UK aims to become global legal services hub using newfound Brexit freedoms February 1, 2022 The government has set out plans to use new Brexit to become a global hub for legal services. In a document called “The benefits of Brexit: how the UK is taking advantage of leaving the EU,” the government argued that new freedoms under Brexit will allow the UK to become a global centre for dispute [...]
Mediation should be first port of call for small claims disputes, CJC says February 1, 2022 Small claims disputes worth less than £500 should be kept out of court and dealt with through mediation, the UK government’s Civil Justice Council (CJC) has said. In a report, the CJC said claimants should be forced to go to a mediation appointment if their claims are for less than £500. County courts are currently [...]
Pupil barrister numbers rebound to pre-pandemic levels February 1, 2022 The number of people training to be barristers has bounced back to pre-lockdown levels, following a lull last year due to the pandemic. New figures from the Bar Standards Board (BSB) show that there are 511 people currently undertaking pupillages, compared the 354 people last year. The 44 per cent increase has seen the number [...]
Diversity at the Bar is ‘gradually improving but more progress is needed’ February 1, 2022 The Bar Standards Board has said that the criminal bar has become more diverse but said that more progress is needed, after new figures showed that the bar is not representative of the wider UK population. Over the past year, the bar has gotten more diverse, according to the BSB figures, which show there are [...]
US law firms return to the office blocked by Omicron variant January 31, 2022 Law firms’ plans to return to offices have been scuppered by the spread of the omicron variant in the US. Several US law firms have postponed plans to return to offices until February, having originally planned for a January return. The delays come as the highly-infectious omicron variant continues to spread through the US, despite [...]
Online hearings are harming junior lawyers, top judge says January 31, 2022 A senior British Judge has warned that virtual hearings are stunting junior lawyers’ development. Chancellor of the High Court Sir Julian Flux warned that “junior barristers and solicitors’ participation is limited to being a tile without picture or sound on a Teams screen.” The top Judge warned that the rise of remote hearings has seen [...]
Top UK lawyer leaves New York litigator to launch ‘modern’ firm – taking 27 of 33 lawyers with her January 31, 2022 A top British lawyer at Boies, Schiller & Flexner’s London office has said she is leaving the much talked about firm to set up a rival litigator, and that she will be taking more than 80 per cent of her former employer’s London-based staff with her. Natasha Harrison, a managing partner at Boies, Schiller & [...]
Slaughter & May hires first COO in shakeup of management structure January 31, 2022 Magic Circle law firm Slaughter and May has poached Freshfields chief operating officer (COO) Jill Hoseason as its first ever COO. Hoseason will join Slaughter & May following almost 14-years of tenure at its rival, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where she served as the Magic Circle firm’s Global COO. In her new role, Hoseason will take [...]
Mishcon de Reya postpones IPO due to volatile market conditions January 31, 2022 London law firm Mishcon de Reya has said it is temporarily postponing its IPO due to “volatile” market conditions. The delay comes as another blow to London’s stock market, following a series of disappointing IPOs over the previous year. Mishcon de Reya’s senior leadership decided to put the firm’s IPO on hold, following conversations [...]
Freshfields pays out £50k bonuses to private equity lawyers January 31, 2022 Magic Circle law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has begun paying out special bonuses to mid-ranking lawyers working on private equity deals, as it seeks to keep hold of its staff in the face of competition from US firms. The London-headquartered firm is reportedly paying out bonuses worth £50,000 to lawyers working on private equity deals. [...]