⭐ Trainee retention 2023: live
All the latest from the 2023 retention rounds. For our 2022 live blog go here
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City NQ kickstarts Instagram debate over working hours
An NQ at Mishcon has kickstarted an Instagram debate over the kinds of hours that lawyers work in a video she shared to her account “@itsallhearsay”. Megan Hulme, an NQ in the restructuring and insolvency department at Mishcon de Reya, has shared an honest look into what the daily hours of one of her working […]
From benefits to barrister: my path to pupillage
I’ve been reflecting on the journey and sacrifice aspiring lawyers make to qualify as solicitors or barristers in England and Wales. Many of my friends and peers are still in the trenches fighting for their legal dream, so I want to take this opportunity to highlight the modern struggles of aspiring lawyers in 2023. The […]
Unveiled: The Top 20 cases for 2023
Mega fraud, collapsing companies, and turbulent fallouts. This year, The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases feature a number of long-running disputes that will finally get their day in the sun, several lawsuits involving high-profile individuals, and insolvencies that have caused a tumultuous fallout. At long last, the “tuna bonds” case is set to have its day in […]
The Hearing: Thames Water’s problems are only just beginning
⭐ Trainee retention 2023: live
All the latest from the 2023 retention rounds. For our 2022 live blog go here
1
City NQ kickstarts Instagram debate over working hours
An NQ at Mishcon has kickstarted an Instagram debate over the kinds of hours that lawyers work in a video she shared to her account “@itsallhearsay”. Megan Hulme, an NQ in the restructuring and insolvency department at Mishcon de Reya, has shared an honest look into what the daily hours of one of her working […]
From benefits to barrister: my path to pupillage
I’ve been reflecting on the journey and sacrifice aspiring lawyers make to qualify as solicitors or barristers in England and Wales. Many of my friends and peers are still in the trenches fighting for their legal dream, so I want to take this opportunity to highlight the modern struggles of aspiring lawyers in 2023. The […]
Unveiled: The Top 20 cases for 2023
Mega fraud, collapsing companies, and turbulent fallouts. This year, The Lawyer’s Top 20 Cases feature a number of long-running disputes that will finally get their day in the sun, several lawsuits involving high-profile individuals, and insolvencies that have caused a tumultuous fallout. At long last, the “tuna bonds” case is set to have its day in […]
Independent firms under pressure: HMRC issues winding-up petition against Fletcher Day
HM Revenue and Customs has issued a winding-up petition against Fletcher Day, The Lawyer has learnt. The Lawyer understands that administrators for the firm have not yet been appointed. Fletcher Day’s website is currently unavailable and is only described “currently under maintenance”. The London-based commercial and family practice is the latest small firm to have either […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Lawyer Podcast: Qualification – the end of your career?
The associate recruitment market has tightened up over the past year or two. For trainees looking to qualify, it means that finding a home in their preferred practice area has become more difficult too. Qualification and, specifically, which team you qualify into, can be one of the most crucial moments in a solicitor’s career. On […]
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 […]
Freshfields and Slaughters announce strong trainee retention
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Slaughter and May have released their retention results for the September cohort, achieving 86 per cent and 84 per cent respectively. There are 37 trainees staying on in newly-qualified positions at Freshfields out of the 43-sized cohort. Slaughters is keeping one fewer trainee from the same sized batch of trainees, meaning […]
Kingsley Napley issues bonuses early after 120 per cent profit rise
Kingsley Napley will give bonuses to staff three months early after a highly profitable year, which saw the firm’s net profit increase by 120 per cent. Managing partner Linda Woolley told The Lawyer that the results were a sign that the firm’s investments in the prior years had come through, following the firm’s challenging year […]
Morton Fraser MacRoberts revenue rises in first-ever financial results
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 […]