Matt is The Lawyer’s deputy editor. He has a particular focus on the US legal market. He also leads many of The Lawyer’s market reports, including the UK 200.
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 […]
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 […]
Morton Fraser MacRoberts has posted a 2 per cent rise in revenue in its first set of financial results since the 1 November merger of legacy firms Morton Fraser and MacRoberts. The increase takes the total revenue at the recently-merged Scottish firm to £47.5m, which should be enough to propel Morton Fraser MacRoberts into the […]
Richard Susskind, one of the UK’s best-known experts on legal market technology and artificial intelligence (AI), has been appointed to a new position of special envoy for justice and AI to the secretary-general of the Commonwealth, Patricia Scotland KC. Susskind’s focus in this new role will be on helping the 56 Commonwealth countries use AI […]
Brodies has posted a 7.5 per cent rise in fee income for its financial year to 30 April, the Scottish firm’s 14th consecutive year of revenue growth. Turnover rose from £106.3m to £114.3m. The bottom line grew less significantly, with operating profit up by 1 per cent from £48.6m to £49.2m and average profit per […]
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has unveiled a new five-year plan for London that puts continued growth squarely at the centre of the US firm’s agenda. The revamped strategy coincides with the release of the US firm’s half-year financial results for 2024. These show that City revenue rose by 21.6 per cent over the past six […]
Scottish Independent Anderson Strathern is planning to move its financial year-end from its current 31 August to 31 March, a shift that will result in a seven-month fiscal period for 2024/25. The move is the firm’s response to HMRC’s basis period reforms and is aimed at reducing the admin burden on business services staff and […]
Scottish firm Burness Paull has posted a 28 per cent drop in revenue from £83.2m to £60.1m, following a change in its financial year-end that cut four months from its trading period. The year-end change at Burness Paull, prompted by HMRC’s basis period reforms, is one of the most significant among UK 200 firms. Unlike […]
Latham & Watkins is preparing to turbocharge the amount it can pay its highest revenue-generating partners, with a vote on the introduction of super points expected over the summer. The key change would be the introduction of a new 1,600-unit tier for star performers who not only generate significant fee income, thought to be at […]
To be in the global law market requires a strong City presence, of that there can be no doubt. The Lawyer’s US 50 report underscores just how vital London is; the multimillion-pound investments being made by US titans shows that growing in the City is not only advantageous, but essential. And yet. You might be surprised […]
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has prepared the groundwork for its first $20m partner lateral hire, if it “can find that special person”, The Lawyer can reveal. The move comes as Cleary looks to build on an unprecedented growth spurt in the City over the past few years, which has seen partner headcount increase by […]
Scottish firm Dickson Minto’s revenue is understood to have risen by 20 per cent in its first financial year since the firm effectively split in two, with the bulk of its London office decamping for Milbank. The firm has also converted to LLP status, a particularly significant development in the context of Dickson Minto in […]