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  • March 26, 2009 |

    The write stuff - Kaplan Law School essay competition

    As the recession continues to bite, students are finding that training contracts are in increasingly short supply. Last week magic circle firms Slaughter…

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  • March 26, 2009 |

    Slaughters makes up just two in partnership round

    Slaughter and May has become the second magic circle firm to announce its partnership promotions - making up half as many new partners as last year. The firm has promoted two lawyers to its partnership, down from four in 2008 and five in 2007. David Ives (pictured left) and Michael Lane (pictured right) will both join the firm's tightly-guarded partnership on 1 May, respectively bolstering numbers in the firm's tax and outsourcing, intellectual property and technology practices.

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  • March 25, 2009 |

    Magic circle tag still works its magic

    The magic circle brand continues to hand a major advantage to the firms in the club despite doubts about whether the five law firms really deserve their celebrated status.According to Legal Week's latest Big Question poll, an overwhelming majority of partners believe the magic circle brand adds value to the firms given the tag. Thirty-one percent believed the magic circle brand added to the firms' value 'very much', while a further 52% said the name added 'a considerable amount'. Only 2% of the poll of 174 respondents believed it added nothing.

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  • March 23, 2009 |

    - 2009 Partnership Round: a Legal Week Wiki special -

    Welcome to Legal Week's 2009 partner promotions round-up. Here you'll find all the latest news stories about partner promotions gathered in one place, as well as links to relevant blog entries and any other bits and pieces we think might be of interest.

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  • March 20, 2009 |

    Slaughters racks up £9m in Northern Rock fees

    Slaughter and May has billed more than £9m in fees for its work advising the Treasury on the nationalisation of Northern Rock, according to figures published today by the National Audit Office. The figures reveal that Slaughters has picked up £9.4m since being selected by the Government in September 2007 - almost double the £4.8m in fees racked up by investment bank Goldman Sachs.Clifford Chance, meanwhile, has made £2.4m since being hired by the Bank of England to provide legal advice on the nationalisation.

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  • March 19, 2009 |

    Students rate CC and A&O as most prestigious firms in new study

    Clifford Chance (CC) has inched past Allen & Overy (A&O) to be named the UK's most prestigious law firm in a major study of law student perceptions about graduate recruitment.The two firms emerge as clear brand leaders in the survey of more than 2,500 students at Russell Group Universities and Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) course providers.Predictably, magic circle rivals Linklaters, Slaughter and May and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer make up the rest of the top five in a league table dominated by international law firms, although the level of brand recognition enjoyed by firms in the bottom half of the table tails off significantly.

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  • March 18, 2009 |

    Management: Betting on the big four

    The big four magic circle firms (Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters) have had an incredible run over the past 15 years. All of them achieved the benchmark of extraordinary success for a large law firm - profits per equity partner (PEP) near or over $2m (£1.4m) and gross revenues of around $2bn (£1.4bn). What made their success all the more impressive was that in the early 1990s their standing was less than 'magical' relative to premier US firms. As much as these firms achieved over these last 15 years, the current economic crisis raises real questions about how they will fare in the future.

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  • March 17, 2009 |

    BAA signs up Amey legal chief as new GC

    BAA has appointed a new general counsel, with Carol Hui taking up the role. Hui joins from construction giant Amey, where she had been general counsel and executive director for nine years. Prior to that, Hui was part of the in-house legal teams at British Gas and TDG. She launched her legal career with Slaughter and May in Hong Kong as a member of the firm's corporate finance department.The destination of Hui's predecessor as BAA GC, Robert Herga, is as yet unconfirmed.

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  • March 12, 2009 |

    BLG replaces Dickinson Dees on Carillion panel

    Addleshaw Goddard, Barlow Lyde & Gilbert and Kennedys have all won spots on support services and construction company Carillion's new legal panel. Addleshaws has been appointed to advise on private finance matters, with Barlows brought in for construction advice and Kennedys for insurance matters. Kennedys' appointment comes after the firm's insurance team moved over from DLA Piper last year.

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  • March 11, 2009 |

    Dealmaker: James Palmer

    After a stand-off over the cheese question, Herbert Smith M&A heavyweight James Palmer hits Dealmaker

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