Horizon

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 […]

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 […]

Clydes needed BLM as much as BLM needed Clydes

At times, Clyde & Co appeared dangerously close to squandering the growth opportunities presented by its July 2022 acquisition of BLM. The firm’s most recent financials, however, suggest BLM was the fuel Clydes needed to grow in the UK. Not that it has been without casualties, with a significant proportion of former BLM partners having […]

Global network

These are the M&A winners so far this year

The M&A rankings for the first half of 2024 confirmed one thing we already felt was true: that Linklaters and Slaughter and May have had a lot of acquisitive or targeted clients this year. According to data provided by the London Stock Exchange Group, the pair rank first and second respectively in terms of the […]

hour glass, running out of time, late

Stephenson Harwood is playing the long game

When Stephenson Harwood chief executive Eifion Morris set a target for doubling revenue to £400m by 2027, he knew it would be a tough challenge. “A profitable growth strategy will probably take more than individual lateral joiners and internal promotions to achieve,” he told The Lawyer back in 2021. This protective view came as the […]

Hill Dickinson and Paul Weiss have much in common

Many firms fancy themselves as market disruptors, but only a select few can truly claim that title. Paul Weiss is one of those rare exceptions. Over the past year, the firm has been aggressively expanding in London by recruiting top-tier laterals and offering them eye-popping salaries. This bold strategy has even forced competitors like Latham […]

Madrid

We love Spain, but not that much

It’s coming ho… No. Stop right there. Don’t say it. Stop thinking it. You know that you were. We’ve been here before. Don’t jinx it. Ollie Watkins gave England football fans a moment to savour on Wednesday night with a touch-and-finish so exquisite that it would not look out of place in any of this […]

Choice

At Linklaters, not all roads point to the US

Attention turned to Linklaters’ US advances when its financials were released this week, and tied into that, its well-publicised partner losses to US firms in London. Since last summer, four of its partners have joined Paul Weiss, although it feels like much more. Added on to that are the many Linklaters alum who swapped the […]

Money, pound, sterling, pay, salary, currency

The £30m sweet spot

No, don’t worry, Paul Weiss and Kirkland have not further stretched their partner compensation to £30m, so wipe away that bead of sweat that just appeared on your forehead. The £30m being referred to here concerns the UK’s independent firms – more specifically, the firms that have not reached this revenue milestone. There are 84 […]

Poaching staff

Start poaching planning partners

As Sir Keir Starmer settles into Number 10, so law firms must adapt to the new political order. With that in mind, it is worth taking note of a couple of lateral moves that have taken place in the mid-tier in the last couple of weeks. Alex Madden, the head of planning at South West […]

Bristol

Bristol is better than Manchester

The annual promotions round is a calendar highlight for many firms, but, for a growing number of junior lawyers, joining the partnership is no longer a career high. A recent LexisNexis report, Disloyal lawyers: has the partner track lost its lustre?, found a quarter of associates do not want to make partner in their current […]

target goal setting

It’s not just Freshfields with a growth manifesto

Firms love targets and lovely round numbers often form part of a new leader’s strategy for growth. This year alone, Ward Hadaway has set out plans to hit £100m by 2034, while Scottish firm Blackadders wants to hit £25m in 2025/26. But which firms are on course to hit new and exciting numbers when they […]