William Fry’s David Carthy will join the firm to head new office
The decision of DLA Piper to join a handful of other City and international firms that have opened a Dublin office in the last year was partly to do with the UK’s move to leave the EU, and partly not. Continue reading “DLA joins Brexit march to Dublin after finding the right kind of leader”
Alex Novarese, Legal Business: How is the market generally?
Lee Ranson, Eversheds Sutherland: Most of the managing partners around this table will say it was a better 2017 than expected. We had some of our highest numbers against a budget where we were very, very wary with Brexit and uncertainty. Very strange. We are going into a new budget now and management is more cautious than the practitioners. Continue reading “An ill wind… The LB100 leadership debate”
Striking numbers abound in this year’s Global London table, if you are into that kind of thing. The three pace-setting US brands in London – Latham & Watkins, Kirkland & Ellis and White & Case – are all generating in the $300m region in the Square Mile, last year saw the first $10m lateral and my back-of-the-envelope scribbling indicates that the top 50 US firms are comfortably pulling in over $5bn in the UK.
The market is increasingly now defined by this trio, predictably so in the case of Latham, though City lawyers are still trying to get their heads around the idea of Kirkland and White & Case as mounting a frontal challenge. A few years ago, I’d have been equally sceptical, particularly in the latter’s case, but if there is a glaring hole in the game plan of these two outfits, they are hiding it well. With all three making ground in mainstream transactional work through 2017 and securing significant hires – the idea that certain kinds of M&A will remain the preserve of City advisers over the next three years looks fanciful.
Continue reading “Brexit looms yet City law tilts further towards US leaders”
Darren Jones discusses leaving his role at telecoms giant BT to sit in the UK Parliament
Many were surprised when Darren Jones was elected Labour MP for Bristol North West – none more so than Jones himself. Except for, perhaps, his boss at BT Legal.
In a stunning blow to traditionalists, the latest government reshuffle has seen a lawyer appointed as the UK’s new Justice Secretary, with minister David Gauke transferring from Work and Pensions to take over from David Lidington.
Lidington lasted all of six months as Lord Chancellor, having been last year drafted in to replace the gaffe-prone Elizabeth Truss before this week being transferred to the Cabinet Office. The appointment of the former City solicitor Gauke makes him the fourth Justice Secretary since Michael Gove stepped down ahead of the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign and the sixth in eight years under two Conservative-led administrations. Continue reading “Former City solicitor Gauke becomes fourth Justice Secretary in two years amid latest Cabinet reshuffle”
The impact of Britain’s exit from the EU on the international strategy of City firms is still largely obscure – those announcing Dublin launches since the referendum have sought to play down the role of Brexit in their decision.
But Bristowsʼ joint managing partner Marek Petecki is clear: the rationale for launching the firm’s first international office in its 180-year history ‘is about addressing the challenges of Brexit’. Continue reading “Bristows points to Brexit as TMT specialist launches first-ever international office in Brussels”
Technology and life sciences specialist Bristows is to open in Brussels next year in a move that underlines the impact of Brexit on City stalwarts.
In what will be its first move overseas in its 180-year history, Bristows’ EU regulatory and competition lawyers will be using the new office from March 2018 as a base for representing international clients on EU law, with the firm currently not planning to recruit any new partners to work there full-time. Continue reading “The Brexit effect: Bristows to open first international office in 180-year history with Brussels launch”
Alex Novarese, Legal Business: Looking at the top of the market, how is buying behaviour changing?
Donny Ching, Royal Dutch Shell: I see increasing sophistication in sourcing legal services. I am sure you all have experienced tenders and reverse tenders. More corporates are looking at using different tools, also driven by the contracting and procurement [C&P] organisation. Procuring legal services used to be the last bastion, where C&P could not touch. That is changing. We hired our own pricing analyst sourcing officer a couple of years ago. He has done phenomenal work and opened our eyes to what is possible. Continue reading “Irresistible forces”
LB100 firms weather initial Brexit turbulence but good times remain a distant memory
Flattered by turbulent forex markets, the UK’s largest law firms outperformed smaller rivals in the Legal Business 100 (LB100), as the group weathered economic and political headwinds through 2016/17 to eke out an ultimately indifferent performance. Continue reading “The LB100: Forex flatters market leaders but most struggle to find their form in another tough year”
This year’s Legal Business 100 coincides with the most inauspicious of anniversaries after a year with the most inauspicious of beginnings. A decade since the start of the global financial crisis and just over a year since the result of the Brexit referendum, the perception is that political and economic uncertainty has ultimately had little impact on the performance of top 100 UK law firms. Particularly on those at the top.
The drama has been well documented. UK and European markets continued to show resilience, mainly aided by foreign investment, despite the last financial year starting off with six to eight weeks of post-referendum impact. By Christmas, transactional practices were upbeat and grew stronger into 2017. Then article 50 was triggered just before the end of the financial year and unease settled in again. Continue reading “Legal Business 100 overview: Your story”
