• January 17, 2008 |

    UK trainees avoid crunch fallout as top firms' retention soars above 90%

    Trainee retention rates across the UK's elite legal profession have remained steadfast, with many firms keeping hold of more than 90% of their intake despite a sharp dip in City lawyers' overall business confidence. Eighteen out of 25 of the UK's top firms are holding on to more than 90% of their March class of qualifying lawyers, including six firms with a 100% retention rate.

    1 minute read

  • January 16, 2008 | International Edition

    Big four cast long shadow in deal league but nationals gain ground

    It was a good year for London's big four in the key M&A markets, no doubt, but 2007's wildly uneven corporate market also drew a strong performance from firms such as Eversheds and Pinsent Masons. Echoing its market-leading performance in Legal Week's primary adviser tables, which track lead corporate roles on Europe's largest deals, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer topped the full tables for European M&A, according to recently-released research from Mergermarket.

    1 minute read

  • January 16, 2008 |

    Big four cast long shadow in deal league but nationals gain ground

    It was a good year for London's big four in the key M&A markets, no doubt, but 2007's wildly uneven corporate market also drew a strong performance from firms such as Eversheds and Pinsent Masons. Echoing its market-leading performance in Legal Week's primary adviser tables, which track lead corporate roles on Europe's largest deals, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer topped the full tables for European M&A, according to recently-released research from Mergermarket.

    1 minute read

  • January 16, 2008 |

    A disarming new head to lead Slaughters

    There has been no shortage of praise for Slaughter and May’s newly-elected senior partner, Chris Saul, this afternoon, following the announcement…

    1 minute read

  • January 16, 2008 | International Edition

    LawSoc gives Nottingham-Kaplan LPC top marks

    The London branch of Nottingham Law School, Nottingham Law at Kaplan Law School, has been given the Law Society's highest rating for its Legal Practice Course (LPC) in all assessment categories. Kaplan Law School's City campus was awarded top marks in each of the six categories after a three-day assessment carried out by Chancery Lane.

    1 minute read

  • January 16, 2008 |

    LawSoc gives Nottingham-Kaplan LPC top marks

    The London branch of Nottingham Law School, Nottingham Law at Kaplan Law School, has been given the Law Society's highest rating for its Legal Practice Course (LPC) in all assessment categories. Kaplan Law School's City campus was awarded top marks in each of the six categories after a three-day assessment carried out by Chancery Lane.

    1 minute read

  • January 14, 2008 |

    City elite battle OFT in overdraft fees test case

    A landmark case brought by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) regarding the fees charged by banks for unauthorised overdrafts is set to hit the High Court later this week (16 January), with a host of top City firms lining up to oppose the competition authority. The case will see the OFT take on seven banks and one building society in a bid to prove that the charges, which have affected thousands of customers, are illegal.

    1 minute read

  • January 9, 2008 |

    UK's 'big four' outpace Euro rivals in 2007 adviser tables

    If there was any doubt that Europe's major deal market is dominated by just a handful of players, Legal Week's primary adviser deal rankings for 2007 comprehensively show the top four UK firms to be a class apart from their rivals.

    1 minute read

  • January 9, 2008 |

    Jones Day makes corporate hire from Cadwalader in London expansion push

    Jones Day has coaxed Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft London corporate partner Peter Baldwin over to its City operation.

    1 minute read

  • January 9, 2008 |

    Commentary: New year brings new uncertainties in post-crunch environment

    This time last year, this column made a few predictions about how 2007 would pan out. Its conclusion - that liberal use of cheap debt could soon prick the M&A bubble - turned out to be pretty close to the mark.

    1 minute read