City law firm boosts junior lawyer salaries to £189k in London June 5, 2026 City-based law firm Quinn Emanuel has increased salaries for its most junior lawyers by 5 per cent for the 2026 financial year, as its London office aligns with pay increases at its US counterparts. Effective from 1 July 2026, London associates’ salaries will increase 5 per cent across the board, with newly-qualified (NQ) lawyers set [...]
Mishcon de Reya to roll out new ‘bonus boost’ for associates June 4, 2026 City law firm Mishcon de Reya is offering its staff a ‘bonus boost’ for working additional hours to remain competitive in the legal pay race, City AM understands. The law firm has added a new ‘bonus boost’ to its pay structure, which will take effect in July 2027, for lawyers who record hours significantly above [...]
Elite law firm to splash £370m on building own AI tool May 28, 2026 The world’s largest law firm by revenue, Kirkland & Ellis, is investing £370m ($500m) to develop its own custom-built AI platform, challenging competitors that rely on widely used third-party AI tools. The US-based firm, which has a large office in the City, said it plans to spend hundreds of millions over the next three to [...]
Pinsent Masons is not the only City law firm walking a dangerous AI tightrope May 28, 2026 A junior lawyer at Pinsent Masons used AI to draft misleading emails for a High Court case, highlighting how generational attitudes and lack of training risk new mistakes as law firms rush to adopt new technology, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. It has been a slow burner, but we finally have the first notable UK law firm [...]
Revolut deploys AI to scrutinise law firms in major shake-up May 19, 2026 Fintech giant Revolut is scrapping the ‘traditional’ method of assigning external law firms in favour of a new system where no law firm’s position is secure. Businesses that need external law firms on hand hold a panel session, where they vet law firms within their price range, and those that win secure a spot for [...]
City law firms put US partner promotions in the spotlight May 7, 2026 As law firms increasingly shift their focus to the US there has been a surge in partner promos across the Atlantic – while London is becoming more selective, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. It’s that time of year when my inbox gets flooded with press releases and Companies House notifications about partner promotions at the City’s finest [...]
City watchdog eyes new laws for claimant firms accused of ‘harm’ May 6, 2026 The City watchdog has threatened enforcement action and new laws to impose “stronger compensation mechanisms” against the claims management market, including law firms that cause harm. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a fresh review of “the root causes of poor practices” across the market, as claims management companies and law firms come under [...]
City law firms clamp down on the equity cookie jar April 30, 2026 Law firms are tightening access to equity partnerships to protect profits, increasingly reserving the equity pool for top performers, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. As the Big Four giants dominate the headlines with internal changes, the firms are seeking to regain control of their expanded equity pools amid profitability problems. These giants are looking to mirror what [...]
Mayer Brown: Capital solutions are rewriting the rulebook April 23, 2026 Partner content, in association with international law firm Mayer Brown Historically, capital solutions were often associated with distressed situations or urgent deleveraging. Now, they are being rebranded as growth catalysts. According to Mark Evans, partner at international law firm Mayer Brown, businesses are increasingly relying on capital solutions not only to bolster corporate balance sheets but also [...]
The AI cracks are starting to show at law firms April 23, 2026 Law firms have poured vast sums into AI in a race to modernise, but ‘hallucinations‘ and security concerns are exposing the technology’s risks, writes Maria Ward-Brennan. There has been intense pressure on legal, advisory, and consultancy firms to invest in, embed, and deploy AI over the last couple of years, but this pressure is now [...]