‘So big it never stops’ – why Brazil’s legal market is still booming despite political instability and economic uncertainty

They say that Brazil comes to a halt on three occasions: Carnival, the World Cup and elections. It is no surprise therefore that the combined weight of these events in 2022 made for an unusual start to the year that followed. A fraught election in October 2022 saw Workers’ Party leader Luiz Inácio Lula da …

After the party – market slowdown pushes US leaders to take stock in London

The easy narrative is that the party is over. After years of rapid expansion by international law firms in London, 2023 saw lawyer headcount at Global London firms inch up by just 1.8% – a figure which appears to provide confirmation that the City interlopers are finally starting to apply the brakes in London as …

Pace-setters: how the fastest-growing Global London firms are rising up the L500 rankings

Despite growth slowing amid a stuttering deal market in 2023, the Global London law firms have cut a swathe through the City over recent years, with their purchasing power enabling them to consistently acquire market share in London. The Legal 500 rankings offer detailed insight into the scale and focus of this growth – as …

Legal 500 EMEA: Which countries have seen the biggest rankings increases?

Last month’s launch of Legal 500 EMEA 2024 featured rankings for 15,496 firms throughout the EMEA region, alongside the individual rankings of thousands of lawyers across multiple business practice areas. After crunching the numbers, our analysis revealed that the growth in both firm and individual rankings was consistent across all regions with countries from Africa, …

Moves of the month: recruitment market picks up as leading firms think laterally

Lateral hiring saw a notable pickup during the first quarter of 2024, with partner moves across sectors from litigation to corporate, finance, and restructuring, to ESG, energy and competition. Global London firms were especially busy during this period, often to the detriment of their Magic Circle peers. While Paul Weiss has been making headline-grabbing hires, …

Paul Hastings finance partner leaves for Davis Polk as London churn continues

While there is no shortage of fast-growing US firms in London, Paul Hastings is a notable standout, increasing London lawyer headcount by 68% over the past five years with a steady stream of eye-catching hires. However, this rapid growth has also come with departures as the firm repositions itself in the City, and yesterday (2 …