New look Linklaters – cuddly inclusiveness proves oddly compelling

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New look Linklaters – cuddly inclusiveness proves oddly compelling

It has been a long, long time since one of London’s elite law firms has genuinely shifted direction. So the shake up currently unfolding at Silk Street under the newish teaming of managing partner Gideon Moore and senior partner Charlie Jacobs is, professionally speaking, a big deal.

The mood music from Moore’s 2015 election had already signalled a more consultative stance – a welcome shift after a series of bruising post-Lehman restructurings.

Continue reading “New look Linklaters – cuddly inclusiveness proves oddly compelling”

Comment: Global London – Has the City reached the end of its curious post-Lehman boom?

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Comment: Global London – Has the City reached the end of its curious post-Lehman boom?

Will this year’s Global London report chronicle the high watermark for the Square Mile as a global hub for foreign law firms? The possibility has to be considered with the article 50 notice about to be delivered as I type these words, representing the biggest threat to London’s position since the 1990s’ run-up to the launch of the euro. Continue reading “Comment: Global London – Has the City reached the end of its curious post-Lehman boom?”

Comment: NRF’s New York merger – the trade-offs of federalism

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Comment: NRF’s New York merger – the trade-offs of federalism

Barely into 2017 and it has already been an eventful year for verein-based law firms, with King & Wood Mallesons meeting a painful end in Europe while, in happy contrast, Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) has just secured its second substantive US merger in the shape of Chadbourne & Parke. Continue reading “Comment: NRF’s New York merger – the trade-offs of federalism”

Myths and monsters – how KWM got swallowed by its own culture

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Myths and monsters – how KWM got swallowed by its own culture

Hearing that Legal Business was gearing up for an in-depth look at the collapse of the European arm of King & Wood Mallesons (KWM), a well-informed contact noted that this story could not be told without going back to the Stanley Berwin days. True, the old SJ Berwin had a maverick spirit that mesmerised its own partners but, having twice presided over lengthy pieces about the firm, I had no stomach to dwell once more on its legend.

Continue reading “Myths and monsters – how KWM got swallowed by its own culture”

NRF’s New York merger – the trade-offs of federalism

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NRF’s New York merger – the trade-offs of federalism

Barely into 2017 and it has already been an eventful year for verein-based law firms, with King & Wood Mallesons meeting a painful end in Europe while, in happy contrast, Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) has just secured its second substantive US merger in the shape of Chadbourne & Parke.

The deal hands NRF 300 lawyers and a major upgrade to its Manhattan practice, which it certainly wanted and needed. Given the federal structure of NRF, the deal is primarily a merger within its US business, marrying the legacy Fulbright & Jaworski to a firm with complementary strengths across energy, projects and finance, nicely combining Fulbright’s Texas heartlands with Chadbourne’s New York base.

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A buzzword with edge – Macfarlanes head reviews the most hyped professional services book for years

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A buzzword with edge – Macfarlanes head reviews the most hyped professional services book for years

Collaboration within a law firm is as self-evidently a good thing as motherhood and apple pie. But then you might think the case for global warming is pretty clear too. So, despite the wave of professional recognition Harvard Law School professor Heidi Gardner (pictured) has received for her work on team-working, her new book, Smart Collaboration, has the considerable challenge of getting lawyers past the outskirts of platitudinal praise and towards the town centre of actual working habits. Continue reading “A buzzword with edge – Macfarlanes head reviews the most hyped professional services book for years”

Guest post: Rolls Royce Service – risk, compliance, and ethics – where were the lawyers?

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Readers of Lawyer Watch will be familiar with my posts on the tensions inherent in a lawyers’ duties to their clients and their duties to uphold the rule of law and the proper administration of justice. Continue reading “Guest post: Rolls Royce Service – risk, compliance, and ethics – where were the lawyers?”

Guest post: Bring out the benchmarks – what the numbers reveal about the world’s biggest legal market

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It’s review and prediction season in the law firm world, as various commentators and consultants issue their annual thunderclaps. I’ve long admired this work, both for the labour involved and the ability to help set the discussion agenda. Continue reading “Guest post: Bring out the benchmarks – what the numbers reveal about the world’s biggest legal market”