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?”

Global London debate: The eagle has landed

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Legal Business teamed up with Scottish Development International for a progress report on US law firms in the City. Has recent political and economic turbulence thwarted their advance at all?

While our 2016 Global London report – published before the Brexit vote on 23 June – identified the continuing rise of premium US advisers in the City, it also sounded a note of caution that 2016 – with Brexit and US presidential elections looming – could be a much bumpier ride for global legal services, conditions that not even the lean and slickly managed US outfits in the UK could avoid. With this in mind, we assembled a group of senior practitioners at some of the City’s most thrusting US firms for a progress report.

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Global London overview: The eagle has landed

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Legal Business’ 14th annual Global London survey assesses the breakthrough of the City’s leading US shops in the past 12 months

Recently appointed to jointly lead his firm’s expansive City office, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher tax partner Jeffrey Trinklein recalls a visit to London in the early nineties. ‘Back then, the US offices in London were 100% American lawyers. Now it’s 10%.’

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Kiss the ring – patronage, in-fighting and exits threaten to stall Kirkland’s bandwagon

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Jaishree Kalia sizes up the clashing egos and driving ambition at Kirkland’s City arm.

Flashy cars, Dom Pérignon and top dollar are just some of the things associated with Kirkland & Ellis’ City high-flyers. The top ten global law firm has been highly successful in London since setting up shop in 1994 to service trophy client Bain Capital. The practice is certainly substantial, generating over $180m in 2015, according to one partner.

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Global London: The Barbarians storming the gate of City deal work

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Mainstream M&A has for decades been the stronghold of the City elite… and the ground US law firms struggled to seize. As some of Wall Street’s elite ramp up City investment, is plc deal work about to fall to US invaders?

With seven days left on the clock to force through a bid for the UK’s largest pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, many in the City were surprised when Pfizer put forward a final £69bn offer on a spring Sunday evening when most shareholders were out enjoying their weekends.

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Over the Atlantic: London outperforms stateside practices in top US firms

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White & Case edges ahead of Latham in the City with £185m turnover

A series of US firms have seen London office revenues grow faster than other parts of their business as the European markets prove buoyant for players such as Latham & Watkins, White & Case and Debevoise & Plimpton.

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Global London: European firms move into the unknown

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Last year European partners voiced their fears over the possibility of the UK leaving the EU. Now they could be preparing for grim reality.

The issue on every European partner’s lips in London is the outcome and fallout of the UK’s Brexit referendum on 23 June. In last year’s Global London report, there was a palpable hope that Britain wouldn’t vote to leave the EU. Now European firms have to prepare themselves for that possibility.

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The last word – Swoop to conquer

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With the publication of our annual Global London report, leading figures at US law firms in the City weigh up a volatile market


COMPELLING ALTERNATIVES

‘Global corporates, wherever they are headquartered, are increasingly recognising that we provide the same depth and quality as the Magic Circle in London but also with a global platform that extends into the US. Outside of the US, it is comparable with the Magic Circle. When you put that proposal to a global corporate, then we can provide a compelling alternative as we can speak in English and American accents.’

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