year of record revenue. Continue reading “‘Activity was phenomenal after a slow start’: Greenberg sustains global growth for tenth consecutive year”

Posted on

Revolving doors: moves in energy and infrastructure as DLA adds partners in the City

DLA Piper leads this week’s round of strategic hires with a quartet of notable additions to its London office. Steven Bryan, who left Paul Hastings in October, has joined the London corporate practice, bringing expertise in energy and infrastructure M&A along with Paul Doris from Brown Rudnick. Accompanying them, Derwin Jenkinson, who also departed Paul Hastings last year, enhances DLA’s finance projects and restructuring group.

DLA Piper also welcomed Andrew Sackney to its corporate crime and investigations team in London. Coming from Pinsent Masons, where he led the global investigations practice, Sackney brings expertise in tackling large-scale, domestic, and international investigations. Continue reading “Revolving doors: moves in energy and infrastructure as DLA adds partners in the City”

Posted on

London partners overlooked as A&O Shearman reveals post-merger leadership

Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling today announced (1 March) the names of the key leadership term that will head A&O Shearman once the $3.5bn merger completes on 1 May – with no UK-based partners making the line-up.

A&O’s current interim global managing partner and Middle East and Turkey regional managing partner Khalid Garousha has been elected senior partner of the combined firm. The managing partner role, meanwhile, has gone to current Paris managing partner Hervé Ekué.

Continue reading “London partners overlooked as A&O Shearman reveals post-merger leadership”

Posted on

GC Legal Tech Pulse 2024 – in association with Thomson Reuters

Tech and AI are at the top of everyone’s agenda right now. Legal Business and Thomson Reuters canvassed the opinions of UK GCs and heads of legal on everything from securing budget, to the tech they want and need to invest in and how to best approach CLM implementation.

Find out how your team compares in our brand new GC Legal Tech Pulse 2024 insight report. You can download the report for free here. Continue reading “GC Legal Tech Pulse 2024 – in association with Thomson Reuters”

Posted on

McDermott hires London M&A partner from Cooley as global revenue nears $2bn mark

McDermott has announced today (28 February) that Michal Berkner has joined the firm as a partner, bolstering its transactions practice in London.

She joins from Cooley, where she led the cross-border M&A practice, including negotiated and unsolicited transactions and joint ventures. Her clients include strategic and private equity buyers and sellers in public and private transactions. Continue reading “McDermott hires London M&A partner from Cooley as global revenue nears $2bn mark”

Posted on

Tech outlook in Cyprus in 2024

In recent years, Cyprus has cultivated a thriving tech eco-system, positioning itself as a strong innovator, with a commitment to driving competitiveness and strategic service delivery. The country’s ICT sector is said to have contributed €3bn+ to the Cypriot economy in 2022, constituting 13% of the country’s GDP—a substantial leap from 7% in 2019 and 8.5% in 2020. Notably, €1bn is reportedly attributed to the influx of international firms and specialised human talent to Cyprus, a trend accelerated by the conflict in Ukraine.

In 2023, we observed Cyprus make remarkable progress in the technology sector. Fuelling this growth was the emergence of tech start-ups and digital enterprises, supported by government initiatives and organisations like TechIsland, Cyprus’ largest tech association, designed to attract high-calibre tech corporations worldwide. With over 270 member companies, TechIsland aims to enhance the tech industry’s operating environment, unite diverse stakeholders, and promote sustainable growth, contributing significantly to the country’s economic prosperity through tech.
Continue reading “Tech outlook in Cyprus in 2024”

Posted on

Q&A: Kristóf Ferenczi, firm managing partner, discusses the future of Kinstellar

Can you share your journey in the legal field leading up to your current role as managing partner?

I started my legal career more than two decades ago as a trainee at the then-established Budapest office of Linklaters, and during my early years I was also seconded to the firm’s London office. My early professional years also included time at a CEE-based independent firm and DLA Piper’s Budapest office before returning to Linklaters. In 2008, as a result of Linklaters’ withdrawal from the CEE region, partners from the affected offices laid the foundation for a new firm, leading to the creation of Kinstellar in November 2008. I became a partner in 2009, and head of the firm-wide energy service line. I was appointed managing partner of the Budapest office in 2020 and became Kinstellar’s firm managing partner as of January 2024.

Continue reading “Q&A: Kristóf Ferenczi, firm managing partner, discusses the future of Kinstellar”

Posted on

Strategies for safeguarding client confidentiality and compliance

Everyone is aware that data breaches and cyber attacks are on the rise globally. It affects organisations across various industries and for legal firms especially it is imperative that security is a top priority. Lawyers need to ensure their documentation is secure to uphold the principles of client confidentiality and attorney-client privilege, this is fundamental to the legal profession. By securing documentation, legal professionals protect against unauthorised access, data breaches, and potential disclosure of confidential information to third parties. Compliance with legal and industry-specific regulations is crucial,and secure documentation ensures adherence to these standards, mitigating the risk of legal and ethical consequences. Additionally, securing documentation reflects the professional responsibility of legal practitioners to safeguard the interests of their clients and maintain the highest ethical standards in the practice of law.

Law firms can enhance their security measures by using cloud-based digital dictation solutions as well as implementing a combination of technical safeguards, best practices, and employee training. Here are key steps law firms can take to protect themselves when utilising cloud-based digital dictation.
Continue reading “Strategies for safeguarding client confidentiality and compliance”

Posted on

‘Not just merger control’: Freshfields eyes opportunities in rising tide of antitrust regulation

Off the back of Freshfields’ recent recruitment of former FTC commissioner Christine Wilson into its US antitrust practice as a senior adviser, LB looks at the growing importance of competition law, and what it means for the firm’s global strategy

Freshfields has in recent years arguably made greater strides than most peers in investing in its US business. Insiders stress that this is part of a worldwide push for ‘global elite’ status – a strategy that sees the firm aim to be, in the words of global antitrust, competition, and trade group head Alastair Chapman, ‘a US firm for US clients, a European firm for European clients, an Asian firm for Asian clients, and a global firm for all our clients’. Continue reading “‘Not just merger control’: Freshfields eyes opportunities in rising tide of antitrust regulation”

Posted on

The Client Profile: Nigel Paterson, Currys

‘I’m an extrovert and I like to get out there. An in-house role is much more team orientated than private practice,’ notes Nigel Paterson, the general counsel (GC) of British electricals retailer Currys, on his decision to go in-house some 25 years ago.

And it soon becomes apparent that, so illustrious has been his career, somehow none of the gravitas is lost through Paterson drinking from his daughter’s Little Miss Naughty mug throughout the interview with LB. Continue reading “The Client Profile: Nigel Paterson, Currys”