Exclusive: Texas law firm Vinson & Elkins on half a century in London March 20, 2021 Texan law firm Vinson & Elkins just celebrated 50 years in London, having set up shop in the capital in 1971 to take advantage of the booming oil and gas industry, after oil was discovered in the North Sea. The firm began its London life with two English lawyers working in temporary space near Piccadilly [...]
Freshfields to let staff work from home half of the time post-Covid March 19, 2021 Freshfields will allow staff to work from home for up to 50 per cent of the time when coronavirus restrictions are eased. The magic circle law firm has told staff they can work from home for half of the time, providing that any arrangements take account of client and business commitments. Freshfields said the new [...]
Legal lender Level gets £20m investment from venture capital firm March 16, 2021 Legal lender Level has received an investment from Guernsey-based 1818 Venture Capital worth £20m. Level specialises in lending within the family and private client law sectors and works with more than 200 law firms. It had funded hundreds of cases and clients. George Williamson, founder and CEO of Level, said: “[The] investment, and in particular [...]
Clifford Chance hands staff Covid-19 bonus March 15, 2021 Clifford Chance will pay staff an extra bonus of five per cent of their salary for their hard work during the pandemic. As a sign of the firm’s appreciation for its people over the past 12 months, the magic circle law firm will make a one-off payment to each of its lawyers and business professionals [...]
Ex-law firm staffer banned over sexually explicit WhatsApp messages March 9, 2021 An ex-member of staff at listed law firm DWF has been banned from working in the legal profession after he sexually harassed a junior colleague. Matthew Unwin was employed as a financial management executive in DWF’s Manchester office. He was dismissed on 25 September 2018 for gross misconduct after working at the firm for six [...]
Lawyers know best: Is it time law firms left the LLP behind? March 8, 2021 Recent legislative changes have paved the way for new, alternative structures in law firms, a sector that was previously dominated by traditional partnerships and LLPs – limited liability partnerships. Alternative business structures (ABSs) – which allow non-lawyers to have a financial stake in a firm – have grown in popularity throughout the 2010s, and for [...]
Law Society president quits amid dishonesty accusations March 5, 2021 President of the Law Society David Greene will step down from his role after being accused of dishonesty in a long-running dispute with a former client. Greene announced he planned to “step aside” less than halfway through his one-year term as president, after a case against him was again referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal [...]
Exclusive: Legal consultant model to become dominant among mid-market law firms February 25, 2021 The legal consultant business model will become the dominant model among high street and mid-market law firms, with around a third of UK lawyers predicted to be working under such a model in five years’ time. The Covid-19 pandemic has acted as a “catalyst” for industry disruption, exposing the “poor management and outdated operating models [...]
Exclusive: Britain’s 10,000 law firms largely spared from pandemic onslaught February 12, 2021 Despite the pandemic, the number of law firms has remained steady, with 10,080 currently registered in the UK, according to new research. The number of firms is down only 2 per cent compared to last year, as 10,278 firms were registered in December 2019, according to accountancy and business advisory firm Hazlewoods. Though many firms’ [...]
Out with the old: Time to reform the legal profession for the benefit of all sides February 11, 2021 It may seem like an odd time to be thinking about reforming the way lawyers work, but if so much can change because of a pandemic, why shouldn’t the post-Covid era be a period of reform and progress? This year will be the first in which the UK’s ability to compete in the global professional [...]