Hugging Face hack spells ’emergency for the City of London’, warns top lawyer AI Everything companies have done to prepare for a cyber attack is now “completely old world” following the OpenAI–Hugging Face hack over the summer, a top City lawyer has warned. The “unpredecented” July hack, in which OpenAI’s model escaped a controlled test by itself and broke into the AI platform Hugging Face, prompted a probe from [...]
Mishcon de Reya hikes junior lawyer salaries to £110,000 Law Top City law firm Mishcon de Reya has upped its salaries to £110,000 for its incoming cohort of junior lawyers as the pay war continues to intensify. The firm, known for its high-profile disputes, has upped its newly-qualified salaries by 10 per cent, effective from September, while also increasing the salaries of first-year trainees to [...]
Clifford Chance partners pocket £2.3m as private markets drive growth Law Magic circle firm Clifford Chance’s revenue surpassed £2.6bn for the first time, largely driven by the surge in private market work. The firm’s revenue was up 9 per cent from £2.4bn last year, as the Canary Wharf-headquartered firm said that while all service lines performed well, the hike was driven largely by “momentum in the private markets” [...]
Magic Circle firm Linklaters sees partner profits soar to £2.5m after record year July 21, 2026 Partners at magic circle law firm Linklaters saw pay packets double after the firm had its third consecutive year of double-digit profit growth. For its year to 30 April, 2026, Linklaters reported record revenue of £2.47bn, up nearly 7 per cent, and pre-tax profit of £1.2bn, up over 11 per cent, after hitting the billion-pound [...]
Elite English firms face uphill battle in fierce New York market July 16, 2026 Elite City law firms face major financial and strategic hurdles breaking into the US legal market, as fierce competition for top talent and high partner compensation make organic growth and brand-building especially challenging, writes Maria Ward-Brennan Breaking into the US has been on the agenda of many elite English law firms, most notably four-fifths of [...]
Magic circle Linklaters scores FIFA’s top lawyers in US raid July 14, 2026 Magic circle law firm Linklaters has snagged two of FIFA’s lawyers from a rival firm as part of its push into the US legal market. Partner Christopher Boehning has joined as Chair of its global sports practice and US strategic disputes, while Daniel Levi will serve in the firm’s litigation, arbitration and investigations practice, both [...]
Magic circle Freshfields ousts equity partners amid US push July 13, 2026 Senior staff are bracing for a shake-up at magic circle law firm Freshfields, as partners have been forced out to boost growth and fund its US expansion. The City-based firm has ousted several equity partners in recent weeks across several European offices, including London, according to the Financial Times, as it focuses on growth. Speaking [...]
Deloitte and KPMG challenge PwC’s iron grip on FTSE 100 clients June 1, 2026 For the first time in nearly eight years, three of the Big Four giants, Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, are locked in a dead heat for FTSE 100 client dominance. A boardroom reshuffle has loosened PwC’s iron grip on clients from London’s blue-chip index, forcing a historic three-way tie at the top of the FTSE 100 [...]
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 [...]
Money talks, but culture counts in transatlantic law firm tie-ups November 20, 2025 A merger between a notable US outfit and a UK-headquartered legal firm used to be a rare event, but with the focus on global dominance, these strategic moves are now attracting more attention – as more firms begin to follow suit. This week, London-based Ashurst agreed to merge with Seattle-based Perkins Coie, and overnight it [...]