Christian Smith

Christian is the Litigation Editor at The Lawyer, where he covers domestic and global disputes, as well as writing The Hearing and Disputes Signal. He also co-hosts and produces The Lawyer Podcast. Prior to joining The Lawyer, he worked at Times Radio. Christian was a commercial and sports disputes solicitor for several years in London and New Zealand before becoming a journalist.

The Lawyer Podcast: The SQE: Students deserve better than this

The new episode of The Lawyer Podcast is out now! Grabbing the attention of aspiring solicitors and spectators alike, criticism of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination has torn through the media over the weeks following the most recent set of results. From City firms dropping training contracts from offer holders after failing on their first attempt, […]

Red Bull Formula 1 car

The Hearing: Red Bull’s mystery barrister

Welcome to your weekly edition of The Hearing,  your insider’s guide to the UK litigation market. Yesterday marked the last day of the Hilary Court term, so in this final edition of The Hearing before we take next week off, we take a look at the Supreme Court decision that has come as a relief […]

ladder

The Hearing: Slaughters promotions and Quinn’s tough stance

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Hearing, your insider’s guide to the UK litigation market. This week, disputes partner promos in the City are wobbly despite a flourishing market, the biggest ever employment tribunal award has been handed down, and the newest legal dynasty has arrived. Trend? What trend?: The last few months have […]

2024’s newest silks: Why we chose a career in law

A solicitor-turned-barrister and the Bar’s newest doctor KC; The Lawyer speaks to six of the Bar’s newest silks. The group was announced as KCs-in-waiting earlier this year, with 95 barristers in total getting the nod. Among the 95 were Crucible Law’s Clea Topolski – who having been called in 2014 – is the most junior of the set. […]

The Lawyer Podcast: Who wants to be a millionaire associate?

The new episode of The Lawyer Podcast is out now. Last week The Lawyer reported that claimant firm Pogust Goodhead could pay its newly qualified associates up to £2m (if it wins its cases), making them by far and away the highest paid in the country. Yet although Pogust Goodhead is offering more money than anyone else, […]

Everton FC

A court room six-pointer: Pinsents secures appeal win for Everton

Everton Football Club’s landmark 10-point penalty has been reduced to six following a successful appeal by Pinsent Masons against the Linklaters-advised Premier League. Pinsents instructed One Essex Court’s Laurence Rabinowitz KC for the appeal with the team reducing an an independent commission decision in November to dock Everton 10 points for breaches of the League’s […]

Mastercard

£9bn wiped off Merricks’ £10bn class action, says Freshfields

Mastercard’s lawyers at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have claimed that the latest judgment in the long-running class action means 90 per cent of the case brought by class representative Walter Merricks “fails factually.” The interchange fee collective action, brought by Merricks on behalf of 45.5 million UK Mastercard customers, is the first class action to have […]