Legal Business

Middle Eastern resilience

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Middle East and Africa JLegal
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JLegal’s Richard McLerie discusses the region’s legal market.

Over the past 12 months, the region has endured a period punctuated by numerous challenges, principle among which is arguably the depression in oil prices and the ongoing danger posed by militant groups destabilising significant areas of the region. The wider ramifications of these factors cannot be covered exhaustively here. However, of notable importance in the context of the legal market is how some of the more stable jurisdictions, notably that of the UAE, which continues to stand out as the hub from which firms operate their regional offering, have benefited from the migration of wealth into the more stable, internationally-underpinned markets from wider areas of the Middle East deemed, at least for the time being, unacceptably risky locations in which to invest.

Legal Business

Team moves – Alec Harvey and Richard Nicolle discuss the risks

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Strategic recruitment JLegal
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Team moves in London’s legal market are on the rise, particularly among US law firms establishing new offices or practice groups.

The potential benefits of a team move are not limited to critical mass – the new employer may gain a significant competitive headstart by acquiring a ready-made team, client relationships and increased market credibility.

Even where single partners are targeted, they are frequently asked whether they require support from existing team members and acquiring junior lawyers, who often service the daily needs of clients, can enhance the ability to leverage client relationships.

Legal Business

Background and market factors

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Middle East and Africa JLegal
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Richard McLerie of JLegal outlines the picture across the region.

When trying to predict what the legal recruitment market will look like in the Gulf region it is easy to be seen as sitting on the fence. There are conflicting signs at every turn and until every scenario plays out, it is impossible to tell how it will affect the region.

Legal Business

Lateral hiring in the Caribbean and the Channel Islands

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Offshore JLegal
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Philip Jennings of JLegal discusses these key jurisdictions and the opportunities (and challenges) of moving offshore.

The first thing to state is that the sub-heading above defines the importance of Cayman, Bermuda, BVI, Jersey and Guernsey. These are key jurisdictions in the global legal market and the original locations for the major offshore law firms which now have offices in myriad other locations, including in Asia and the Middle East. They are still where those firms have most of their lawyers and where most of their work originates from. The transactional and contentious work carried out under, and sometimes because of,  the laws and regulations of these countries is always high value and cross-border, involving the Magic  and Silver Circle firms on a regular basis. Sometimes the premier City or US firms will instruct the offshore firms on part of a deal or case but also some of the most prestigious clients directly instruct the offshore firms, including global banks and  financial institutions, ultra high-net worth individuals, trust companies and funds.