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Pulse UK
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July 10, 2024
Simpson Thacher Adds $50M In London In First Half Of 2024
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP said Wednesday that its London office had bolstered its revenues by approximately $50 million in the first half of 2024, maintaining the firm's robust performance amid a strong results season for the U.K. legal industry.
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July 10, 2024
Faegre Drinker Confirms Operational, Administrative Layoffs
A spokesperson for Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP confirmed to Law360 Pulse on Wednesday that the firm laid off "less than 5%" of its total operations and administrative staff earlier this year.
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July 10, 2024
Ex-Clifford Chance Lawyer Limited Over Alleged Misconduct
The Solicitors Regulation Authority has blocked a former Clifford Chance LLP associate from working at any regulated firm without preapproval, on the grounds that he alleged made inappropriate sexual advances toward a colleague.
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July 10, 2024
WFW Sees Global Revenues Hit Record Of £238M
Watson Farley & Williams LLP said Wednesday that its global business had seen revenues reach an all-time high of £238 million ($306 million), while profits also grew significantly.
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July 10, 2024
Shoosmiths Surpasses £200M Revenue Mark For First Time
Shoosmiths LLP said Wednesday that its revenue climbed by 6% over the last fiscal year to hit £207 million ($266 million), with double-digit income spikes in its corporate and litigation practices fueling the growth.
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July 10, 2024
Reed Smith Bumps NQ Salaries To £125K
Reed Smith LLP said Wednesday that it is giving newly qualified lawyers in its London office a double-digit salary increase to £125,000 ($160,480), though it still remains on the low end for the city as major U.S. players drive salaries for new solicitors to dizzying levels.
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July 10, 2024
Dentons, Others Win Extension On Gov't Procurement Panel
Dentons, DLA Piper and more than a dozen other law firms that advise the government will retain their places for another year as it develops its strategy for procuring legal services, the Crown Commercial Service has said.
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July 10, 2024
Partner Exits Continue At A&O Shearman Amid Change
A&O Shearman continues to lose partners to U.S. rivals, a trend that observers expect will continue in the coming months as the new firm deliberately trims or inadvertently loses lawyers who are unhappy with the merger.
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July 10, 2024
Whistleblowing Trainee At Defunct Law Firm Wins £36K
An employment tribunal has ordered an insolvent law firm to pay more than £36,000 ($46,200) to a trainee it dismissed after she blew the whistle on its "chaotic" operations to the industry regulator.
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July 10, 2024
Travers Smith Hires Infrastructure Finance Pro From WFW
Travers Smith LLP announced Wednesday that it has recruited a specialist in infrastructure finance from Watson Farley & Williams LLP, boosting the firm's partnership ranks after it suffered a recent wave of exits.
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July 09, 2024
Mishcon De Reya Adds Blick Rothenberg Partner
Mishcon de Reya has added a former director from Blick Rothenberg to its corporate tax team in London as a partner, the firm announced in a statement.
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July 09, 2024
Lawyer Accused Of Making False Mishcon Claims On Iran TV
The solicitors' watchdog told a disciplinary tribunal on Tuesday that a high-profile criminal defense lawyer recklessly made false statements about Mishcon de Reya LLP while appearing on an antisemitic show on an Iranian state-owned media channel.
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July 09, 2024
A&O Shearman To Keep 66% Of NQs In 1st Post-Merger Class
Newly formed A&O Shearman said on Tuesday that it will keep two-thirds of the trainee solicitors who started with its predecessor firms when they qualify in the fall, after boosting salaries for newly-qualified lawyers amid a broader talent war in London.
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July 09, 2024
Ex-Axiom Ince Staff Win Claims Over Missing Payments
A tribunal has ordered Axiom Ince to hand over a total of £11,500 ($14,700) in redundancy and unclaimed holiday payments to three former members of staff after the law firm collapsed in October.
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July 09, 2024
Mayer Brown Hires Transactions Team From Ayache In Paris
Mayer Brown LLP said Tuesday that it has recruited a team of lawyers from an independent French law firm to boost its strength in international corporate and private equity transactions as it gears up for an upswing in deal activity.
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July 09, 2024
Linklaters' Earnings Hit Record £2.1B On M&A Rebound
Linklaters LLP said on Tuesday that its earnings have surpassed the £2 billion ($2.6 billion) mark for the first time, which it attributed to a strategic focus on complex cross-border transactions and serving large clients worldwide.
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July 08, 2024
O'Melveny Names New Leaders, Combines Practice Groups
O'Melveny & Myers LLP announced several new leadership appointments Monday, along with the launch of a combined securities litigation and financial services practice group.
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July 08, 2024
Morrison Cohen Launches Luxury Brands Practice
Morrison Cohen LLP announced Monday the launch of a luxury brands practice designed to offer more holistic counsel to high-end companies like Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo and more.
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July 08, 2024
Withers Starts Family Law Practice In NY With Salzano Atty
Withers announced Monday that it is forming another U.S. family law practice, this time in New York under the leadership of an attorney from Salzano Ettinger Lampert & Wilson LLP.
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July 08, 2024
BCLP To Retain Almost 60% Of NQ Lawyers In September
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP said on Monday that it will retain nearly a dozen future solicitors when they qualify as lawyers in the fall, adding to the small number it kept on earlier in 2024.
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July 08, 2024
PierFerd Opens London Office With More FisherBroyles Attys
Pierson Ferdinand LLP announced Monday it has expanded globally with a new London office with eight partners and six staff members.
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July 08, 2024
SRA Fines London Firm Over Anti-Money Laundering Failings
The English solicitors' regulator has hit a London law firm with a fine after investigators discovered a series of failures to comply with anti-money laundering regulations.
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July 08, 2024
Hermer Poised To Return Independence To AG Role
The appointment of Richard Hermer KC as attorney general in the new Labour government will restore independence to a position that had become increasingly politicized over recent years, top British lawyers say.
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July 08, 2024
Knights Posts Record £150M Revenue Despite Deal Slowdown
Knights Group Holdings PLC said Monday that it has posted record revenues of £150 million ($193 million), despite a slowdown in residential property deals and corporate transactions amid macroeconomic uncertainty.
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July 05, 2024
Class Of 2024: The Lawyers Trading Practicing For Legislating
More than 20 lawyers were elected to Parliament for the first time on Thursday, with most coming from the triumphant Labour Party, which won 412 seats out of 650.
Expert Analysis
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Legal Sector Will Benefit From New Data Security Standard
The U.K. Information Commissioner's Office-approved new privacy certification scheme for the legal profession will inevitably become the default for law firms, chambers and vendors to prove their U.K. General Data Protection Regulation compliance, says Orlagh Kelly at Briefed.
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PR Perspectives: Navigating UK And US Legal PR Differences
Despite apparently negligible differences between U.S. and U.K. legal systems, public relations requires an understanding of regional nuances and complex legal issues, and U.K.-based PR professionals looking to gain traction in the U.S. must adapt their strategies accordingly to achieve successful cross-jurisdictional campaigns, say Ben Finnis and Elizabeth Rincon at Greentarget.
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Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents
Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.
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Risks The Judiciary Needs To Be Aware Of When Using AI
Recently published judiciary service guidance aims to temper reliance on AI by court staff in their work, and with ever-increasing and evolving technology, such tools should be used for supplementary assistance rather than as a replacement for already existing judicial research tools, says Philip Sewell at Shepherd & Wedderburn.
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Prompt Engineering Skills Are Changing The Legal Profession
With a focus on higher-value work as repetitive tasks are delegated to artificial intelligence, legal roles are set to become more inspiring, and lawyers need not fear the rising demand for prompt engineers that is altering the technology-enabled legal environment, say Eric Crawley, Shah Karim and Paul O’Hagan at Epiq Legal.
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4 Legal Privilege Lessons From Dechert Disclosure Ruling
The Court of Appeal's recent decision in Al Sadeq v. Dechert LLP, finding that evidence may have been incorrectly withheld, provides welcome clarification of the scope of legal professional privilege, including the application of the iniquity exception, says Tim Knight at Travers Smith.
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PR Perspectives: Don't Overstate Well-Being Or Enviro Efforts
Law firms should look to embrace a strong arsenal of sustainability and well-being initiatives before beginning to publicize their commitment to green and mental health efforts, or they can face the risk of making false claims, says Steve Rudaini at SJR Communications.
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Record Level Of Partner Hires Shows No Sign Of Slowing
With indications that law firm hiring activity is increasing, the competitive market is causing candidates to evaluate potential employers more carefully, and large numbers of partners are migrating away from Silver Circle and West End firms in pursuit of closer parity in work and pay, says James Lavan at Buchanan Law.
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PR Perspectives: Choosing How To Communicate For Impact
Successful legal public relations involves developing productive working relationships, and choosing which medium to use when communicating is important, since it will reflect the level of familiarity with the lawyer or journalist as well as the message, says Daniela Conte at Gibson Dunn.
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Talent Acquisition Is Shifting As US Firms Permeate London
U.S. law firms’ continued growth in London and aggressive talent acquisition strategies are reshaping how lawyers are attracted, nurtured and retained, and success in this evolving environment lies in understanding and adapting to changing priorities and values, says Nathan Peart at Major Lindsey.
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More Remains To Be Done To Achieve Gender Parity In Law
Significant strides have been made over the years to improve gender diversity in the legal profession, but the pay gap, lack of workplace flexibility and uneven child care burden remain significant challenges to progress, says Caroline Green at Browne Jacobson.
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US And UK Law Firms Continue Trend Of EU Expansion
A broad spectrum of U.S. and U.K. law firms are now seeking fresh opportunities in Europe's fastest growing and constantly evolving sectors by opening offices in strategic locations across the continent, says James Lavan at Buchanan Law.
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Legal Industry Can Help Steer UK Out Of Social Mobility Crisis
The legal industry has a responsibility to help mitigate the U.K. social mobility crisis highlighted by the recent State of the Nation report, and it can start to increase socioeconomic diversity in its ranks by focusing on reducing the educational barriers to entering the profession, says Jo-Anne Pugh at BPP University Law School.
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2024 Will Be A Busy Year For Generative AI And IP Issues
In light of increased litigation and policy proposals on balancing intellectual property rights and artificial intelligence innovation, 2024 is shaping up to be full of fast-moving developments that will have significant implications for AI tool developers, users of such tools and rights holders, say lawyers at Mishcon de Reya.
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How Businesses Can Prepare For Cyber Resilience In 2024
With cybersecurity breaches one of the biggest threats to U.K. businesses and as legislation tightens, organizations should prioritize their external security measures in 2024 and mitigate risks by being well-informed on internal data protection procedures, says Kevin Modiri at Nelsons.