Partner promotions: Baker & McKenzie makes up 65, Withers 7

In the annual eye-watering reminder of just how large Baker & McKenzie really is, the top ten LB100 firm this week made up 65 new partners across 22 countries in its worldwide promotions round, including four in the City, bringing the partnership to 1,480. Withers, meanwhile, maintained last year’s tally of seven, with just one in London and six internationally. Continue reading “Partner promotions: Baker & McKenzie makes up 65, Withers 7”

Comment: Shock horror – economic revival makes it as impossible as ever to make partner

It’s not going to come as a huge shock to our readership of jaded veterans to hear this but the 2014 promotion rounds from the UK’s top law firms have confirmed that the striking revival in business confidence over the last 12 months has made pretty much no improvement in partnership prospects. Continue reading “Comment: Shock horror – economic revival makes it as impossible as ever to make partner”

Partner promotions: Watson Farley; RPC; TLT and McCann FitzGerald unveil numbers

Top 50 UK firms Watson, Farley & Williams (WFW) and RPC have unveiled their latest partner promotions, making up 13 and three lawyers respectively, as top 60 firm TLT and leading Irish firm McCann FitzGerald both announced today (7 May) that they have promoted four lawyers. Continue reading “Partner promotions: Watson Farley; RPC; TLT and McCann FitzGerald unveil numbers”

Partner promotions: Osborne Clarke makes up five in the UK after Stephenson Harwood promotes City duo

Osborne Clarke (OC) has made up five new partners in its 2014 promotion round across the UK, constituting the firm’s highest-ever UK figures in three years, following Stephenson Harwood’s announcement last week that it has made up just two City associates to partner this year. Continue reading “Partner promotions: Osborne Clarke makes up five in the UK after Stephenson Harwood promotes City duo”

Shock horror: economic revival makes it as impossible as ever to make partner

It’s not going to come as a huge shock to our readership of jaded veterans to hear this but the 2014 promotion rounds from the UK’s top law firms have confirmed that the striking revival in business confidence over the last 12 months has made pretty much no improvement in partnership prospects.

Yes – my back-of-the-envelope calculations are that the Magic Circle plus Herbert Smith Freehills, Norton Rose Fulbright, Hogan Lovells and Ashurst have added only 193 individuals to the club despite fielding between them partnerships of well over 5,000. The 2014 promotions round at these firms is equivalent on average to less than 4% of their partnerships – well below the replacement rate needed to sustain their ranks.

Continue reading “Shock horror: economic revival makes it as impossible as ever to make partner”