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Kirkland’s beaten Linklaters again

Does anyone need any confirmation of the gradual takeover of the City by rampaging US law firms? No, thought not. If, however, your answer is yes, then more evidence of the Americanisation of London can be found in the upcoming edition of the UK Corporate 50. Much of the focus in this year’s report is […]

TSB Bank

In court this week: TSB, fiduciary duty and the Home Secretary

TSB in £375m Northern Rock mortgage class action British bank TSB is set to appear before the Business List of the Chancery Division today (22 July) for a four-day hearing set to deal with the repercussions of its inheritance of Northern Rock mortgages in 2016. Hogan Lovells is to defend TSB against class representative Donna […]

The Passport: It’s finally happened – Dentons has been dethroned

Welcome to The Passport, your regular round-up of the most important stories to come from the European legal market. In this edition, we look at how CMS zoomed past Dentons in the Polish lawyer headcount stakes; why you might have to get used to the idea of three firms with ‘Snellman’ in their name; and […]

Cooley’s London boss leads three-partner move to Akin

Akin Gump has recruited three of Cooley’s London partners, including its City managing partner Justin Stock. Stock moves to Akin along with Stephen Rosen and David Bresnick. The three focus on transactions with a life sciences and technology element. At Akin, Stock will become the firm’s international head of technology. Both Stock and Bresnick joined […]

Barcelona Spain

We’re entering a new era in Spain’s most expansionist firm

Mexico is set to welcome thousands of lawyers later this year when the capital city plays host to the International Bar Association’s (IBA) showpiece event. Partners and support staff will mingle from dawn until way after dusk, discuss strategies and scan way off into the horizon. However, Mexico’s been high on the interest list for […]

CC

City talk: Clifford Chance’s corporate strategy still relies on its banking roots

For elite firms with ties to big banks, the first half of 2024 has been fruitful for corporate transactions. Sainsbury’s banking business was sold to NatWest Group last month, with Linklaters and A&O Shearman advising, while Addleshaw Goddard, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Paul Hastings led on Co-operative Bank’s sale to Coventry Building Society in an […]

Software technology

Spotlight: How CMS uses tech in litigation

This week on Spotlight, we laser in on ‘CMS Evidence’, the in-house litigation technology unit that the firm launched in 2018, a year into its tripartite merger with Nabarro and Olswang. The unit: CMS Evidence has seven members and the unit services many of CMS’s offices worldwide. It sells a product and expertise, which is […]

Mills & Reeve staff set to share in £3m bonus pot

Mills & Reeve’s turnover rose by double digits in 2023/24 to a new record high that has resulted in the firm’s highest-ever all-staff bonus pool of £3m. The firm’s turnover rose by 14.1 per cent to £168m, beating its 2025 strategic target of £150m a year ahead of schedule. The firm has not yet revealed […]

HSF’s profits surge after lull in previous year

Herbert Smith Freehills’s revenue hit £1.3bn over 2023/24, while profits soared by 14 per cent after a small uptick was recorded in the previous year’s results. The firm’s revenue was up 10 per cent from its last financial results of £1.186bn. Profits saw a double digit burst for the financial year, with HSF reporting a […]