Trophy mandates and client plaudits: Weil’s London M&A team hits its stride
Weil London co-head David Avery-Gee on the differentiators helping his team punch above its weight on deals
Highlights
The ‘football managers’ of the legal world – why real estate PE partners are in high demand
Lateral partner moves soar in corporate real estate as firms move to bulk up private equity offerings
Life During Law
Sidley leader Yvette Ostolaza on role models, ambition and private investment in law
Firm management committee chair talks LB through a lifetime of firsts
‘I’m sure I made a ton of mistakes’ – McDermott’s Coleman on fresh thinking, leadership lessons and why scale matters
McDermott Will & Schulte chair Ira Coleman on his life during law, from leading the 'the little engine that could' Miami office to overseeing a $3bn merger
The Client Profile: Arm legal chief Spencer Collins on humble starts and career successes
Tech giant's CLO on gaining the trust of SoftBank's CEO, the stalled $40bn sale to Nvidia and what he's learned about building a successful in-house career
Freshfields’ Charles Hayes on emotional intelligence, Formula One deals, sheep and daring to press the button
Charlie Hayes, the global co-head of the private capital group at Freshfields, on everything from delivering lambs and making tables from trees to the importance of clarity in client communications
Life During Law: Georgia Dawson
<p>‘The industry is evolving rapidly. Even before the pandemic you could see change coming through the profession.’</p>
‘Debunk assumptions by doing surprising things’ – Paul Weiss’s Nicole Kar on succeeding in City law
<p>Ahead of International Women’s Day Nicole Kar, global co-chair of antitrust at Paul Weiss, discusses thriving in the deep end and why there is still more room at the top for women in law</p>
Life During Law: Nick Vamos
A&O’s Wim Dejonghe on mergers, money and his plans for life after law
<p>Ahead of the A&O Shearman merger, outgoing A&O senior partner Wim Dejonghe sat down with <em>LB</em> to discuss lessons from previous merger talks, his plans for the future and his views on the ‘unhealthy’ levels of money in law</p>
Life During Law: Nick Scott
Life During Law: Freshfields’ London head Mark Sansom
<p>Freshfields’ Mark Sansom on motorsports, email gaffes and competing on the global stage</p>
Life During Law: Sandra Paul
<p>Kingsley Napley’s Sandra Paul on tackling racism, the age of criminal responsibility and AI</p>
Life During Law: former A&O chief Wim Dejonghe
<p>Dejonghe, who was recently named Management Partner of the Year at the LB Awards, on mergers, money and his future plans</p>
Leadership
‘We needed more flexibility’ – Georgia Dawson on reshaping Freshfields for the future
From partner pay reform to US expansion, AI and overhauling the firm's business services function, Freshfields senior partner Georgia Dawson has been busy. She spoke to LB about her first five years in the role
‘Complete integration of strategy and leadership’ – DLA Piper’s leaders on why they’re ditching the verein and going global
Firm co-CEOs Charles Severs and Frank Ryan on why now is the time for deeper integration
Dentons CEO sets out plan to take the firm from ‘pre-teen’ to ‘young adult’
CEO Kate Barton on her ambitious strategy for the firm
‘For us, it all came together’ – how Proskauer built a London high yield offering in 12 months
European capital markets head Jake Keaveny on the first phase of Proskauer's ambitious finance buildout
‘Fresh perspectives’ – Gibson Dunn’s new London co-heads set out City plans
Gibson Dunn's new London co-heads Rob Carr and Osma Hudda tell LB about their leadership plans
Inside Ropes & Gray’s calculated European PE expansion
After 15 years in London, the Boston firm has been building a presence on the continent with a series of high-profile hires from firms including Linklaters and Latham
‘We need to remember how well we’ve been doing’ – new Eversheds chief Froud on leadership, tech and global goals
New global co-CEO talks strategy, integration and management after stepping into top post this week
‘We’re not complacent – we’re not done’: Latham stakes its claim as leader of the PE pack
On the back of the hire of Ross Allardice from White & Case, Latham's private equity leaders set out why their European platform gives them the edge on their rivals
Goodwin COO: ‘I want to disrupt not just scale a law firm’
Mary O'Carroll on bringing California's 'move fast and break things' ethos to law
Addleshaws leader on corporate ambitions, key clients and why a US merger isn’t part of the £1bn 2030 strategy
Addleshaw Goddard managing partner Andrew Johnston talks about international expansion, sticking to the strategy and the firm's new London office
IWD 2026: Meet the female founders behind some of the UK’s top legal boutiques
Female law firm founders on building boutiques, creating an alternative culture and the scourge of mansplaining in the legal profession
‘Private credit are the new banks’: Proskauer’s A&O and Cahill hires on the US firm’s ambitious finance push
Proskauer has recently made waves in London with a quartet of big-name laterals from A&O and Cahill Gordon - part of an ambitious play to build a full-coverage finance practice in the City. LB spoke to the team to find out more
