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  • July 17, 2008 |

    City partners predict harder times but growth will continue

    Despite a stream of negative headlines and gloomy predictions that the UK is entering into a recession, two-thirds of senior City partners are still forecasting revenues to increase over the next 12 months. Legal Week's quarterly business confidence poll shows that while confidence levels have fallen for the third quarter in a row, many of those surveyed still expect commercial law firms to keep growing through the downturn. Just under 54% of respondents to the Big Question survey said they expected billings at their firm to increase by up to 10% over the next 12 months, while a further 11% were bullishly predicting growth of more than 10%.

    1 minute read

  • July 16, 2008 |

    Yorkshire gold

    Move to Yorkshire as an associate and make it to your new firm's partnership and you're laughing. Leeds boasts some top flight firms with healthy profits - and the cost of living is cheaper too, says Sophie Evans

    1 minute read

  • July 10, 2008 |

    Nomura cuts jobs from UK legal team

    Nomura and Barclays Capital have become the latest financial institutions to cut legal jobs, with the Japanese investment bank making cuts in its UK legal team. Two members of the bank's in-house legal and compliance team in London have been made redundant, with the cuts affecting both the real estate finance and collateralised debt obligations teams.

    1 minute read

  • July 10, 2008 | International Edition

    Magic circle trio break into profits top 10 as City firms move up Global 100

    Profits per equity partner (PEP) at top US law firms still narrowly exceed key UK rivals - despite the significant increases the magic circle have achieved in turnover and profitability in recent years. Figures compiled by Legal Week and The American Lawyer show that just three UK firms make it into the global top 10 by PEP - Slaughter and May, Linklaters and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. In contrast, seven US firms make the grade - headed by elite firm Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz.

    1 minute read

  • July 10, 2008 |

    Magic circle trio break into profits top 10 as City firms move up Global 100

    Profits per equity partner (PEP) at top US law firms still narrowly exceed key UK rivals - despite the significant increases the magic circle have achieved in turnover and profitability in recent years. Figures compiled by Legal Week and The American Lawyer show that just three UK firms make it into the global top 10 by PEP - Slaughter and May, Linklaters and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. In contrast, seven US firms make the grade - headed by elite firm Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz.

    1 minute read

  • July 8, 2008 |

    BLP builds real estate with Pinsents partner hire

    Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has bolstered its real estate practice with the hire of Pinsent Masons partner Andrew Yates. Yates, who has been at Pinsents since 1994, joins the City firm as co-head of its regeneration and public sector practice alongside Lesley-Anne Avis.Yates' main area of practice is property development and funding, although he also works on commercial property issues and in the leisure and retail sectors. In the past he has worked with clients including English Partnerships and Wolverhampton City Council.

    1 minute read

  • July 8, 2008 |

    ...Legal Week Lunchbox: 08/07/08...

    The five most popular articles on legalweek.com today, plus the pick of the day's posts

    1 minute read

  • July 7, 2008 |

    Ashurst breaks £1m PEP mark with 9% rise

    Ashurst has become the latest firm to break through the £1m barrier for profits per equity partner (PEP), announcing a rise of 9% on last year. The top 10 firm's PEP is up from £956,000 last year to £1.04m, with partners at the top of the lockstep set to earn £1.46m and those at the bottom £560,000.The news follows the firm's announcement in May that it had posted a 17% increase in turnover to smash through the £300m barrier.

    1 minute read

  • July 1, 2008 |

    Travers partnership votes in LLP conversion

    City firm Travers Smith has become the latest firm to convert to a limited liability partnership (LLP). The conversion takes effect from today (July 1) and will apply to the firm's office in London. The practice's Paris office will become an AARPI, the French equivalent of an LLP.The move follows a partnership vote in May. The LLP will apply to both equity and non-equity partners.

    1 minute read

  • July 1, 2008 |

    Swedish indie makes Ashurst real estate hire

    Swedish independent law firm Magnusson has boosted its real estate team with the recruitment of a new head. Magnus Bjorkander has joined the practice from Ashurst and will lead the Stockholm-based team from today (1 July).Magnusson senior partner and founder Per Magnusson said: "Magnus Bjorkander's extensive experience fits perfectly with our capabilities in Sweden and also makes him a true asset to our dynamically growing firm-wide real estate practice.

    1 minute read