Though I’ve always known that soul-of-a-law-firm cover features are the biggest draw for our readers, the response to our Kirkland & Ellis epic in July has been striking. Not since ‘Branded’ two years ago exposed the state of King & Wood Mallesons’ European business has a piece in these pages provoked such an intense reaction. …
Continue reading “For good or ill, Kirkland is now redefining high-end law”
In the summer of 2017 the world’s top law firms were looking at their next financial year with scant optimism given a turbulent geopolitical backdrop and uncertain economic headwinds. As it turned out, driven by a robust global economy, bullish investors and a re-born enthusiasm for cross-border transactions, the 2017/18 season proved kinder than forecast, …
Continue reading “Comment: A new Global 100 elite emerges as the old ones decline”
‘Who would possibly invest in a law firm?’ asks one leader this month, reflecting a common view. Yet the current vogue for floating law firms suggests momentum is indeed building, more than a decade after the introduction of the Legal Services Act. In recent weeks, DWF has turned heads with talk of a £1bn float …
Continue reading “Law firm IPOs still don’t make much sense (but soon could)”
Through much of 2018 the talk has been that major City firms have been extraordinarily busy. GDPR, a rebound in transactional activity as deals put on hold by Brexit are pushed through, a robust showing from the global economy… And this has translated into… not that much. London’s Big Four Magic Circle firms have packed …
Continue reading “The new outlook for City leaders – Casinos hitched with a utility”
In the summer of 2017 the world’s top law firms were looking at their next financial year with scant optimism given a turbulent geopolitical backdrop and uncertain economic headwinds. As it turned out, driven by a robust global economy, bullish investors and a re-born enthusiasm for cross-border transactions, the 2017/18 season proved kinder than forecast, …
Continue reading “A new Global 100 elite emerges as the old ones decline”
A lively debate over coffee recently with Axiom founder Mark Harris took me back to the discussion that manifests most frequently in my line of work these days: the extent that legal services are transforming with new providers and tools. While Harris highlights many genuine changes in the industry and buying behaviour we disagree on …
Continue reading “Comment: GCs should grasp that disruption won’t leave their empires untouched”
The firm was a stand-out performer in 2017, but Allen & Overy (A&O) could not keep up the blistering pace for a second year as the London leader today (6 July) confirmed a solid but unspectacular 4% hike to its top line, sending revenues up £54m to £1.57bn. The result was matched by a 4% …
It would take a generous observer of Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) to claim the once sure-footed outfit had managed anything better than an indifferent run in the years preceding its union with Bryan Cave. Having dazzled through the 2000s – a period in which the firm seemed to have single-handedly revived the unfashionable notion of …
Continue reading “Comment: BCLP offers a (slightly) better post-merger pitch than expected”
This may be an issue dominated by all things Millennial, but I am past that, so the column that follows is likely the result of age-induced cynicism. But even by the standards of the legal industry, I find myself increasingly weary of what passes for industry commentary these days. If an alien beamed down to …
Continue reading “Comment: The good things the ‘pundits’ never tell you about the legal profession”
This may be an issue dominated by all things Millennial, but I am past that, so the column that follows is likely the result of age-induced cynicism. But even by the standards of the legal industry, I find myself increasingly weary of what passes for industry commentary these days. If an alien beamed down to …
Continue reading “Growing weary of snake oil dressed as commentary”
