Strategic recruitment: Kirkland takes four from the Magic Circle as global players make moves in Madrid

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Strategic recruitment: Kirkland takes four from the Magic Circle as global players make moves in Madrid

The beginning of autumn has seen the lateral hiring merry-go-round intensify after the more muted summer months, as UK and international firms secured substantive reinforcements in corporate, funds, tax and infrastructure.

The headline City arrival came as Kirkland & Ellis brought in Allen & Overy (A&O)’s global co-head of infrastructure Sara Pickersgill. Ranked in The Legal 500’s Hall of Fame, Pickersgill is an established market leader in infrastructure, energy and renewables corporate transactions, having been with the Magic Circle firm for more than 20 years. Pickersgill was swiftly followed to Kirkland by infrastructure funds partners James Boswell and Paul Sampson, who arrived from Clifford Chance and A&O respectively. Then in October they were joined by infrastructure M&A partner Toby Parkinson, who had been co-head of CC’s infrastructure sector. Continue reading “Strategic recruitment: Kirkland takes four from the Magic Circle as global players make moves in Madrid”

Stick or twist? City firms battle it out in NQ salary brinkmanship after Allen & Overy freezes rates

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Stick or twist? City firms battle it out in NQ salary brinkmanship after Allen & Overy freezes rates

The war for junior talent at the top end of London’s legal market entered a new phase of brinkmanship this year, as firms jostled for position after Allen & Overy (A&O)’s decision to freeze its associate rates.

A&O froze its newly-qualified (NQ) salaries in late June, citing a ‘more challenging business environment’. The firm typically reviews pay later in the year, but A&O decided to bring the decision forward. Continue reading “Stick or twist? City firms battle it out in NQ salary brinkmanship after Allen & Overy freezes rates”

‘Never say never’: KPMG legal chief Nick Roome on law firm buyouts and supercharging lateral recruitment

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‘Never say never’: KPMG legal chief Nick Roome on law firm buyouts and supercharging lateral recruitment

At a watershed moment in the Big Four’s protracted entrance into the UK legal market, KPMG’s head of legal remains bullish about making a big impact

A provocative 2017 Legal Business cover, featuring EY’s UK legal head Philip Goodstone, questioned: ‘Big Four, Big Threat?’ At the time it felt like a pressing question. These days it feels more rhetorical. Continue reading “‘Never say never’: KPMG legal chief Nick Roome on law firm buyouts and supercharging lateral recruitment”

Partner promotions: Kirkland unveils largest ever class as US firms reveal 2022 cohorts

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Partner promotions: Kirkland unveils largest ever class as US firms reveal 2022 cohorts

The first wave of US firms has announced their latest round of partner promotions, as Kirkland & Ellis, White & Case, Goodwin, Morgan Lewis and Covington & Burling revealed their classes of 2022.

Kirkland & Ellis has minted 193 lawyers in a new record for the expansive juggernaut, following the 151-strong round announced last year and the 145 promotions unveiled in 2020. Continue reading “Partner promotions: Kirkland unveils largest ever class as US firms reveal 2022 cohorts”

LB Awards and GC Powerlist UK 2022: A night to remember

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LB Awards and GC Powerlist UK 2022: A night to remember

Shoosmiths, Travers Smith and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners were among the major winners at the 2022 Legal Business Awards, which welcomed more than 800 guests to the Grosvenor House hotel on 27 September.

Before the Awards, in-house guests gathered for a reception to mark the launch of our annual GC Powerlist, with key representatives from FTSE 100 companies such as Adobe, FT and Vodafone in attendance. Continue reading “LB Awards and GC Powerlist UK 2022: A night to remember”

Life During Law: Sara Maccallum

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Life During Law: Sara Maccallum

Boodle Hatfield is 300 years old this year. Weʼve had a number of events celebrating this milestone, all leading up to a big party for everyone at the firm, which weʼre all looking forward to!

The legacy of the firm is as a trusted adviser to private clients, starting out as a sort of in-house steward to the Grosvenor family, and we want to build on the success of the past 300 years as we are merely the custodians of the Boodle Hatfield name. It may be a cliché, but the firm really is a family of people that are working together, and I hope that we can maintain that and build on it, even in this different working environment that we now find ourselves in. Continue reading “Life During Law: Sara Maccallum”

The Legal 500 View: Why allegations of ‘woeful mismanagement’ and a ‘chronic lack of investment’ at the SFO aren’t stopping the white-collar lateral hiring carousel

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The Legal 500 View: Why allegations of ‘woeful mismanagement’ and a ‘chronic lack of investment’ at the SFO aren’t stopping the white-collar lateral hiring carousel

Despite intense scrutiny of the SFO and a slowdown in new cases, the market for white-collar expertise is as hot as ever, as Georgina Stanley discovers

The last 12 months may not have been as busy as they could have been for the white-collar community, but that has not stopped the practice grabbing more than its fair share of headlines. Continue reading “The Legal 500 View: Why allegations of ‘woeful mismanagement’ and a ‘chronic lack of investment’ at the SFO aren’t stopping the white-collar lateral hiring carousel”

The Legal 500 Data: Ten years of tiers

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The Legal 500 Data: Ten years of tiers

As highlighted in this month’s The Legal 500 view article on page 22, the white-collar and corporate crime market has seen significant volumes of lateral hiring activity year after year. This recruitment activity continues to shift both the L500 corporate crime rankings, which focus on advice to corporates embroiled in investigations, and the white-collar rankings, which focus on those advising the individuals within them.

Taking a ten-year view of both rankings though, it is clear that despite City firms’ efforts, to date, the very top of the white-collar rankings remain largely the preserve of the crime boutiques, while City firms dominate the corporate crime rankings. The same is also true of the leading individual tables by number. Lower down though there is more evidence of the impact recruitment is making on the rankings, with firms including Dechert, Cadwalader and Paul Hastings among those climbing the rankings over time and increasing their leading individual counts. Continue reading “The Legal 500 Data: Ten years of tiers”