Partners at Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) and US firm Kramer Levin have voted in favour of their landmark merger, paving the way for the creation of a financially integrated $2bn transatlantic powerhouse.
The union was confirmed today (4 April) following a partner vote, and will see the pair combine as Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer.
In a statement, HSF senior partner and chair Rebecca Maslen-Stannage hailed the merger as ‘a historic and long-term commitment from both firms to pursue our future together as one combined firm’, with global CEO Justin D’Agostino describing it as a ‘major milestone’, adding that the new firm’s ‘combined offering, global reach and scale means we will be able to deliver more effectively for our clients.’
The deal cements HSF’s longstanding ambition to expand in the US, a central goal of its 2022 growth strategy. Based on 2023-24 revenues, the merged firm will sit within the top 20 globally, housing over 2,700 lawyers, including some 640 partners across 25 offices worldwide.
Roughly 120 of those partners are in the US, instantly gifting HSF, which made US expansion a central plank of its 2022 growth strategy, a larger presence than most of its UK peers.
The partner ballot opened on 24 March, with HSF holding partner briefings about the union in its offices around the world between 26 March and 1 April. The firm needed to secure the vote of at least 75% of partners in order for the deal to go ahead.
The two firms announced their planned merger on 11 November last year, stating at the time that the deal was expected to go live on 1 May. However, the firm has now announced that completion of the combination is expected to take place on 1 June.
He continued: ‘Our twin engines of transactions and disputes set us in a different category of firm. We’ll be very strong in disputes globally, very strong in transactions globally, and then you add the investment,’ D’Agostino said.
HSF currently has a small, disputes-focused office in New York, while Kramer has nearly 300 lawyers in Manhattan, as well as bases in Washington DC, and Silicon Valley, with a base in Texas already on the growth agenda.
The combined firm also plans to bolster its private equity practice in New York, expand its bankruptcy capabilities to align with Kramer Levin’s top-tier US reputation, and strengthen its class actions, antitrust, and tech-sector practices, particularly in Silicon Valley.
A number of other Kramer Levin partners have also opted against joining the combined firm. Earlier this week, Hogan Lovells confirmed the hire of four Kramer Levin litigation partners in Washington DC – Gary Orseck, William Trunk, Jennifer Windom, and Matthew Madden. Orseck and Windom were co-managing partners of the US firm’s DC office; Orseck also chaired the litigation practice, while Windom was co-head of the healthcare practice group.
Partners at rival firms told LB that the hard work comes now with integration. ‘They have a lot of work ahead of them – particularly around attracting clients and creating a solid business rationale for why clients should engage with them,’ said one London managing partner.
Another senior figure with transatlantic merger experience warned that this will take ‘time and effort,’ ‘they’ll need to ensure both firms align culturally, that their strategies mesh, and that the integration process works smoothly.’
However others stressed the advantage the deal gives HSF over UK peers. It gives them ‘a distinct advantage,’ said one recruiter. ‘People will now be looking at firms like Simmons & Simmons and Ashurst, who haven’t yet made similar moves.’
The merger also sets the stage for further US-UK tie-ups. ‘This could actually make it easier for other international firms to negotiate full mergers with mid-sized US firms, something that would have been much harder even five years ago,’ noted one law firm leader. ‘Larger US firms might start looking for merger candidates as well, realising that waiting may not be in their best interest.’
As scrutiny of diversity policies continues to rise in the US, a new survey of legal professionals has found that around half feel their employer is not doing enough on DEI.
Amid US President Donald Trump’s targeted attacks on law firms and other businesses, InterLaw Diversity Forum – a network of legal professionals from law firms, chambers, and corporates and financial institutions – this February canvassed almost 200 people from in-house teams and international, US, and UK-headquartered firms, with the research taking place after the Trump administration had already signed multiple executive orders taking aim at DEI in the days following his inauguration.
The results evidence widespread concerns about the future of DEI in the legal profession, even before the Trump administration escalated its attacks on law firms with a wave of executive orders against firms.
This culminated in the launch of an investigation into 20 of the biggest law firms in the world for alleged discrimination in relation to their DEI recruitment practices, with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission requiring firms including Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Freshfields and A&O Shearman to provide detailed information on all applicants for jobs since 2019.
The responses to the InterLaw research paint a picture of an increasingly concerned profession, with 50% of respondents feeling their employer is not doing enough on DEI, and 75% of those surveyed expressing a desire for their employer to reaffirm their commitment to diversity, inclusion and fair treatment’.
The survey also notes anecdotal evidence of anxiety and reduced morale. ‘I feel really disempowered for myself and upset about the long-term damage that the rollbacks will do to the talent pool across the industry’, said one respondent.
‘It’s almost as if everyone will now question how and why we have these jobs’, said another. ‘Is it merit or because of the colour of our skin, our gender, or another protected characteristic?’
The data backs this up, with more than a quarter of respondents feeling uninformed and unsupported, placing their feelings at a one or a two on a five-point scale (16% and 12% respectively). Twenty-nine percent of respondents felt well informed and supported, with 13% scoring five and 16% scoring four.
The report also found appetite for employers to take a public stance on DEI, with one respondent saying: ‘I would love it if [my employer] actually affirmed their commitment to DEI publicly, but the atmosphere is so challenging I do not think they can.’
In its report summarising the finding, InterLaw Diversity Forum – which is led by co-chairs Daniel Winterfeldt, EMEA and Asia GC at investment bank Jefferies and Patti Kachidza, GC at foreign exchange company Monex Europe – highlights the importance of a data-focused approach to DEI communications, with both qualitative and quantitative data used to identify issues faced by underrepresented groups and communicate the benefits of DEI policies, ensuring that they are not perceived as ‘a zero-sum game or a threat to meritocracy’.
‘One of the reasons the targeting of law firm diversity and inclusion efforts feels so unsettling is that years of progress to create a fairer and more inclusive landscape risk being undone’, said InterLaw Diversity Forum executive director Justine Thompson (pictured above).
‘One of the loudest themes coming from InterLaw Diversity Forum’s survey, and our wider engagement with the UK legal sector, is that recent events have created uncertainty, fear and anxiety for staff at all levels.’
She continued: ‘Against a complex backdrop in this space with many competing interests, law firms must not lose sight of the potential impact their decisions may have on their talent.’
InterLaw Diversity Forum intends to carry out more research on ongoing sentiments around DEI in the coming months – if you would like to take part, you can get in touch via the network’s website.
In Legal Business’s new Meal Deal Maker series, Tom Richards, co-head of Weil’s London finance practice, reveals his favourite meal deal and discusses everything from what he enjoys most about being a deal lawyer to his go-to snack for powering through long negotiations.
He also shares how he celebrates a deal closing, his top tips for staying calm under pressure, and his love for Tangfastics.
Check back in for more Meal Deal Maker interviews in the coming weeks – and get in touch* if you’re interested in taking part.
DLA Piper has posted another year of double-digit growth, marking its eighth consecutive year of revenue expansion. Global revenue rose 11% to $4.2bn in 2024, passing $4bn for the first time, while net income increased by 12%.
Profits per equity partner (PEP) climbed 11% to $3.4m, with the firm’s equity partner headcount holding steady with a marginal increase of just 0.6%, according to reporting by law.com. This follows a decline of over 10% last year, which saw numbers fall from 373 to 334.
The year also saw leadership changes at the firm, as Simone Levine stepped down after a decade as international managing partner and global co-CEO. On 1 January, Charles Severs took over as managing partner, ushering in the firm’s next phase of leadership.
DLA further invested in its talent by promoting 63 lawyers to the partnership across its 37 offices in 2024’s promotions round, announced last April. Litigation led the way, accounting for nearly a quarter of promotions with 16, followed by corporate (13), finance, projects and restructuring (11), and intellectual property and technology (10).
DLA continued to expand in 2024, launching a Düsseldorf office in April as part of its push into the German market. Looking ahead, the firm plans to continue deepening investments in key practice areas and geographies.
An audience of more than 150 in-house counsel, as well as private practice lawyers and other tech enthusiasts, gathered in Westminster last week for the inaugural Legal Business AI Summit.
The event, held at the QEII Centre and sponsored by LexisNexis, Burges Salmon and Taylor Wessing, covered a range of issues across the AI spectrum.
Emma Dickin, head of public sector practice area group and in-house sector strategy at LexisNexis, opened the summit with a keynote speech discussing how legal technology, up to and including Gen AI, has changed the way lawyers work over the years.
The first panel: ‘Horizon Scanning: What GCs Need to Know’, explored the role AI can play in helping companies stay ahead of the curve in today’s fast-moving world.
The panel was moderated by LexisNexis sales director Kingsley Daniels, who was joined on stage by Colt Technology Services deputy GC Alessandro Galtieri and London Stock Exchange Group senior legal director Nayeem Syed, who discussed how Gen AI can help organisations track the vast amount of information needed for effective horizon scanning, filtering out ‘the signal from the noise’ to determine which data is worth attention.
Burges Salmon director and solicitor advocate Tom Whittaker chaired the second panel: ‘AI regulations – where are we, where are we going, and how to navigate’, joined by Burges Salmon senior commercial lawyer Madelin Sinclair McAusland, EBRD principal counsel Barbara Zapisetskaya, Informa AI governance manager Federico Marengo and Fountain Court barrister Jacob Turner.
The panel opened with Sinclair McAusland inviting the audience to consider whether the current lack of cohesive AI regulation in the UK is a help or hindrance, and went on to discuss the impact of the EU AI act and possible signposts as to the UK government’s regulatory intentions.
This was followed by an in-depth discussion about the impact standards such as ISO 42001 can have, despite not being part of law.
The third panel of the day: ‘How companies are leveraging AI, and what role the GC plays in that’, saw Dickin return to the stage joined by Fremantle chief legal officer Matt Wilson, Boston Consulting Group managing legal counsel Luis de Freitas, Aviva head of legal group digital and data protection Daisy Godfrey, and Crafty Counsel founder Ben White.
The panellists shared how AI is used in their industries and discussed practical approaches to its implementation. They highlighted unexpected benefits, such as increased job satisfaction among in-house lawyers who automated routine tasks and potential shifts in lawyers’ roles as a result of this automation.
Next up, Taylor Wessing head of product liability and product safety Katie Chandler led the day’s fourth panel: ‘AI disputes – discussing recent cases and the takeaways for business’. Chandler was joined by Taylor Wessing partner Xuyang Zhu, BenevolentAI general counsel and company secretary Will Scrimshaw, and Cloudera VP and head of legal EMEA Alexandra Gartrell.
The panel examined the AI disputes landscape, discussing the current state in the UK and beyond. They explored reasons for the relative lack of AI disputes in the UK and how and in which areas this might change in the future. The discussion then shifted to practical strategies for mitigating risk and identifying where some risk may be justified.
After a break for lunch and networking, Simmons & Simmons partner Peter Lee chaired a panel titled: ‘AI governance – how to operationalise AI risk management’. Lee was joined by Society for Computers and Law AI committee vice chair Shanthini Satyendra and Simmons managing associate Wil Dunning.
The panel explored various AI governance approaches, weighing the pros and cons of assigning responsibility to different corporate functions. They also discussed the positive impact of the AI literacy article in the EU AI Act, the role of lawyers in shaping AI strategies beyond compliance, and the necessity of aligning AI governance with an organisation’s principles and purpose.
Next, LexisNexis knowledge lawyer Rob Muskett chaired the day’s sixth panel: ‘Privacy and cybersecurity – data protection concerns around AI’
Muskett was joined by Hogan Lovells partner Nicola Fulford, Taylor Wessing partner Christopher Jeffrey, and ZoomInfo chief strategist for privacy and AI Simon McDougall.
The panel examined issues such as algorithmic bias, unfair outcomes in data processing, transparency challenges posed by black-box systems, and cybersecurity risks. They also discussed emerging legislation, including the EU Data Act, and practical strategies for organisations operating at the frontier of current regulation.
Finally, Legal Business data editor Ben Wheway led an interactive session featuring Microsoft AI technical specialist Theresa Yurkewich Hoffmann, Arreoblue field chief data officer Rob McKendrick and Kainos head of AI ethics and governance Suzanne Brink.
The four presented interactive questions to the audience, highlighting real-world examples with ethical implications, such as: “Would you use AI to extrapolate data not explicitly disclosed in candidates’ CVs?” They then unpacked and explored the issues raised by these questions.
To view all the pictures from the day, and for more information on the event, please view the summit website.
Alex Kelly is global vice chair of Latham’s private equity and investment funds practice, based out of the firm’s New York office. Ranked by the Legal 500 as a leading partner for private equity, she joined Latham in 2008 after graduating from New York University School of Law. Here, she discusses everything from the skills needed to succeed in PE through to her advice to women who want to get to where she has.
What do you most enjoy about practising law and your practice in particular?
I enjoy being a trusted adviser to clients and helping them navigate difficult situations and achieve their objectives.
What are the top three skills you need to succeed as a private equity partner?
Clients want lawyers who not only have exceptional substantive expertise and market knowledge, but who are problem-solvers that will work with, not against, their counterparties to get a deal to the finish line as efficiently as possible.
How has the profession changed since you started out?
The legal profession continues to evolve. When I started, there was a more defined timeline and track for career progression. Today, it’s widely accepted that there are various paths to making partner – lawyers will still need to meet the same standard, but there is more flexibility as to how (and how long it takes) to get there, which has been particularly beneficial for women who are more likely to need to ramp down at various stages of their careers.
As I look around today at the successful women in the profession, there is not one model for how they achieved their success, which I think is highly encouraging for young associates who have access to more data points and more examples of how different partners make it work.
What does it take to get to the top in a global firm and how did you manage it?
Achieving the highest levels of success in any profession demands substantial commitment, prioritisation and dedication, regardless of gender. [My career success] was – and still is – the product of a lot of hard work and dedication to my clients and the firm.
How important is it for firms to offer career flexibility ?
Allowing flexibility isn’t just a nice thing to do, it’s also a strategic advantage. Without flexibility, we artificially shrink our talent pool to those lawyers who fit a certain profile or mould.
What’s your career advice to women specifically?
I’ve seen too many young talented women shy away from a law firm job not because they do not want the job in the present, but because they look into the future and become overwhelmed at the prospect of juggling the demands of the job with what they envision they will want in their personal lives in the future.
My advice is always to not make career-limiting decisions in the present based on how you think you might feel in the future. Instead, make choices that maximise optionality so that you have the freedom to pursue whatever path you want to choose when you have more information.
Life takes many twists and turns; it is hard to predict how the future will unfold and even harder to predict how you will feel when it does.
On the same day news of Hornshaw’s arrival broke, Paul Weiss also added a partner to its London tax team with its hire of Deeksha Rathi from Slaughter and May, where she spent seven years as an associate.
Since making headlines with its English law launch in November 2023 via the eye-catching hire of a Kirkland team led by debt finance star Neel Sachdev and private equity partner Roger Johnson in summer 2023, the office has expanded more than 200 lawyers – nearly doubling in size in just over a year.
The City office has made hires across M&A, debt finance, restructuring, antitrust, high-yield finance, IP, tax, and financial regulation.
Recent deals from the London team include advising PE giant Bain Capital on its acquisition of software company Namirial from Italian private equity firm Ambienta. The deal, announced last week, is reportedly valued at €1.1bn and is led by Sachdev and Johnson, alongside debt finance partner Kanesh Balasubramaniam.
The London litigation launch comes as Paul Weiss has made headlines for its chair Brad Karp’s striking a deal with the Trump administration on 21 March. The agreement included commitments such as providing the equivalent of $40m in pro bono services in exchange for relief from a stringent executive order that restricted the firm’s activities.
On Hornshaw’s departure, an Akin spokesperson said the firm ‘wishes him well in the future’.
Litigators, funders and policy groups are submitting responses to the Civil Justice Council (CJC) review of third party funding, the most significant review of the UK’s funding regime for many years. In this article, Hausfeld commercial disputes co-heads Ned Beale and Lucy Pert discuss why the UK’s wider economy needs funding now, more than ever
This January, Chancellor Rachel Reeves vowed to go ‘further and faster’ to boost the UK economy, stating that economic growth is the government’s number one mission.
And there is no better place for the government to incubate growth than in the legal sector. According to TheCityUK, in 2023 the sector contributed £37bn to the UK economy, equivalent to 1.6% of real gross value added, and posted a trade surplus of £7.6bn.
That £7.6bn is the result of centuries of history over which English common law has been established as one of the world’s most widely utilised legal systems, as well as the professionalism of British judges and arbitrators, and the entrepreneurship of British lawyers and firms promoting their services internationally. This success also reflects law and financial services going hand-in-hand as the UK continues to be the world’s largest financial services net exporter, with a trade surplus of £78.9bn in 2023.
These two jewels in the UK’s economic crown come together in the form of third party funding. This is funding for litigation and arbitration by investors. It enables impecunious claimants to pursue even against the largest defendants and gives well-resourced claimants flexibility to take litigation costs off balance sheet. UK third party funders’ assets under management are reported to have seen a ten-fold increase in their assets since 2012, amounting to £2.2bn in 2021. They are now likely significantly higher.
From shipping to insurance to flotations, the UK has a proud history of pioneering financial markets. The UK is rapidly emerging, alongside the US and Canada, as one of the leading global hubs for litigation funding. Every year sees UK funders expand their portfolios and teams, funding both UK and international actions. This is exactly the type of British financial and legal innovation that will grow our economy. It is entirely aligned with the Chancellor’s growth agenda.
We believe that the CJC review should be focusing on promoting the growth of third party funding, and building on the success the sector has already achieved. There is low-hanging fruit, including fixing problems the Supreme Court’s PACCAR judgment has caused and upgrading the Damages-based Agreements Regulations so they work in practice.
Beyond that, we think the CJC should tread lightly. In our experience, funders are typically more risk adverse than clients and only fund meritorious claims, where budgets are proportionate, against defendants who can pay. If the government can create an environment attractive to funders, more capital will grow the market and make funding less expensive.
That should not engender a US-style claims culture because of how funders themselves assess risk and the checks and balances that already exist in this jurisdiction such as the ability of defendants to strike out vexatious claims and costs shifting. Indeed, from a defendant side perspective, funding drives litigation efficiency and certainty. Funders typically want a streamlined procedure aimed to promote early settlement and judgment as soon as reasonably possible. Funders also require full after-the-event cover for the defendant’s costs. This advantages defendants who benefit from the costs and time saving of a faster process and having security that any adverse costs orders will be met.
There is also a wider benefit to UK society. We celebrate the British rule of law. However, that only has meaning if justice is accessible. Scandals like the Post Office and Interest Rate Hedging Product mis-selling demonstrate that without litigation funding individuals and SMEs will never get justice, let alone equality of arms. That is more important than ever in the age of big tech oligopoly. Funders facilitate group and collective claims that offer claimants cost and risk-free representation that would otherwise be impossible.
Already impacted by Brexit, the UK legal sector must maintain its position at the forefront of international disputes. Competition from other jurisdictions is increasing, whether the Netherlands’ collective regime, jurisdictions with less expensive legal systems, or the Dubai International Financial Centre, Singapore International Arbitration Centre and other commercial courts and arbitration hubs internationally. Growth should not come at the expensive of access to justice – happily, third party funding promotes both.
Ned Beale and Lucy Pert are co-heads of commercial disputes at Hausfeld.
Skadden has become the first major law firm to reach a pre-emptive settlement with US President Donald Trump to ward off the threat of an executive order, with the deal coming as WilmerHale and Jenner & Block both filed suits against the Trump administration following action taken against them earlier this week.
In a post on his Truth Social account, Trump announced that Skadden had agreed to provide a total of at least $100m in pro bono legal services ‘during the Trump administration and beyond, to causes that the President and Skadden both support.’
The elite US firm has also agreed that it ‘will not engage in illegal DEI discrimination and preferences’, and ‘will engage independent outside counsel to advise the firm to ensure employment practices are fully compliant with law.’
A White House statement said that Skadden had ‘approached President Trump and his administration, and declared the firm’s strong commitment to ending the weaponization of the justice system and the legal profession.’
Trump’s post also included a statement attributed to Skadden executive partner Jeremy London, saying: ‘Skadden is pleased to have achieved a successful agreement with President Trump and his Administration. We engaged proactively with the President and his team in working together constructively to reach this agreement. The Firm looks forward to continuing our productive relationship with President Trump and his Admin. We firmly believe that this outcome is in the best interests of our clients, our people, and our firm.’
According to Trump’s post, the agreement specifies that the pro bono work will cover areas including assisting veterans and other public servants; ensuring fairness in the justice system; and combatting antisemitism. It also states that ‘law graduates that receive Skadden fellowships will represent a wide range of political views, including conservative ideals.’
The announcement of the Skadden deal, which follows the a similar agreement struck by Paul Weiss last week, came after WilmerHale and Jenner both filed lawsuits against the administration, calling on the courts to block Trump’s executive orders against them, which suspend the firms’ security clearances and restrict their access to government buildings.
The administration filed the orders against Jenner and WilmerHale on Tuesday (25 March) and Thursday (27 March) respectively, using the ‘addressing risks from’ format previously used in orders issued against Perkins Coie (6 March) and Paul Weiss (14 March). All of the orders also call on federal agencies to terminate and disclose any contracts they have with the firms.
The order against WilmerHale criticised the firm for its 2020 rehire of Robert Mueller, who from 2017 to 2019 served as special counsel investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, as well as Aaron Zebley and James Quarles, who also rejoined the firm after working for Mueller. The order against Jenner similarly slammed the firm for its 2020 rehire of Andrew Weissmann, who also worked as part of Mueller’s team.
WilmerHale’s complaint states: ‘The President’s sweeping attack on WilmerHale (and other firms) is unprecedented and unconstitutional. The First Amendment protects the rights of WilmerHale, its employees, and its clients to speak freely, petition the courts and other government institutions, and associate with the counsel of their choice without facing retaliation and discrimination by federal officials.’
Jenner’s suit, meanwhile, calls the executive order against the firm ‘an unconstitutional abuse of power against lawyers, their clients, and the legal system.’
It also states that the order ‘is intended to hamper the ability of individuals and businesses to have the lawyers of their choice zealously represent them. And it is intended to coerce law firms and lawyers into renouncing the Administration’s critics and ceasing certain representations adverse to the government.’
A spokesperson for WilmerHale said: ‘The Executive Order targeting our firm is a plainly unlawful attack on the bedrock principles of our nation’s legal system—our clients’ right to counsel and the First Amendment. The terms of a nearly identical Executive Order have already been enjoined by a federal judge and today we have filed for immediate relief to protect the rights of our clients. We are bringing the dedication, expertise, and values that have served a wide range of clients in matters against administrations of both parties for decades to ensure their and our rights are upheld.’
Jenner & Block said in a statement: ‘Today, Jenner & Block filed a lawsuit to stop an unconstitutional executive order that has already been declared unlawful by a federal court. We expect to prevail quickly.
‘For more than 100 years, Jenner has stood firm and tirelessly advocated for our clients against all adversaries, including against unlawful government action. We once again go to court to do just that. To do otherwise would mean compromising our ability to zealously advocate for all of our clients and capitulating to unconstitutional government coercion, which is simply not in our DNA.’
The suits come after Perkins Coie filed a similar suit earlier in the month, with US district judge Beryl Howell in Washington DC granting a temporary restraining order on 12 March.
The Trump administration escalated its attacks on law firms on 17 March, when US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) acting chair Andrea Lucas sent letters to 20 global firms demanding extensive data relating to hiring and employment practices.
News then broke on 21 March that Paul Weiss chair Brad Karp had struck a deal with the administration, agreeing to conditions including a commitment of the equivalent of $40m in pro bono services to causes aligned with the administration’s agenda over the next four years in order to be freed from the executive order.
While law firm management has in most cases stayed silent on the issue, associates have been more active, with third-year associate Rachel Cohen resigning from Skadden in protest at the firm’s silence on the issue.
In a post on her LinkedIn today, Cohen shared a link to a Google Drive folder with resources for associates at targeted firms, including a commitment to a recruitment and interviewing freeze.
WilmerHale is represented by Paul Clement, a Legal 500 Hall of Famer for appellate work who established his own firm Clement & Murphy in 2022 after leaving Kirkland & Ellis in response to Kirkland’s decision to no longer accept Second Amendment cases. Clement also served as United States solicitor general in the second George W. Bush administration from 2004 to 2008.
Jenner, meanwhile, is represented by Cooley, with a team comprising partners Michael Attanasio in San Diego, David Mills in Washington DC, Kristine Forderer in San Francisco, and John Bostic in Palo Alto.
Herbert Smith Freehills and Browne Jacobson have picked up lead roles on the £76m sale of WHSmith’s UK high street business to Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital.
The deal sees HSF advising WHSmith, fielding a team led by M&A partner Bob Moore, consultant Ben Ward, head of media & digital Hayley Brady, banking partner Will Nevin and tax partner Casey Dalton.
TLT is advising alongside HSF, with a team including head of retail Perran Jervis.
Browne Jacobson is advising Modella Capital on its acquisition, with the firm’s team led by corporate partner Sandra Wong, commercial partner Emma Roake, IP partner Nick Smee and property partner Suki Tonks.
The sale, which includes 480 high street and retail park stores and 5,000 employees, will see the stores rebranding as TGJones, while WHSmith will retain its brand name for airports, railway stations and hospital outlets. Its international travel division operates across 32 countries.
In a statement, WHSmith group chief executive Carl Cowling said: ‘Given our rapid international growth, now is the right time for a new owner to take the High Street business forward and for the WH Smith leadership team to focus exclusively on our travel business’.
HSF has a longstanding relationship with WHSmith and previously advised on major transactions including its £166m placing, convertible bond issue, and its $400m acquisition of Marshall Retail Group. Other firms that have advised WHSmith in the past include TLT, which acted on a £400m sustainability-linked loan in June 2023, and Ogier, which advised on a £327m bond offering in 2021.
Modella Capital’s growing retail interest is further underscored by its reported bid for Lakeland this week.
Paul Hastings led the high-profile partner moves this week, hiring two partners to lead a team across London, Paris, and Abu Dhabi, according to a source with knowledge of the firm.
The firm hired White & Case partners George Kazakov and Din Eshanov, with Kazakov based in London and Eshanov opening a new office for the firm in Abu Dhabi. Each lawyer joined White & Case as a partner in 2021, with Kazakov previously leaving Cleary Gottlieb as a senior associate in 2014 and spending the intervening seven years at Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners, while Eshanov joined after over 13 years at Akin, departing as senior counsel.
The hires come after news broke last month that Jessamy Gallagher and Stuart Rowson were leaving for Freshfields. Gallagher, a Legal 500 Hall of Famer for infrastructure: M&A and acquisition financing, and Rowson, a Legal 500 leading partner for upper mid-market and premium M&A, joined Paul Hastings in February 2023 from Linklaters, where they co-headed the firm’s global infrastructure practice.
Baker McKenzie was also active this week, with two hires into its London office.
The firm brought over corporate partner Michal Berkner, who left McDermott Will & Emery last November. Berkner joined McDermott from Cooley in February 2024. She joined Cooley in 2018 from Skadden, where she qualified and later made partner in 2008. She is dual-qualified in England and Wales and New York, and brings a wealth of experience in the life sciences, healthcare, and technology sectors.
Baker McKenzie also strengthened its antitrust and competition team with its hire of Marie Leppard. Leppard joins from Euclid Law, which she joined as a partner in 2016 after leaving Clifford Chance as a senior associate. She brings expertise advising a range of corporates and financial institutions on a range of matters before EU, UK, and global regulators.
McDermott, meanwhile, hired Legal 500 corporate tax leading partner Alex Jupp as its new UK head of tax. Jupp joins McDermott after nearly 19 years at Skadden, including nine as a partner.
Across the Atlantic, Simpson Thacher hired Willkie Farr & Gallagher tax partner Adam Aderton into its Washington DC office as a partner in its litigation department. Aderton spent two and a half years at Willkie from 2022, and before that spent 14 years at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) division of enforcement, including three years as co-chief of the enforcement asset management unit.
Covington was active in Europe, hiring Nils Wahl into its EU competition and litigation practice in Brussels. Wahl has extensive experience as a judge, including at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) from 2019 to 2024.
Elsewhere, Herbert Smith Freehills hired IP lawyer Florian Schmidt-Bogatzky from EIP Europe in Düsseldorf.
Finally, Akin continued to build in the Middle East with its hire of project finance partner Jennifer Riddle. Riddle marks the firm’s second hire from White & Case in the region after it brought over corporate partner Alexander Malahias last week. Riddle will join Malahias in working out of the firm’s Abu Dhabi office until it receives its final regulatory approval to launch in Riyadh.
Linklaters has promoted 16 London lawyers to partner, with the City accounting for just under half of the firm’s 34 new global partner promotions.
The promotions, which are effective from 1 May 2025, are spread across 11 offices worldwide and 12 practices.
Of the London promotions, mainstream corporate gained five new partners, with litigation, arbitration and investigations picking up three new partners, while the capital markets and banking practices both welcomed two new partners apiece.
Outside London, four of the promotions are in the US, three in the Middle East with the remainder spread across continental Europe.
In 2024, Linklaters elevated 27 partners globally, with 14 of those in London.
Aedamar Comiskey, senior partner and chair at Linklaters said: ‘Delighted to welcome this hugely impressive group to our partnership. I’ve seen first-hand their big ambitions and entrepreneurial mindset and look forward to seeing what they’ll achieve for our global clients and our firm.’
The firm also elevated 21 of its London lawyers to counsel, representing 44% of the global total of 48. The financial regulation practice saw the greatest number of additions with four new counsels added in London.
Elsewhere, Macfarlanes has elevated nine City lawyers to partner, effective from 1 April 2025, in its 2025 promotion round.
The tally is the largest promotion round since 2019, and comes after the firm made up eight lawyers in 2022 and 2023 and six in 2024.
The private client and corporate and M&A practice groups were the biggest beneficiaries with both seeing two additions to their partnership.
Sebastian Prichard Jones, senior partner, said: ‘Promoting new partners is a key part of our firm’s growth, and I am delighted to welcome this year’s cohort to the partnership. Their expertise spans a broad mix of practice areas, reflecting the diverse strengths of our firm and the opportunities we see across the market.’
Macfarlanes promotions in full:
Pinar Celebi (finance)
Iskra Doukova (private client)
Caja Griesenbach (competition)
Greg James (Corporate and M&A)
Sarah Ling (Tax and Reward)
Sindhuja Shriananda (Real Estate)
Mark Stichbury (Private Client)
Alice Temkin (Corporate and M&A)
Jacob Ward (Litigation and Dispute Resolution)
Linklaters London partner promotions in full :
Mark Daniel (antitrust & foreign investment)
Bobby Butcher (banking)
Victoria Wright (banking)
Andrew Chaplin (capital markets)
Emma Crawford (capital markets)
Nick Szmigin (energy & infrastructure)
Herbie Mudhar (legal & risk)
Alexander Fawke (litigation, arbitration & investigations)
A&O Shearman, Reed Smith, and Bates Wells were among the standout winners at the inaugural Legal 500 UK ESG Awards 2025, which drew guests from across the legal profession to the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge this Tuesday (25 March).
Dentons kicked off the evening with a win for Women in Law: Best Initiative to Attract and Retain Talent 2025, recognised for its Career Directions Programme, a core part of its five-year firmwide strategy to improve gender balance that has engaged 76 women lawyers to date, including 29 in 2024.
Weil Gotshal & Manges took home ESG: Law Firm Initiative 2025 for its commitment to ESG, launching a solicitor apprenticeship as well as helping to launch the UK’s first Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability apprenticeship qualification.
Gowling WLG won DE&I: Law Firm Initiative 2025 for its successful five-year ‘Inclusion for All’ strategy, while The LGBTQ+ Lawyers’ Programme claimed LGBTQ+: Initiative 2025 for its pioneering work engaging more than 20 firms in an initiative designed for mid-to-senior level LGBTQ+ lawyers.
A&O Shearman’s global environmental and climate law group co-head Matthew Townsend was awarded ESG: Private Practice Champion 2025. A founding member of his firm’s global ESG group, Townsend’s expertise continues to influence corporate sustainability and environmental governance, advising boards and global organisations.
Varnika Chawla of Climate Asset Management won Rising Star 2025 for her efforts in building the firm’s internal regulatory working group and leading initiatives on ESG and voluntary carbon market regulations.
Baker McKenzie took home the Clean Energy Practice Area Award, recognised for its impressive work on a wind and solar portfolio financing and securing a €1bn deal for a long-term renewable hydrogen supply.
White & Case won the Environmental Protection Award for its pivotal role in helping Botanic Garden Conservation International develop a groundbreaking legal framework for Biodiversity Impact Credits.
Other practice area wins saw Pinsent Masons taking home the ESG Regulatory and Compliance Award for its innovative approach to mitigating regulatory risks, while Reed Smith secured the Sustainable Finance Award for its disaster relief mechanism, with the Red Cross focused on addressing climate change.
Bates Wells won Best Environmental/Sustainability Strategy 2025, recognised for its science-driven approach to sustainability. As the first UK law firm certified as a B Corp, the firm has transitioned all employees to a sustainable pension fund and met or exceeded targets for reducing electricity consumption, waste, travel, and paper usage.
In the in-house categories, Compass Group was awarded In-house Social Mobility Initiative 2025 for the success of its Compass Group Foundation, which exceeded £1m in grant funding and charitable donations in the past year. InterLaw Diversity Forum won DE&I: In-house Initiative of the Year, commended for its expanded focus on cultural change and intersectionality in the workplace.
E.ON’s senior legal counsel Maybo Chong was named DE&I: In-house Champion of the Year for her advocacy work supporting families with babies in neonatal care and championing greater flexibility and support for eligible parents. Bupa Global, India and UK general counsel Stuart Brown won ESG: In-house Champion of the Year for leading the charge as chair of the Bupa Foundation, pivoting its strategic direction to focus on environmental causes.
Elsewhere, Sharpe Pritchard’s head of net zero Steve Gummer was awarded Environmental/Sustainability Champion 2025. Recently named one of Legal 500’s new UK Green Ambassadors, Gummer was recognised for his role in developing the first major UK reservoir in a generation for Portsmouth Water and securing government backing for floating offshore wind projects.
A&O Shearman pensions partner Jessica Kerslake won DE&I: Private Practice Champion of the Year for her dedicated support of black colleagues throughout their legal careers, including co-chairing the firm’s Race and Ethnicity Committee.
At the Bar, joint head of Garden Court Chambers Grace Brown took the DE&I: Bar Champion 2025 award, while Laurie-Anne Power KC of 25 Bedford Row and Government Legal Department deputy director Simon Regis won the Ethnicity: Champion 2025 award.
Fountain Court Chambers’ Leigh-Ann Mulcahy KC was awarded Women in Law: Champion 2025 for her tireless efforts to champion diversity in law, including her involvement with the Temple Women’s Forum Committee and the Inns of Court Alliance for Women.
The end of the evening saw two Lifetime Achievement Awards handed out . Obelisk’s Dana Denis-Smith was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Women in Law, for her groundbreaking work in championing gender equality in the legal profession. Her efforts earned her an OBE in the 2024 New Year Honours for her significant contributions to advancing women’s rights within the field.
Linklaters’ Vanessa Havard-Williams meanwhile received the Lifetime Achievement Environmental Award for her decades-long leadership in ESG work at Linklaters, where she has been involved in everything from climate change to human rights to crisis management, and ESG litigation and greenwashing. She recently chaired the UK Treasury’s Transition Finance Market Review, a key initiative aiming to position the UK as a global leader in net-zero funding.
Legal 500 UK ESG Awards winners in full:
Best Environmental/Sustainability Strategy 2025 – Bates Wells
Best Law Firm Advisory Team: Clean Energy 2025 – Baker McKenzie
Best Law Firm Advisory Team: Environmental Protection 2025 – White & Case
Best Law Firm Advisory Team: ESG Regulatory and Compliance 2025 – Pinsent Masons
Best Law Firm Advisory Team: Sustainable Finance 2025 – Reed Smith
DE&I: Bar Champion 2025 – Grace Brown, Garden Court Chambers
DE&I: In-house Champion 2025 – Maybo Chong, E.ON
DE&I: Private Practice Champion 2025 – Jessica Kerslake, A&O Shearman
DE&I: Law Firm Initiative 2025 – Gowling WLG
DE&I: In-house Initiative 2025 – InterLaw Diversity Forum
DE&I: Rising Star 2025 – Teena Patel, KPMG Law
Disability/Neurodiversity: Best Initiative to Attract and Retain Talent 2025 – Legal Neurodiversity Network
Disability/Neurodiversity Champion 2025 – Jonathan Andrews, Reed Smith
Environmental/Sustainability Champion 2025 – Steve Gummer, Sharpe Pritchard
ESG: Private Practice Champion 2025 – Matthew Townsend, A&O Shearman
ESG: In-house Champion 2025 – Stuart Brown, Bupa
ESG: Law Firm Initiative 2025 – Weil Gotshal & Manges
ESG: Rising Star 2025 – Varnika Chawla, Climate Asset Management
Ethnicity: Best Initiative to Attract and Retain Talent 2025 – Browne Jacobson
Ethnicity: Champion 2025 – Laurie-Anne Power KC, 25 Bedford Row, and Simon Regis CBE, Government Legal Department
‘If you’re a lawyer that sticks your head in the sand and refuses to engage with this technology, that’s going to lead to a short career path.’
As Simmons & Simmons TMT head Alexander Brown underlines, the rise of artificial intelligence and gen AI platforms such as ChatGPT has sent shockwaves through the legal profession – and despite all the old stereotypes of technophobic lawyers, most sensible legal professionals are aware this is not something they can afford to ignore.
Sebastian Lach
‘The world is changing and anyone who doesn’t embrace this change risks being left behind,’ says Hogan Lovells partner Dr Sebastian Lach, the co-CEO of the firm’s legal tech brand ELTEMATE. This sentiment is echoed by Macfarlanes lawtech practice leader Christopher Tart-Roberts, who puts it plainly: ‘AI is shaping the firms of the future.’
Buy vs build
The breakneck rise to prominence of AI has left everyone scrambling to keep up and figure out if and how it can be incorporated into their day-to-day work.
One of the first questions for law firms weighing up what to do with AI is whether to buy or build. For those looking to buy, a popular choice so far has been Harvey, a gen AI legal platform that was launched in 2022 and is licensed by firms including A&O Shearman, Macfarlanes, Ashurst and CMS.
Harvey runs on OpenAI’s powerful language models including GPT-4 and, according to the OpenAI website, has been customised with 10 billion tokens worth of data to make it more suitable for legal work such as contract analysis, due diligence, litigation and regulatory compliance.
Microsoft Copilot, which also runs on OpenAI’s language model infrastructure, is another popular choice, and is used by firms including Clifford Chance and Simmons & Simmons to automate tasks such as email review and note-taking.
For those looking to build, a common approach has been to follow Harvey’s lead and customise existing gen AI language models such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 to make them more suitable for legal work. Examples of firms who have developed their own AI chatbot tools in this way include Simmons (Percy), Osborne Clarke (OC-GPT) and Hogan Lovells (Eltemate Craig).
Although these bespoke models will vary, they are all able to assist lawyers with real-world legal tasks ranging from drafting emails to document review, due diligence and automating redactions.
The client side
While at some firms, AI-powered tech is currently only being deployed internally, others are developing systems as part of their client offering.
Alexander Brown
Macfarlanes has developed Amplify – a gen AI solution powered by Harvey that is tailored to clients’ needs such as contract screening and chat-style querying across documents and data sets. Hogan Lovells has its own legal tech brand, ELTEMATE, which combines third-party solutions with proprietary software and includes Craig and Regulatory Pilot – a customised AI tool that and automates the process of collecting, reviewing and processing regulatory updates.
Osborne Clarke, meanwhile, has put together an in-house client technology team, Osborne Clarke Solutions, which in addition to providing AI tools for internal use, develops bespoke legal tech platforms for clients such as case management platforms to manage the employee immigration process at OVO Energy.
Holy cow
The next question then is: are significant numbers of lawyers already effectively using AI and, if so, how?
On the first point, the answer appears to to be yes. At Macfarlanes, Tart-Roberts says that over 80% of its lawyers use Harvey regularly. At Hogan Lovells, Lach says that 1,900 out of 7,000 Hogan Lovells employees (almost 30%) use ELTEMATE – including 600 ‘power users’, while Simmons’ Brown says that Percy receives 4,500 to 5,000 individual prompts per day.
On the second point – how lawyers are using AI – Tart-Roberts points to the emergence of two distinct use cases for AI: ‘incremental savings on everyday tasks including drafting, summarisation, analysis, and interpretation’ and assisting with ‘more significant workstreams such as due diligence and documents.’
Lach, meanwhile, points to how AI can help clients navigate the increasingly complex regulatory landscape, highlighting how one of its ELTEMATE tools – Regulatory Pilot – helps to source and review an average of 10,000 regulatory documents per month for an international client. With a combination of AI (93%) and ELTEMATE staff (7%), those 10,000 documents that need reviewing can be reduced to around 50.
The use of AI agents is another area where AI is progressing. As Brown explains, these are essentially ‘autonomous bots trained to do very specific tasks or execute specific workflows’ citing the example of an AI agent that drafts, reviews and marks up non-disclosure agreements.
Dan Wright
And all of this is just scratching the surface, with new use cases arising all the time – frequently from the lawyers who are actually using these AI tools.
As Osborne Clarke’s Dan Wright – who heads up the firm’s OC Solutions offering – puts it: ‘We can provide some ideas, but the far more valuable ideas come from those actually living and breathing the relevant work on a day-to-day basis.’
Lach makes a similar point about great ideas coming from lawyers using AI – as he puts it: ‘We’ve had a lot of “holy cow” moments.’
The billable hour
One key aspect of the lawyer-client relationship that could be impacted by the AI revolution is the billable hour. The logic for this is laid out by one partner, involved with AI implementation: ‘If you tell a client that you’ve started using something that makes you 60% more efficient, the obvious question is going to be: “Can I get my stuff done for 60% cheaper?’
While none of the partners canvassed for this article would go as far to say that the end of the billable hour is nigh, many forsee change coming rapidly over the horizon.
As Wright puts it: ‘The use of the billable hour is gradually being eroded in relation to a growing number of areas of work. A catalyst for the speed at which that erosion happens is the advent of technologies like large language models.’
Brown makes a similar point. ‘I think there will have to be value-based billing for some of these deliverables, because the reality is that there is a lot of upfront investments in this stuff, and an increasingly significant technology spend overhead.’
Christopher Tart-Roberts
At Burness Paull, Mike Guthrie, who is on the firm’s transformation and innovation strategy group, asserts that as technology becomes more ubiquitous, changes may become easier to make. ‘At the point when gen AI becomes a standard tool in every law firm’s arsenal, I suspect you’re likely to get a scenario where people might be willing to value advice in a different way,’ he predicts.
Am I out of a job?
While almost everyone can agree that increased efficiency and the automation of mundane tasks are good things, the obvious next question is: are the robots coming for my job?
The answer for any lawyers considering brushing up on their woodworking skills thankfully appears to be no.
As Brown puts it: ‘I don’t feel scared by AI, and I think it’s really important that lawyers don’t feel scared by it. This isn’t the first time that we’ve had technology change in our profession or in the market.’
Gereon Abendroth, managing director of OC Solutions in Germany and chair of OC’s international’s AI management board is of a similar mind. ‘AI can come up with very good strategic decisions based on data, but it will always lack the human element and the trust that a personal relationship adds to decision-making’.
As an oft-repeated mantra in legal tech circles goes: ‘AI isn’t going to replace lawyers, but lawyers who use AI will, in time, replace lawyers who don’t use AI.’
Leading law firms and their use of AI: a non-comprehensive overview of what’s being used
DLA Piper
• C3 AI / C3 Generative AI – a generative AI application to streamline the analysis of complex legal agreements.
• Aiscension – created in collaboration with eDiscovery experts Reveal, this scans millions of communications in minutes using neural network technology to enhance risk monitoring.
• Microsoft 365 CoPilot – used to streamline document creation, optimise workflows, enhance productivity, and automate routine tasks while maintaining robust data security.
• ButterflAI – an in-house developed generative AI-powered legal assistant designed to ensure security for client work.
A&O Shearman
• Harvey – A GPT-powered platform (recently valued at $3bn) leveraging natural language processing, machine learning, and data analytics to automate legal work such as contract analysis, due diligence, litigation, and regulatory compliance.
• ContractMatrix – A proprietary contract drafting tool developed in partnership with Microsoft and Harvey (built on Microsoft Azure’s OpenAI platform). It streamlines contract drafting, review, and analysis and is being licensed to clients.
• Avvoka – A legal tech platform that was part of Fuse, A&O Shearman’s technology incubator. It automates document processes across multiple European jurisdictions and played a key role in finalising the 2024 merger of Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling.
Clifford Chance
• Clifford Chance Assist – seveloped on Microsoft Azure’s OpenAI platform to enhance legal services.
• Microsoft 365 CoPilot & Viva Suite – automates a variety of daily tasks, including meeting and task management, drafting emails, inbox management, and providing access to continuous learning via Viva Insights and Viva Learning.
• Microsoft Teams Premium – provides live transcripts to assist in legal documentation and case tracking.
Hogan Lovells
• ELTEMATE CRAIG – A legally refined and customised suite of generative AI solutions. Developed by ELTEMATE, Hogan Lovells’ technology company, and used both client-facing as well as internally. Drafts legal documents, summarises content, allows chatting with large volumes of data, analyses and generates contracts, translates documents, automates redactions and much more. Recently added modules include:
• Chronology Generator – Automates the creation of a chronology of facts from a large set of data. Provides sources and includes a chat feature to query the timeline and all uploaded documents.
• Patent Litigation Module – Designed to streamline and enhance the workflow involved in challenging the validity of patents. Generates sophisticated novelty charts, assists in drafting challenges and condenses arguments presented by opponents and patentees.
• Investigations Cockpit – Analyses and summarises relevant content from internal investigations. Reviews emails for relevancy in the internal investigation and drafts interview outlines.
• Regulatory Pilot – A customized AI tool. Simplifies and automates the process of collecting, reviewing and processing regulatory updates. Greatly reduces the number of regulatory updates that require manual review. Part of the ELTEMATE portfolio.
Linklaters
• Chatbot: Laila – an alternative to ChatGPT, built on Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI platform, which gives staff access to GenAI functionality in a private and secure environment.
• Microsoft Copilot – the firm rolled out Microsoft 365’s Copilot globally following the success of its participation in their Early Adopters Programme
• Kira – an AI-driven contract analysis platform.
• NAIX – redaction automation
• RelativityOne – the firm’s default in-house eDiscovery platform
• StructureFlow – tools used to help develop complex organisation charts and diagrams
• ReportiQ – a Linklaters-developed tool (in collaboration with WizDocs): a next-generation online due-diligence platform, created to manage all aspects of the due-diligence processes.
• CreateiQ 2.0 – a Linklaters-developed contract management platform.
• Opus 2 Investigations – A secure cloud-based platform that consolidates key evidence in investigations into a single connected space.
Freshfields
• Freshfields Lab – an in-house hub for legal tech innovation and digital transformation.
Norton Rose Fulbright
• AI-assisted eDiscovery platform –used for litigation and compliance purposes.
• NRF Transform – a suite of client-focused legal tech solutions, including Horizon Scanner for regulatory tracking.
CMS
• Global Partnership with Harvey – enhancing AI-driven legal services.
• Kira – a leader in natural language processing for legal document review.
• Avail – real estate-focused document review and machine learning platform.
• Lexis+ AI – AI assistant supporting legal research, document drafting, and case analysis.
• Internal AI Chatbot – built on OpenAI technology for firm-wide legal assistance.
• Microsoft 365 CoPilot – Integrated for productivity and document management.
Eversheds Sutherland
• Microsoft 365 Copilot – enhancing legal workflow automation.
• Lexis+AI – AI assistant supporting legal research, document drafting, and case analysis. Herbert Smith Freehills
• Microsoft 365 CoPilot – enhancing legal workflow automation.
• Luminance Corporate Pilot – AI-driven legal technology for corporate compliance and document review.
• CoCounsel Pilot – Built on GPT-4, assisting with legal research, document review, and correspondence drafting.
• Relativity aiR for Review – In early access trials for litigation and investigations, integrated with Microsoft Azure’s OpenAI services.
• hsf.AI – Version 2 of the firm’s private instance of ChatGPT, ensuring secure AI use within its IT environment.
This week’s escalation of the Trump administration’s targeting of major law firms has come as a shock to a legal profession not used to such direct government intervention in their business.
After issuing stringent executive orders curtailing the business activities of Paul Weiss, Covington & Burling and Perkins Coie, firms whose lawyers have come up against Donald Trump in the past, this Monday (17 March) the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that it had opened investigations into a total of 20 global law firms in relation to their recruitment policies.
Based on an intention to tackle what Trump characterised as ‘unlawful discrimination perpetrated in the name of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies’, major firms including Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, A&O Shearman, Freshfields, Hogan Lovells, Sidley and White & Case were ordered to provide in-depth personal data on all applicants for jobs at their firms dating back to 2019.
Unsurprisingly, the firms targeted have been reluctant to publicly respond to the evolving situation, with all either declining to comment for this article or not responding to a request for comment.
But reactions from the wider market have ranged from alarm to outrage – with some partners voicing fears around the impact Trump’s actions will have on recent progress made in diversity in law.
One managing partner at a firm with a presence in both the US and the UK said: ‘I find it very concerning. It appears that certain people are being targeted because they represent a challenge.
‘Of course, no profession is immune to the rules everyone else follows, but there’s a real danger when other motives are at play. Honestly, I don’t fully understand why this has become such a priority for the US administration.’
The letters sent to the 20 firms contain some particularly jarring details, including a reference to their engagement with a US internship programme, the website of which ‘displays a picture of 20 law students, at least 14 of whom are black students, one of whom is an Asian student, and eight of whom are women.’
The earlier executive orders directed at Perkins Coie and Paul Weiss raised grievances unrelated to DEI, including Perkins Coie’s work for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Paul Weiss’s 2022 recruitment of Mark Pomerantz, who worked to prosecute Trump while serving as a special assistant district attorney in the office of the New York County District Attorney.
As this article went to press, it emerged that Paul Weiss had struck a deal with the Trump administration to rescind the executive order targeting it after agreeing to a number of conditions. These include a rejection of DEI policies and a donation of ‘the equivalent of $40m in pro bono legal services over the course of President Trump’s term to support the Administration’s initiatives’.
According to a report in the New York Times, senior partners at leading firms in the US have been holding discussions about how to respond to Trump’s crackdown. The article also states that Paul Weiss reached out to Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan’s Bill Burck for representation ahead of Paul Weiss chair Brad Karp reaching a deal with Trump.
The Trump administration’s attacks have come as a particular shock to firms based in the UK, where DEI initiatives have, to date, faced almost no political scrutiny.
While many firms and partners have been reluctant to speak to LB even off the record, one City lawyer commented: ‘We need people to stand up for what they believe, even if the political tide is swaying in the other direction. I think we’re going backwards – we know for a fact that more profitable businesses are those that are inclusive and diverse.’
The Law Society of England and Wales is one of 18 organisations to have signed a joint letter condemning the administration’s attacks on law firms.
The letter, issued by the Commonwealth Lawyers Association, states: ‘Lawyers must be able to represent their clients without fear of retaliation and must not be punished because of who their clients are. The independence of the legal profession is fundamental to ensure respect for human rights and is a crucial element of the rule of law.’
In the US, meanwhile, several hundred associates have signed a letter coordinated by third-year Skadden finance associate Rachel Cohen calling on their firms ‘to defend their colleagues and the legal profession by condemning this rapid purge of “partisan actors,” a group that seems to be synonymous with those the President feels have wronged him.’
Cohen yesterday announced that she had handed in her notice to Skadden, stating: ‘If being on this career path demands I accept that my industry – because this is certainly not unique to Skadden – will allow an authoritarian government to ignore the courts, I refuse to take it any further.’
Meanwhile, this Wednesday (18 March), seven former EEOC officials issued an open letter questioning the letters sent to law firms demanding diversity data, and calling for the letters to be withdrawn ‘to preserve the credibility of the Commission.’
As the situation develops, firms will have to contend with an array of implications from the impact on clients, to public relations issues and potential reputational damage, as well as future enforcement risks.
As one partner at one of the targeted firms put it: ‘I wish we weren’t so in the news. America is an awful place right now.’
James Bremen, the chair of Quinn Emanuel’s construction practice, has left after eight years to join independent litigation firm Joseph Hage Aaronson. He will take on the role of presiding partner, bringing with him Quinn partners James Mayers and Mark Grasso. The firm will be rebranded as Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen from next month.
Elsewhere, Simpson Thacher made a double hire in the US, bringing on partners Carleigh Rodriguez in Washington DC and Niels Jensen in New York.
Rodriguez, who joins from Kirkland, will co-head the firm’s environmental practice, advising clients on environmental issues in M&A, securities, financing transactions, and bankruptcies.
Jensen, who previously co-headed Vinson & Elkins’ aviation finance team, has joined STB’s capital markets practice, where he will focus on securitisations, including digital infrastructure, whole business, and PDP well securitisations, across industries such as energy, infrastructure, aviation, and healthcare.
Meanwhile, White & Case added Xavier Hubert as a partner to its global white-collar practice in Paris. Hubert joins from Engie, where he served as group director of ethics, compliance, and privacy. He brings experience in advising on corruption and fraud matters, as well as handling interventions and actions before commercial and civil courts in business law and liability disputes.
Earlier in his career, he spent nearly 30 years as a judge and prosecutor for the French Ministry of Justice.
White & Case partner and vice chair Oliver Brettle said in a statement: ‘Dispute resolution, including white collar, remains a priority for the firm globally’.
However, White & Case also saw the departure of corporate partner Alexander Malahias, who is leaving to co-lead the launch of Akin’s new Riyadh office. He will be based in Abu Dhabi until the firm receives its license to operate in Saudi Arabia. Akin’s expansion into Riyadh follows similar moves by firms like Kirkland, Latham, and Clifford Chance in the region.
Back in London, Proskauer hired private funds partner Delphine Jaugey from Skadden, where she was counsel and head of secondaries. Jaugey’s practice focuses on representing clients in all types of LP-led and GP-led secondary transactions and liquidity solutions across Europe, the US, and Asia.
Also in London, Simmons & Simmons added insurance partners Ingrid Hobbs and Tim McCaw from Kennedys. The duo spent seven years at Kennedys after moving together from Mayer Brown in 2017. They specialise in insurance claims, supporting leading insurers and reinsurers on cross-border international matters.
Earlier this month, Haynes Boone also brought on Memery Crystal corporate partner Lesley Gregory, following former colleagues like Nick Davis, who joined Haynes Boone last month as co-head of the London office. This came as part of a seven-lawyer hire from the now-defunct firm.
In other moves, O’Melveny rehired antitrust and competition partner Stéphane Frank from Gibson Dunn in Brussels. After five years at Gibson Dunn, where he became partner in January 2024, Frank returns to O’Melveny, having previously served as counsel and associate earlier in his career.
In the first of Legal Business’s new Meal Deal Maker series, Gavin Gordon, chair of Willkie’s European private equity team, picks his favourite meal deal and discusses everything from his most exciting deal to his tips for future dealmakers.
He also shares his insights into why sometimes the best thing about being a deal lawyer can also be a negative, what he’s discovered about himself since stepping into management, and his love of a proper charcoal barbeque.
Check back in for more Meal Deal Maker interviews in the coming weeks – and get in touch* if you’re interested in taking part.
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is investigating 20 of the biggest law firms in the world for discrimination as US President Donald Trump continues to ratchet up pressure on the legal profession to fall in line with his anti-diversity agenda.
The 20 Global 100 firms, which include revenue leaders Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins and magic circle duo Freshfields and A&O Shearman (see full list below), have each received a letter addressed from EEOC acting chair Andrea Lucas in relation to their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.
The letters ask for expansive information on all applicants for jobs at the firms since 2019, including name, sex, race, phone number, email address and the law school they were hired from.
For successful applicants, the letters also request details including date hired, compensation, tuition repayment assistance, title, date of promotion, and office location.
The firms have until 15 April to comply with the requests.
The EEOC says that the investigations have come as a result of ‘concerns that some firms’ employment practices, including those labelled or framed as DEI, may entail unlawful disparate treatment in terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, or unlawful limiting, segregating, and classifying based on race, sex, or other protected characteristics, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII)’.
This latest escalation comes after the Trump administration fired the opening shot in its battle with global law firms over DEI with a 6 March executive order entitled ‘Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP’.
In addition to targeting US firm Perkins Coie over its work for US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016, the order directed the EEOC to ‘review the practices of representative large, influential, or industry leading law firms for consistency with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’, and to coordinate with the federal attorney general and state attorneys general to investigate the practices of such firms who do business with the federal government ‘for compliance with race-based and sex-based non-discrimination laws’.
This was followed a week later by a similar presidential order targeting Paul Weiss, revoking the firm’s security clearances and stating that the elite US firm ‘discriminates against its own employees on the basis of race and other categories prohibited by civil rights laws’.
The order – which began by asserting that ‘global law firms have for years played an outsized role in undermining the judicial process and in the destruction of bedrock American principles’ – continued: ‘Along with nearly every other large, influential, or industry leading law firm, [Paul Weiss] makes decisions around “targets” based on race and sex. My administration is committed to ending such unlawful discrimination perpetrated in the name of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” policies.’
While the law firms targeted have been largely silent, associates from a raft of top firms have added their names to an open letter coordinated by third-year Skadden finance associate Rachel Cohen.
The letter states: ‘We call on our employers, large American law firms, to defend their colleagues and the legal profession by condemning this rapid purge of ‘partisan actors,’ a group that seems to be synonymous with those the president feels have wronged him. Our politics and feelings about the industry and its path forward are varied. But we are united in our condemnation of the administration’s intimidation tacts, viewpoint discrimination, and attempts to weaponize the executive [branch] against the rule of law.’
‘Our hope was that our employers, some of the most profitable law firms in the world, would lead the way’, it continues. ‘That has not yet been the case, but it still very much can be. It is easy to be afraid of being the first to speak. We are removing that barrier; we are speaking. Now it is our employers’ turn.’
Perkins Coie has since filed a legal challenge to the order issued against it, and is being represented by Washington DC firm Williams & Connolly.
Kirkland & Ellis put its topline turnover up by 22% to a total of $8.8bn – an increase of $1.6bn on the $7.2bn the firm posted last year, and more than double last year’s annual growth rate of 10%.
Profit per equity partner (PEP) was also up by more than 16%, to $9.25m from just under $8m last year, with revenue per lawyer (RPL) up more than 12% to $2.3m from just over $2m last year.
The firm achieved these increases while ending 2024 with higher numbers of equity partners, non-equity partners, and total lawyers – up more than 6% to 573, up nearly 14% to 1,103, and up 9% to 3,828 respectively.
The bump to profitability was evident across other metrics, with average compensation for all lawyers up 11% to $3.7m, and net income to equity partners up nearly 24% to over $5.3bn.
The revenue increase means that Kirkland has more than doubled its turnover in the last five years, up nearly 112% from the $4.15bn reported in 2020’s Global 100 table.
Kirkland continued to expand around the world in 2024, building on its 2023 Riyadh launch with the opening of a new office in Frankfurt last summer, its 20th overall and its second in Germany. The office was established with the hire of Latham corporate department regional chair Tobias Larisch, and now has a total of five partners, as well as eight associates.
The firm continued to build momentum into 2025, opening in Philadelphia with the hire of Skadden litigator and trial lawyer Allison Brown, who joined alongside fellow litigation partners Jessica Davidson and Christopher Cox in New York and Geoffrey Wyatt and Nina Rose in Washington DC.
After a series of high-profile departures to Paul Weiss in London that began in summer 2023, Kirkland also overhauled its exit terms last year, introducing the ability to withhold accrued compensation from departing partners, reducing the notice period for exiting partners from 120 days to 60, and cutting the time leavers will have to wait for capital to be repaid from 12 months to three.
Leading this week’s high-profile moves, Paul Hastings strengthened its corporate M&A practice with the hire of Eric Schiele from Kirkland & Ellis in New York. Schiele, who joins as global co-chair of M&A, brings extensive expertise in big-ticket M&A and public company board and special committee advisory work.
‘Eric is one of the most respected and accomplished M&A attorneys in the US and globally. His addition marks a major leap forward in strengthening our public company M&A platform,’ said firm chair Frank Lopez in a statement.
Also in the Big Apple, Clifford Chanceexpanded its global financial markets team with the addition of Joanna Nicholas as a partner, enhancing the firm’s collateralized loan obligations (CLO) capabilities in the US. Nicholas arrives from Mayer Brown, bringing over two decades of experience advising collateral managers, arrangers, and investors on new issue CLOs, resets, refinancings, and complex financings.
The firm also added Bryan Luchs as a partner to its corporate M&A practice in New York. Previously at White & Case for 12 years, Luchs has nearly 30 years’ experience advising acquirers, targets, boards of directors, and investment banks on complex domestic and cross-border deals.
In London, Proskauer hired restructuring and special situations partner Clare Cottle from Akin. Cottle’s practice covers cross-border and domestic financial restructurings, special situations funding, and complex direct loans.
‘Clare’s expertise aligns perfectly with our strategic vision to own the life cycle of private credit. Her proven track record will be invaluable in driving opportunities in restructuring and special situations financing work,’ said firm chair Tim Mungovan in a statement.
Fried Frank hired Sidley Austin UK tax practice head Oliver Currall as a partner in its London office. With experience advising across UK and international tax structuring, Currall, who also served as co-head of Sidley’s European tax group, makes the move after nine years at Sidley, which he joined in 2016 after making partner at Kirkland in 2014.
Meanwhile, Gibson Dunn bolstered its real estate practice group with the addition of Mark Manson-Bahr. Previously global head of real estate finance at A&O Shearman, Manson-Bahr advises senior bank and mezzanine investment bank clients on investment and development real estate finance transactions across all asset classes in Europe.
Elsewhere in real estate, Cripps expanded its commercial real estate team with the hire of Adam Carney from Pinsent Masons in London. Carnet, who led Pinsents’ repurposing and retrofitting group, has extensive experience in high-value and complex development, investment, and asset management transactions, aligning with Cripps’ focus on sustainable projects and future-proofing real estate portfolios.
Clyde & Co added to its white-collar crime and sanctions team with the hire of Sam Tate as global head of regulatory and investigations. Tate joins from RPC, where he was global head of white-collar crime and compliance and co-head of the firm’s Middle East operations. His expertise spans financial crime investigations, regulatory matters, and crisis management, particularly in the infrastructure, energy, and technology sectors.
He joins alongside Toby Lamarque, Robert Semp, and Osama Al Jayousi, who move from RPC as senior associate, associate, and consultant, respectively.
Further afield, Norton Rose Fulbright expanded its banking and finance team in Hong Kong with the hire of debt capital markets partner Jessica Li from Ashurst. Li brings experience advising Chinese and international financial institutions, as well as corporate entities, on debt capital markets transactions in the Greater China region.
Jones Day was also active in Hong Kong, hiring corporate partner Frank Voon from K&L Gates.
In Paris, Ropes & Gray launched a new office with the hire of a three-partner team from Clifford Chance: private equity partner Fabrice Cohen will join as office managing partner alongside acquisition finance expert Thierry Arachtingi and private capital transactions specialist Emmanuel Mimin. They are joined by a team of counsel and associates, bringing experience in private equity, infrastructure, banking, and finance transactions.
‘Ropes & Gray is a global leader in private capital and strategic M&A,’ said Cohen in a statement. ‘We look forward to building upon the firm’s first-class reputation across some of the currently most active sectors in private capital and strategic M&A, such as healthcare and life sciences, technology, infrastructure, and more.’
Burges Salmon director and solicitor advocate Tom Whittaker chaired the second panel: ‘AI regulations – where are we, where are we going, and how to navigate’, joined by Burges Salmon senior commercial lawyer Madelin Sinclair McAusland, EBRD principal counsel Barbara Zapisetskaya, Informa AI governance manager Federico Marengo and Fountain Court barrister Jacob Turner.
Next up, Taylor Wessing head of product liability and product safety Katie Chandler led the day’s fourth panel: ‘AI disputes – discussing recent cases and the takeaways for business’. Chandler was joined by Taylor Wessing partner Xuyang Zhu, BenevolentAI general counsel and company secretary Will Scrimshaw, and Cloudera VP and head of legal EMEA Alexandra Gartrell.
Finally, Legal Business data editor Ben Wheway led an interactive session featuring Microsoft AI technical specialist Theresa Yurkewich Hoffmann, Arreoblue field chief data officer Rob McKendrick and Kainos head of AI ethics and governance Suzanne Brink.
These two jewels in the UK’s economic crown come together in the form of third party funding. This is funding for litigation and arbitration by investors. It enables impecunious claimants to pursue even against the largest defendants and gives well-resourced claimants flexibility to take litigation costs off balance sheet. UK third party funders’ assets under management are reported to have seen a ten-fold increase in their assets since 2012, amounting to £2.2bn in 2021. They are now likely significantly higher.
There is also a wider benefit to UK society. We celebrate the British rule of law. However, that only has meaning if justice is accessible. Scandals like the Post Office and Interest Rate Hedging Product mis-selling demonstrate that without litigation funding individuals and SMEs will never get justice, let alone equality of arms. That is more important than ever in the age of big tech oligopoly. Funders facilitate group and collective claims that offer claimants cost and risk-free representation that would otherwise be impossible.
