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Pulse UK
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July 03, 2024
Ex-Post Office Chair Says Legal Review Buried On Advice
The former chair of the U.K.'s Post Office told a London inquiry Wednesday that he had not shared a legal review of prosecutions of subpostmasters due to advice that it would be legally privileged, despite warnings in the report that some of the convictions may have been unsafe.
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July 03, 2024
SRA Move On CILEX Sparks War Of Words Among Watchdogs
The decision by the solicitors' watchdog to oversee members of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives has ignited an existential crisis among other legal sector regulators, who are fervently resisting the move.
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July 03, 2024
HFW On Hunt For Partners After 17% Spike In Profits
Holman Fenwick Willan LLP on Wednesday set its sights on "aggressively" hiring partners after revealing that its profits rose 16.5% over the past year to a record £75.4 million ($96.3 million).
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July 03, 2024
Top UK Court To Define 'Payment' For Lawyer Fee Disputes
The U.K.'s highest court is set to rule on the meaning of "payment" for determining when the clock starts ticking for clients to challenge solicitors' fees as part of a personal injury claim row with an English firm heard by justices on Wednesday.
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July 03, 2024
Dechert To Close Offices In Beijing, Hong Kong, Chicago
Dechert LLP is the latest BigLaw firm to announce it is dissolving operations in Beijing and Hong Kong, and the Philadelphia-founded firm also plans to close its 12-year-old Chicago office, a Dechert spokesperson told Law360 Pulse on Wednesday.
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July 03, 2024
Clifford Chance's Newcastle Chief Steps Down
The head of the Newcastle office of Clifford Chance LLP has left the firm after a six-and-a-half-year stint at the helm, the Magic Circle firm said Wednesday.
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July 03, 2024
Fieldfisher Revenues Jump 10% Off UK, Ireland Growth
Fieldfisher LLP became the latest law firm to reveal a leap in revenue in the last financial year on Wednesday, with income climbing 10% to £359 million ($456 million) against a backdrop of European expansion.
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July 02, 2024
Quinn Emanuel Expands Asia Offerings With Singapore Office
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP has expanded its international offerings by opening a new office location in Singapore, the firm said Tuesday.
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July 02, 2024
Osborne Clarke Hands Out Bonus After 19% Leap In Revenue
Osborne Clarke LLP said Tuesday it has paid out a 5% profit share bonus to its U.K. staff after its international revenue climbed 19% to €525 million ($564 million) in the last financial year.
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July 02, 2024
Bird & Bird Partners With AI Assistant Leya
International law firm Bird & Bird LLP on Tuesday announced a six-month trial integration of the artificial intelligence legal assistant Leya, during which the latter's technology will be used across multiple offices.
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July 09, 2024
Latham Hires Finance Trio In London From Cahill Gordon
Latham & Watkins LLP has recruited a trio of partners from Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP as it continues to grow its banking practice in London.
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July 02, 2024
Barristers Fight For Fees Stemming From Adjourned Trial
Two barristers on Tuesday urged a London appellate court to overturn a ruling that they were not entitled to the majority of approximately £150,000 ($190,140) in fees that a client had agreed to pay because the £20 million trial at which they were due to represent her was adjourned.
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July 02, 2024
Ex-Bird & Bird Pro Fights To Toss Sexual Misconduct Case
A former Bird & Bird LLP partner asked the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal on Tuesday to throw out allegations of sexual misconduct toward two junior female colleagues, arguing that the sector's watchdog was prosecuting him after "egregious" delays and an "inadequate" investigation.
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July 09, 2024
Lawrence Stephens Hires 2 Directors From Rosling King
Ann Ebberson and Alex Edwards have joined Lawrence Stephens Ltd. from Rosling King LLP as directors on the real estate finance and banking teams.
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July 02, 2024
Kennedys Hits Revenue Record Of £384M, Jumps 18% In UK
Kennedys said on Tuesday that its revenue grew 17% to reach a record £384 million ($483 million) for its last financial year, with its expanding U.S. leg a key driver of the growth.
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July 01, 2024
Solicitor's COVID Letters Had 'No Legal Merit,' SRA Says
The Solicitors Regulation Authority accused a solicitor at a London tribunal Monday of wrongly sending threatening legal letters to bodies for his clients who refused the COVID-19 vaccine, saying the letters had "no legal merit."
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July 01, 2024
Top Real Estate Atty Leaves Willkie To Co-Lead Weil Practice
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP's former real estate department co-chair and New York co-managing partner, known for high-profile work that includes the largest real estate investment trust initial public offering in U.S. history, is becoming co-leader of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP's real estate practice, the firm announced Monday.
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July 08, 2024
Signature Litigation Opens In Frankfurt With Mayer Brown Duo
Signature Litigation LLP announced it launched a new office Monday in Frankfurt, with two former Mayer Brown LLP partners joining the dispute resolution firm to spearhead its operations in Germany.
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July 01, 2024
Solicitors' Watchdog Board Green Lights Regulation Of CILEX
The Solicitors Regulation Authority is edging closer to taking over regulating chartered legal executives after its board gave the controversial plan the green light — though hurdles still remain.
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July 01, 2024
London Partner Hires Continue Strong In First Half Of 2024
London law firms continued to hire partners at pace in the first half of 2024, driven by the anticipation of lower interest rates and a resurgence in deal-making activities.
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July 01, 2024
Paul Weiss Joins Fight For Junior Talent, Ups Pay To £180k
Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP said Monday that it will pay newly qualified lawyers in London £180,000 ($228,000), matching other U.S. rivals in the British capital in significantly boosting remuneration for their most junior lawyers.
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June 28, 2024
SRA Launches Consultation On New Financial Penalties
The Solicitors Regulation Authority on Friday said it is seeking feedback on its proposals to update its approach after being granted new powers to issue unlimited financial penalties.
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June 28, 2024
Law Society 'Seriously Concerned' About Comp Fund Hikes
The Law Society on Friday voiced "serious concerns" about the Solicitors Regulation Authority's plan for a hike of more than 200% in compensation fund contributions by solicitors and firms to finance its intervention into Axiom Ince Ltd.
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June 28, 2024
No Judge Race Bias In £30M Fox Williams Negligence Case
A London court has rejected a Black television producer's allegations that a judge racially discriminated against him when tossing out his case that Fox Williams LLP botched his £30 million ($38 million) game show copyright claim.
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June 28, 2024
Holman Fenwick, Bird & Bird Up NQ Pay
Holman Fenwick Willan LLP and Bird & Bird LLP on Friday said they had increased the salaries for their newly qualified solicitors as more and more City-based outfits continue to raise junior lawyers' pay to match each other and stay competitive in the London talent market.
Expert Analysis
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PR Perspectives: The Advantages Of A Legal Background
A legal background can bring several advantages to the work of a legal public relations professional, from an understanding of the subject matter itself and the pressures that lawyers face, to a meticulous attention to detail and knowledge of the importance of following breaking news stories, says Kath Walkling at Herbert Smith.
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Perfecting Outreach Cadence Between Lawyers And Clients
Obligations can get in the way of lawyers creating a regular communication cadence with their clients, but it is possible to rebuild and strengthen a relationship by employing empathy and showing a commitment to the client's success and well-being, says Megan Senese at Stage.
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PR Perspectives: What Makes A Great Legal PR Professional
A great legal public relations professional needs first-class writing skills, intellect and an attention to detail, but in addition to these core competencies, there are transferable skills and personal qualities that are vital, says Daniela Conte at Gibson Dunn.
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Roundup
PR Perspectives
As the importance of law firm public relations continues to grow and the role of communications teams evolves, in this Expert Analysis series PR professionals discuss lawyer media relations, reputation management and more.
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PR Perspectives: Effectively Managing Crisis Communications
The rise of 24/7 media and far reach of social media has made crisis communication more likely and much harder to manage, highlighting the importance for law firms to be prepared and effectively deal with crises to avoid the risk of reputational damage, says Steve Rudaini at MD Communications.
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New Solicitor Workplace Rules Present Practical Challenges
As law firms and partners are beginning to understand and apply the Solicitors Regulation Authority's new rules and guidance on unfair treatment toward colleagues, it is becoming clear that there are a number of potential pitfalls to navigate, says Andrew Pavlovic at CM Murray.
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PR Perspectives: Getting Merger Communications Right
As the recent Allen & Overy and Shearman Sterling deal announcement demonstrates, controlling the narrative is the priority when merger discussions begin, so law firms need to consider their stakeholder base and the best communication channels for each segment, ready to adapt to the audience group's needs, say Ben Girdlestone and Bethany Durkin at Byfield.
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Why Law Firms Should Consider Apprenticeships
A recent government briefing shows that young people are increasingly signing up for apprenticeships, a trend that law firms should take advantage of to improve socioeconomic diversity and help to recruit a variety of talent, which can boost employee retention in the long run, says Emma O'Connor at Boyes Turner.
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How AI Could Affect The Way Law Firms Operate
Generative artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the legal industry, and it is becoming increasingly clear that law firms will need to adjust their recruitment strategies, refine their service offerings and hire specialist lawyers versed in AI technologies, says Brent Harris at Major Lindsey.
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In-Office Policies May Be Solution To UK Skills Shortage
Against the backdrop of the U.K. skills shortage, personal engagement with junior lawyers could boost employee commitment, engagement and retention, highlighting that physical presence in the office is valued and vital, says Michael Stokes at Harrison Clark.
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PR Perspectives: A 20-Year Shift For Law Firm Press Teams
In-house law firm public relations has developed into a sophisticated practice as firms become more business-minded, and will continue to grow in importance, with legal PR teams becoming more integrated and working seamlessly across all forms of media, says Daniela Conte at Gibson Dunn.
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Successfully Implementing AI Rules Requires A Cultural Shift
Recent positive use cases of artificial intelligence demonstrate the potential benefits it can bring to the legal profession, and while the development of AI rules is essential, their effectiveness depends on user adoption, behavioral change and human acceptance, say Charlie Morgan and Salman Dhalla at Herbert Smith.
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PR Perspectives: How Lawyers Build Good Press Relations
There are multiple benefits for lawyers appearing in the media, and those who want to build good relations with the press should consider establishing contacts and maintaining those links, and understanding the role of journalists is critical in achieving this, says Steve Rudaini at MD Communications.
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What Lawyers Look For When Considering A Firm Move
With younger lawyers increasingly paying attention to factors beyond salary, such as work-life balance and career progression, it is firms that know how to appeal to other wants that will ultimately pull ahead when competing for talent, says Adam Stocker at Major Lindsey.
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What Private Investment Can Bring To Barristers' Chambers
The recent private equity investment in The Barrister Group, believed to be the first at the Bar of England and Wales, demonstrates how an upgrade in chambers' business processes and technology can be achieved, both essential for the future of the profession, says Harry Hodgkin at The Barrister Group.