Following the announcement of the proposed A&O Shearman merger, news came that Shearman & Sterling had lost two partners to Ashurst in London, which leads the headline moves – dominated by energy and infrastructure hires – in recent weeks.
London-based Shearman partners Sanja Udovicic and Julia Derrick moved over to Ashurst to expand the firm’s global energy team. Continue reading “Departures from Shearman and Allen & Overy as merger is unveiled and energy dominates lateral hiring”
What have been the main trends in legal tech recruitment over the last year?
We have seen legal tech employers place greater emphasis on technical skills, such as coding, data analytics, and artificial intelligence. This reflects the need for legal tech professionals who can effectively develop, implement, and manage technology solutions.
What we are really proud of in the legal tech space is the growing recognition and importance of diversity and inclusion.
Many legal tech employers are implementing strategies to foster a more inclusive workplace.
Have you seen demand increase for legal tech professionals?
I think with the ongoing digital transformation in the legal industry, there has been a growing demand for legal tech professionals. This trend was really fuelled by the pandemic, where there had almost been a pause on new projects, and once we came out the other side, the market just exploded – so many tech companies creating innovative products and solutions, and law firms and corporate legal teams wanting to be at the forefront of this tech. However, with all this tech available, the one thing that is always imperative is that you must have the right people in place to implement and help with the adoption of technology in the legal sector. This market has been quick to realise that tech and the professionals running this tech come hand in hand, which is why there is such a demand for legal tech professionals right now.
What have been the biggest drivers of activity?
Some of the biggest drivers for recruiting legal technology professionals is a combination of technological innovation, changing client expectations, and the need for greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the legal industry.
How do you see the recruitment market evolving over the next few months to a year?
While there is still a continued demand for legal tech professionals, there is also an increased competition for talent. Therefore, we are going to see more employers looking at ways to make their organisations stand out, with benefits like employee perks, remote working, skill development, and career advancement being offered.
We are also going to see a lot more use of AI in our day-to-day tasks, from training, researching, knowledge and many more uses as the technology advances.
Darren Kantor, director, head of legal tech implementation and recruitment
Jameson Legal Tech
24 Greville St
London EC1N 8SS
T: +44 (0)20 3950 0534
M: +44 (0)7961 153 478
E: darren.kantor@jamesonlegal.com
Leading several high-profile moves this week, White & Case has hired antitrust partner Michael Engel from Kirkland & Ellis in London. Engel, who is dual-qualified in the UK and Germany, had been a partner at Kirkland since January 2021 and, before that, was at Sullivan & Cromwell for a decade.
Engel advises on the full scope of EU, German and UK-governed competition issues. Continue reading “Revolving Doors: White & Case and Proskauer make antitrust plays as Paul Hastings raids A&O in New York”
Eversheds Sutherland has had a busy week, strengthening both its regulatory and energy and infrastructure finance practices with two senior hires.
Nicola Williams has re-joined Eversheds, after a decade long stretch at Welsh Water Legal, where she was the legal compliance director and company secretary. She has joined as a partner in the firm’s litigation and dispute management practice. Continue reading “Revolving doors: Eversheds adds two partners as Kingsley Napley launches restructuring and insolvency practice”
In-house stalwart and GC Powerlist UK regular Matt Wilson is leaving his position as associate general counsel (GC) for EMEA at Uber to assume the GC role at British TV production multinational Fremantle.
Wilson, who will join up with his new employers in August, calls time on a frenetic six-year stint at fast-growing Uber, which has been beset with thorny legal and regulatory issues throughout his tenure. Continue reading “Wilson ends Uber journey to take up head of legal role at Fremantle”
Macfarlanes has reported robust financial results for 2019/20 – its tenth consecutive year of revenue growth – with virtually double-digit increases in turnover and profit per equity partner (PEP).
Added to this, the firm has also announced an 88% retention rate of trainees qualifying next month, as well as the lateral hire of well-regarded finance partner Malcolm Hitching. Continue reading “Defying gravity – double-digit boost marks a decade of revenue growth for Macfarlanes”
Allen & Overy has again thrown itself behind its strategy to accelerate investment in its US business after fruitless merger talks with O’Melveny & Myers, having hired a pair of federal enforcement partners from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe in Washington DC.
The addition of Billy Jacobson and Jonathan Lopez, both veterans of the fraud section of the US Department of Justice, is another shot in the arm for the City giant’s lofty stateside ambition to redouble investment in DC and New York at a time of leadership transition for the firm. It also comes at a time when firms are scaling back strategic recruitment as the global coronavirus pandemic unfolds. Continue reading “A&O bullish on US investment drive with hire of federal enforcement firepower in DC”
In a month of significant hires and departures, online money payment company TransferWise has snapped up rival Monzo Bank’s chief legal officer Dean Nash (pictured) as its new general counsel (GC) following the departure of Jenifer Swallow in July.
Nash, who featured in the GC Powerlist 2019, has left the company after nearly four years of rapid growth to become the UK’s most recognisable mobile-only bank. Continue reading “In-house: TransferWise cashes in on competitor’s legal head as mammoth US GC pay packets revealed”
BAE System’s longstanding legal chief for air, Julie Smyth, has landed the general counsel (GC) role at GKN Aerospace, while Lloyds Banking Group’s well-regarded head of legal operations is heading to Clifford Chance.
Smyth (pictured) leaves BAE’s air business, where she managed a legal team of 60, after seven years as chief counsel to head up legal, risk, compliance and governance across GKN’s global aerospace business, based in London. Smyth joined BAE in 1998 – when it was British Aerospace – with the air business accounting for about half of the defence multinational’s £18bn turnover. Continue reading “In-house: BAE air legal head quits for aerospace rival as Lloyds’ legal ops head joins Clifford Chance”
