London gets lion’s share of White & Case’s largest ever partner promotions round

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London gets lion’s share of White & Case’s largest ever partner promotions round

White & Case has promoted 41 lawyers to partner in its largest ever promotion round, with London seeing more promotions than the whole of the US. The promotion round, effective from January next year, represents a 32% increase on last year, when 31 were minted. London sees 13 promotions, up from seven last year, and ahead …

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Review of Baker McKenzie #MeToo incident finds ‘shortcomings’ but details scant

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Review of Baker McKenzie #MeToo incident finds ‘shortcomings’ but details scant

An under-wraps independent review of Baker McKenzie’s approach to a sexual misconduct incident six years ago has concluded there were ‘a number of shortcomings’ but details are scarce. Bakers appointed Simmons & Simmons in February  to review the way the firm had handled accusations that one of its London partners sexually assaulted an associate in …

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City and Wall Street elite get behind legal tech app as the sector eyes consolidation

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City and Wall Street elite get behind legal tech app as the sector eyes consolidation

Clifford Chance (CC), Linklaters, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Latham & Watkins are among 12 City and US heavyweights to get behind a startup project to create an App Store for legal tech products. The initiative responds to challenges faced by legal professionals with overkill setting in as unconnected products flood the market, forcing lawyers to upload client …

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Linklaters sets sights on future talent as it raises trainee and NQ salaries for second time

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Linklaters sets sights on future talent as it raises trainee and NQ salaries for second time

Linklaters has announced the second increase in its trainee and newly qualified (NQ) salaries this year, with the latter now bringing home £83,000 in basic pay. NQs have seen their basic pay increase by £2,000 since the firm last increased its rates in May, while trainees in year one have become the highest paid in …

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Five stand as CC kicks off senior partner race but early favourite Sandelson not in contention

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Five stand as CC kicks off senior partner race but early favourite Sandelson not in contention

Leadership at Clifford Chance (CC) has over the last 20 years swung wildly between prestige and poisoned chalice but the just-launched race to become the London giant’s new senior partner shows no shortage of candidates. Former London head David Bickerton (pictured) and ex-Europe chief Yves Wehrli launched their bids to become CC’s next senior partner, …

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City job cuts loom as Bakers puts 300-plus business staff under consultation in efficiency drive

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City job cuts loom as Bakers puts 300-plus business staff under consultation in efficiency drive

Support roles in the City are under threat again as Baker McKenzie has launched a review of its entire London professional and business services (PBS) staff, estimated to include around 350 people. Kicking off at the end of this month as part of the firm’s drive to improve profitability, the consultation will affect Bakers’ finance, …

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Deal watch: Rich pickings for Links as insurance and education sectors mark busy autumn for City elite

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Deal watch: Rich pickings for Links as insurance and education sectors mark busy autumn for City elite

It has been a busy few weeks for Linklaters’ transactional team as the firm scooped spots on two multibillion pound deals, in the insurance and education sectors respectively. Corporate partners James Inglis and Nick Rumsby joined Magic Circle rivals Clifford Chance (CC) and Slaughter and May as US insurance broker Marsh & McLennan agreed to acquire the …

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Letter from… Moscow: Apocalypse now beckons as sanctions and turmoil batter foreign lawyers in Russia

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Letter from… Moscow: Apocalypse now beckons as sanctions and turmoil batter foreign lawyers in Russia

Remember the days when Russia was the El Dorado of the Western legal elite? Potent New York outfits like Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom forged hugely lucrative businesses catering to Russian clients, while oligarchs and their top-dollar disputes were regulars in London’s commercial courts. Just half a decade …

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Ominous signs for western firms in Russia as Akin Gump team quits to launch local independent

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The latest sign that life in Russia is getting tough for international firms came today (5 September) as two of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld’s key Moscow partners quit to launch an independent firm. Heavyweight litigator Ilya Rybalkin and corporate veteran Suren Gortsunyan have launched Rybalkin, Gortsunyan & Partners (RGP) alongside 11 associates, counsel …

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