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  • October 6, 2009 |

    Survey of UK lawyers identifies top-rated legal employers

    Linklaters, SJ Berwin and Berwin Leighton Paisner are among a select band of 16 law firms that have been named as Best Legal Employers by Legal Week. The grouping contains representatives from across the Legal Week UK top 50, ranging from international firms such as Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Norton Rose to regional firms including Hill Dickinson and Weightmans. The London office of New York-based Weil Gotshal and Manges is the only US firm on the list.

    1 minute read

  • September 30, 2009 |

    Raft of top City firms call for partners to tighten up billing

    A raft of top 15 firms have been tightening up billing procedures and piling pressure on partners to improve collections in response to the recession. City firms including Herbert Smith, Lovells, CMS Cameron McKenna and Bird & Bird are among those trying to bill more efficiently, both to improve cash flow and to limit risk from clients who may be unable to pay.

    1 minute read

  • September 30, 2009 | International Edition

    BT adds Camerons to panel after review of global advisers

    BT has unveiled its global legal panel, handing CMS Cameron McKenna a first-time appointment alongside regular advisers Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Bird & Bird. The three firms will primarily advise the telecommunications giant on corporate, commercial and antitrust/regulation work.

    1 minute read

  • September 30, 2009 |

    BT adds Camerons to panel after review of global advisers

    BT has unveiled its global legal panel, handing CMS Cameron McKenna a first-time appointment alongside regular advisers Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Bird & Bird. The three firms will primarily advise the telecommunications giant on corporate, commercial and antitrust/regulation work.

    1 minute read

  • September 23, 2009 |

    MoD review set to cut two firms from coveted UK projects panel

    The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has launched a review of its projects panel, with the overhaul set to see two UK law firms trimmed from the eight-strong roster. Law firms have been invited to tender for the coveted panel, which covers the body's public private partnership and private finance initiative (PFI) work, by the end of October. The four-year contracts are to be awarded in January.

    1 minute read

  • September 1, 2009 |

    Mills & Reeve agrees exclusive deal to send City trainees to Kaplan

    Mills & Reeve has agreed a deal to send its future trainees to Kaplan Law School. The tie-up will see all of Mills & Reeve's future trainees choosing to study in London take their Legal Practice Course (LPC) at Kaplan's centre in Borough from September 2010. Those who do not want to study in the capital can attend the regional LPC provider of their choice.

    1 minute read

  • August 21, 2009 |

    Bird & Bird seals alliance deal with China IP boutique

    Bird & Bird has sealed an alliance with a Chinese intellectual property boutique as the City firm aims to strengthen its contentious capacity in the country. The UK top 20 firm's tie-up with Beijing-based Xiang Kun Law Firm will not be exclusive, but will see Bird & Bird refer the majority of its Beijing contentious work to the local firm.

    1 minute read

  • August 13, 2009 |

    West Coast tech leader Wilson Sonsini elects new chief exec

    US tech leader Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has named corporate rainmaker Steven Bochner as its new chief executive. The firm announced on Tuesday (11 August) that, after a unanimous partner vote, Bochner would be taking over from partner John Roos, who was confirmed as US ambassador to Japan last week.

    1 minute read

  • August 6, 2009 |

    UK elite hold on to equity as salaried partner ranks grow

    The UK's top law firms have tightened their grip on the equity, increasing equity partner count by less than 4% despite a double digit increase in overall partner numbers over the last five years. Legal Week research into partner headcount changes at the UK's largest 25 firms by revenue show that, on average, partner count grew by 16% from 2003-04 to 2008-09. However this comes against only a 3.7% increase in equity partner numbers.

    1 minute read

  • August 4, 2009 |

    Five-year financial figures show elite UK firms maintaining growth despite tough 12 months

    The past five years have seen a dramatic period of growth for the UK's top 25 law firms, despite many suffering steep drops in profitability during the past financial year. Research by Legal Week shows that between 2003-04 and 2008-09, the top 25 UK law firms have averaged a 57.8% increase in turnover and a 38% increase in profits per equity partner (PEP), with turnover growing from an average of £262,820 in 2003-04 to its current figure £414,868. PEP, meanwhile, has risen from an average of £448,720 to £619,640.

    1 minute read