Paul Weiss’ hire of Kirkland rock star is the shake-up we didn’t know we needed
‘Paul Weiss hasn’t got enough partners in London for doubles ping pong!’ scoffed a senior source at the beginning of…
Comment
The Last Word: Gender agenda
‘Firms have to be flexible and acknowledge they may have fantastic senior associates who want to put their partnership ambitions…
The Last Word: On message
‘I’m of the view that there’s no such thing as an ESG lawyer. What we can do, by educating the…
Big Law’s diversity stats remain uninspiring – time to revisit the problem of social mobility
As we go to press on Legal Business’ third annual ESG report, the data points gathered on firms’ ethnicity and…
Revolving doors: Freshfields unveils multiple hires in US amid busy week for London firms
Amid a hectic start to June for lateral hiring, Freshfields has had a busy week, having added four new partners…
Oversharing? Navigating social media can be fraught but there is much to admire
It’s surprising how much conversations around social media have shifted over the last three years. There used to be a…
Cautionary tales: The downfall of Ince – a lesson in how not to run your law firm
‘In the event of a recession, the lawyers will be fine. They always are. Unless you work at Ince.’ Reflecting…
The Last Word: London manifesto
‘We already have a strong European offering and our current expansion plans are centred on partner-level and team hires that…
A wholly subjective (but nonetheless definitive) guide to law firms from a $300m client on how to make a successful pitch*
David Burgess, publishing director of The Legal 500, asks David Stark, chief legal officer at Teva Pharmaceuticals, and Trevor Faure…
Shearman and Hogan Lovells – better the devil you don’t
This comment piece has been updated to reflect an announcement late on Thursday (2 March) that merger talks between Shearman…
Stopping the bleeding at Travers will require hard-won loyalty and a pay overhaul
Looking at the recent wave of departures from Travers Smith brings to mind fears expressed by peers when we last…
The Last Word: Next level
‘Profitable organic development is still possible for us, but this isn’t the case for firms in some foreign markets –…
The Last Word: Matchday forecasts
‘The profitability of firms operating in the US is very high. If that continues to grow not least because the…
Much snootiness still remains, but the Vereins are actually fine
While Legal Business is not the type of publication to force a tenuous link in order to make a feature…
A bonanza year for the Global 100 – is the table about to turn?
It is a treacherous business, making market predictions for the year ahead. Too conservative and the pundit is guilty of…
Still vulgar to talk about money? Three decades have made the industry less coy
‘I don’t think you will get any of the City firms to talk about this sort of thing… You have?…
30 years of LB100 – So much has changed but also shades of déjà vu
It is always educational and entertaining to view how the industry has evolved through the eyes of those veterans who…
The Last Word: Market comment
‘A client said to me during the first Covid wave: “I stand in awe of the superior business model of…
A sneak preview of the LB100 – the lawyers are always fine, aren’t they?
‘In the event of a recession, the lawyers will be fine. They always are. Unless you work at Ince.’ So…
The Last Word: Notes on a scandal
‘No firm should ever take anything for granted. Dewey & LeBoeuf was a top-end, white-shoe firm and it over-guaranteed and…