Breaking the Circle

In 2002 LB made the bold move of placing Herbert Smith into the Magic Circle. But ten years on, has the firm kept up the pace?

What a difference a decade makes. In the April 2002 edition of LB, we sparked widespread debate when we placed Herbert Smith into the Magic Circle (see ‘Fellowship of the Circle’, LB123). We called it the ‘biggest change at the very top of the legal market since the merger of Clifford Turner and Coward Chance’ and praised the UK firm for its leading European corporate practice, its stellar financial performance and its successful challenge to the perception that it was a litigation-only firm.

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The Real Estate We’re In

It’s been a bleak few years for real estate departments but, after an active 2010 with some major headline deals, the London market is picking up as the regions remain in the doldrums. LB looks at a very different kind of property market

Got any advice for a budding young real estate lawyer? ‘Become an accountant,’ laughs veteran Herbert Smith real estate partner James Barnes, as he surveys the moribund UK property market.

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