Lawyers On Demand (LOD), Berwin Leighton Paisner’s(BLP) freelance lawyers spin-off, is due to launch in the Middle East with a new Dubai office, breaking into an increasingly competitive legal market. It is understood that the opening is on track for early autumn.
Insurance law and risk specialist firm BLM announced today (17 July) it has appointed its claims solutions head Vivienne Williams (pictured) as the firm’s new managing partner. She replaced Gary Allison, who retired after 23 years at the firm, last week.
Morgan Lewis & Bockius’ London office revenue grew 17% in the year ended September 2016, increasing its London revenue last year to £33.9m, up from £29.1m in 2015. The figures were revealed in limited liability partnership (LLP) documents filed in respect of its London and Paris offices.
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Slaughter and May, Morgan Lewis & Bockius and Davis Polk & Wardwell all returned to act as co-owner Pearson agreed to sell a further 22% stake in Penguin Random House (PRH) to Germany’s Bertelsmann, with the UK education company aiming to recapitalise the business to generate net proceeds of around $1bn.
Slaughter and May has announced today (12 July) that it will retain 91% of its second-year trainees for newly qualified (NQ) lawyer positions at the firm this autumn.
Litigation specialist Stewarts Law has posted its third consecutive year of double-digit growth, with a record profit per equity partner (PEP) rising 30% to reach £1.9m.
Akin Gump has increased trainee salaries by 12% and 8% for first and second years respectively, with the group representing the first trainees the US firm has taken on, while its newly qualified (NQ) pay remained static this financial year.
White collar specialists scramble in landmark prosecution White-collar crime specialists have scrambled across the City as the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) last month charged Barclays and four former executives with conspiracy to commit fraud, false representation and unlawful financial assistance in arranging a £7.3bn Qatar funding deal at the height of the 2008 financial crisis.
Shearman & Sterling and Mayer Brown have recorded lower retention rates for their trainees due to qualify this autumn, from full retention last year to 87% and 73% respectively.
With a broad set of hires towards the end of June, Jury O’Shea hired a former Stewarts commercial litigation partner, Simmons & Simmons added to its Frankfurt financial markets team and Herbert Smith Freehills bolstered its Dubai corporate group.
