We had Skadden’s 30th anniversary party at Kensington Palace. Very cool. I’ve been here most of those 30 years.
I took a year and a half off between high school and college in the States. I spent most of my youth surfing and had a dream to finish high school in Hawaii. Continue reading “Life During Law: Scott Simpson”
The success of Latham & Watkins’ expansion globally in recent years is backed up by Legal 500 data. Fifty-seven of its practices have achieved top-tier rankings globally across The Legal 500 in 2019/20, compared to 40 in 2014-15. While only one of these 17 new top-tier rankings is in the UK, the firm’s growing dominance in London is still supported by the UK Legal 500 data. Continue reading “Legal 500 Data: Behind the story”
Emily Bernstein demonstrates how Investec can help to find personal banking solutions for clients in the legal industry
The legal partners I work with have unique careers and unique incomes to match. Continue reading “Sponsored briefing: It’s the little things that count”
Nathalie Tidman and Thomas Alan assess the impact of the pandemic on the profession as the world battens down for a health crisis
‘Things that are happening today you wouldn’t have believed a week ago,’ reflects David Patient, Travers Smith’s managing partner. Indeed. The outbreak and rapid spread of the coronavirus has in a matter of weeks transformed from background concern to a health crisis unknown in modern times, with countries scrambling worldwide to handle the outbreak. Continue reading “City leaders take drastic action as coronavirus spreads turmoil across European states and economies”
Marco Cillario and Nathalie Tidman report on Freshfields’ role in the tax scandal rocking Germany
It is not often that a law firm makes headlines outside the legal media, yet the name Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is rapidly becoming a regular feature of German newspapers. That is bad news for the City giant. How bad, many are currently trying to assess. Continue reading “Freshfields under financial and reputational fire in Germany as cum-ex tax scandal rolls on”
Evidence of a thriving real estate sector in the UK can be seen through hires by the established real estate practices at Addleshaw Goddard and Ashurst, which bolstered their benches in property litigation and planning with notable appointments before Christmas and the new year.
One standout hire was made by Addleshaws, which has recruited Linklaters real estate disputes head Frances Richardson. Although holding the role of counsel at the Magic Circle firm, Richardson joins Addleshaws as a partner. Having spent 17 years at Linklaters after arriving as a trainee in 2002 and working her way up to managing associate, she became head of real estate disputes in 2017. Continue reading “Trio of senior hires as property teams bank on market revival as investors hunt for key assets”
Clydes, HSF, Freshfields and White & Case arbitration partners among new QCs
A record 22 applicants from ethnic minority backgrounds have been elevated to Queen’s Counsel (QC) in the latest round from a total 114 taking silk. But while the overall number of new silks is up 6% from 108 last year, the number of female applicants fell slightly. Continue reading “Record year for ethnic minorities in latest silk round but number of female applicants falls”
Real estate leader taps Franklin for eight partners with more to come in France
‘It’s great to get to the moment where our first big move has happened.’
Lisa Mayhew, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
Since the 2018 tie-up between Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) and Bryan Cave, the merged entity of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) has experienced a period of relative calm. But while the last 18 months have been defined by neither convulsion nor dramatic moves, the firm’s recent play in Paris could mark a new phase in BCLP’s post-merger ambitions. Continue reading “‘Our first big move’: Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner gets Paris play over the line”
A dearth of megadeals in 2019 did little to dampen the spirits of dealmakers with buyout teams capitalising on the ongoing private equity boom while wider pharma and tech deals drove bid activity.
On the face of it, headline figures from Mergermarket speak of a subdued year, with global M&A activity declining 6.9% from 2018 to $3.33trn. The picture in Europe was considerably more gloomy, with the continent seeing a 21.9% dive in total deal value to $770.5bn. Continue reading “Sponsors, pharma and tech fire up deal activity despite a subdued year for marquee M&A in Europe”
