Send us a text Regional offices have long been critical to some of the UK’s biggest law firms. The essential components of today’s DLA Piper came from across the country, legacy Eversheds was formed of four firms from outside London, and Pinsent Masons was a Birmingham and Leeds outfit before it opened in London. But in recent years, some of those firms’ regional offerings have started to look like the offices they are housed in: old, crumbling, unloved. So on this episode of The Lawyer Podcast,...
Apr 11, 2024•33 min
Send us a text Grabbing the attention of aspiring solicitors and spectators alike, criticism of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination has torn through the media over the weeks following the most recent set of results. From City firms dropping training contracts from offer holders after failing on their first attempt, to questions over whether the exams really equip candidates for life as a newly-qualified solicitor. This week, The Lawyer asks – what the hell is going on? Catrin and Christian are...
Mar 28, 2024•31 min
Send us a text Law firms leaders love saying they don’t want growth for growth’s sake, but the truth is, without any growth at all they soon find themselves floundering. So as the financial year draws to a close, litigation editor Christian Smith and deputy editor Rich Simmons are joined by head of insight Matt Byrne, Horizon editor Katy Dowell and international editor Alex Taylor to look at what law firms are doing to find good, profitable growth - and whether they need to grow at all costs. 67...
Mar 14, 2024•29 min
Send us a text The new episode of The Lawyer Podcast is out now. Last week The Lawyer reported that claimant firm Pogust Goodhead could pay its newly qualified associates up to £2m (if it wins its cases), making them by far and away the highest paid in the country. Yet although Pogust Goodhead is offering more money than anyone else, the move is also a sign of what is an exciting and diverse market. So on this episode of the podcast, The Lawyer editor Catrin Griffiths and litigation editor Chris...
Feb 29, 2024•25 min
Send us a text London has become the biggest referral market in the world - and the Brits are nowhere The rise and rise of American firms in London’s private equity market – and the challenge that has presented to UK firms - has been well documented, particularly here at The Lawyer . But their increasing dominance is now also threatening UK firms across Europe, as European relationships in London start migrating to US firms. On this episode of The Lawyer Podcast, international editor Alex Taylor...
Feb 15, 2024•25 min
Send us a text Linklaters seemingly started the year strongly with a six partner hire from Shearman & Sterling in New York. So why then has it come in for so much negative attention? From an absent US strategy to a stream of senior partner losses, many in the market now believe Linklaters is losing its sparkle. On this episode, Catrin and Christian are joined by director of insight Matt Byrne and deputy editor (City) Rachel Moloney to discuss what’s going wrong at the magic circle firm, is i...
Feb 01, 2024•30 min
Send us a text The Lawyer Podcast is back for 2024 and we’re kicking things off by delving into the lessons the legal profession can glean from the Post Office scandal. The Post Office scandal has already become one of the biggest stories of the year and few groups are so closely tied to it as the legal profession. With that in mind, editor Catrin Griffiths and litigation editor Christian Smith are joined by senior litigation reporter Annabel Tinson to ask: Are lawyers the baddies in this nation...
Jan 18, 2024•26 min
Send us a text Every law firm and his dog seems to be moving into a green office at the moment, but how important is that really when it comes to a law firm's impact on the environment? Well with COP28 well underway in Dubai, for the last episode of The Lawyer Podcast for 2023, we dive into one of the great challenges for this generation of lawyers: how can firms manage their relationship with the environment? Catrin and Christian are joined by The Lawyer 's sustainability guru Jessica Boak, alo...
Dec 07, 2023•29 min
Send us a text The new episode of The Lawyer Podcast is out now! Across the UK and Europe, new types of litigation are booming – and the money is pumping in. On this episode of The Lawyer Podcast, Catrin Griffiths, Christian Smith and Alex Taylor sit down to debate what the future holds for the once maligned practice area, and whether litigators are proving themselves more creative than their transactional colleagues. 67cf803c0ecd65984faca29daf342d94206f717e...
Nov 23, 2023•29 min
Send us a text Salary wars are so 2022. Or are they? On Tuesday this week, The Lawyer ’s deputy editor (UK) Rich Simmons revealed the largest firm pay gaps between London and the regions . Did you know that Hogan Lovells’ Birmingham newly qualifieds (NQs) are paid £45,000 less than their London colleagues ? And Eversheds Sutherland’s regional NQs are all paid £33,000 less than those in the City? A London-regional pay gap has always existed, but lawyers are starting to question whether it has eve...
Nov 09, 2023•29 min
Send us a text The Lawyer’s Horizon Live is due to kick off next month. We are launching a series of webinars, dinners and roundtables featuring some of the biggest names in law discussing the most prominent issues affecting the profession. To celebrate, on the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast, four of The Lawyer ’s editors present some of their favourite Horizons in recent times. The Lawyer editor Catrin Griffiths presents Horizon editor Katy Dowell’s piece Just let more women in the equity , ...
Oct 26, 2023•15 min
Send us a text Profits are falling and costs are rising. On the latest episode of The Lawyer Podcast, the team chat about why profit isn't a dirty word: Love it or hate it, PEP is part of a firm's branding and the status of its lawyers; Profit matters for firms' long-term health and investment; Would-be partners should use PEP in tandem with intel on capital requirements to know what they're letting themselves in for; Freshfields is deluded if it thinks it can ignore PEP as a metric. For all thi...
Oct 12, 2023•26 min
Send us a text Proposed redundancies at CMS and Taylor Rose have raised associate anxieties across the market, with many wondering whether they could be the start of wider trouble. Hosts Catrin Griffiths and Christian Smith are joined by director of insight Matt Byrne and deputy editor (UK) Rich Simmons to discuss what you need to know, and whether you should be worried. 67cf803c0ecd65984faca29daf342d94206f717e...
Sep 28, 2023•23 min
Send us a text Why is everyone talking about Paul Weiss and Neel Sachdev? The Lawyer Podcast is BACK after the summer break and for the first episode of the new term, the team take on the hottest story of the summer: Paul Weiss and its big London play. Join hosts Catrin Griffiths, Christian Smith and guests Matt Byrne and Rachel Moloney as they unlock the Chamber of Secrets to reveal what you need to know, why you need to know it, and what it all means for the likes of Kirkland, Slaughters, Macf...
Sep 14, 2023•21 min
Send us a text Like many of its listeners, The Lawyer Podcast is on its summer holidays. But hanging over the summer for partners at A&O and Shearman & Sterling is the question of whether they should vote through the two firms’ proposed merger. With the vote expected in the Autumn, whether the biggest firm tie-up in decades will actually go through is still a live debate. So if you’re looking for something to listen to while you sip your next piña colada and look out to sea, check out th...
Aug 22, 2023•21 min
Send us a text The last episode of The Lawyer Podcast before the summer break is out now! Join hosts Catrin and Christian as they speak with Horizon editor Katy Dowell about why so many firms are moving or upgrading offices, and why they don’t all agree on what the future office should look like. What do treasure chests, Robert the Bruce, Adam Smith, seduction and sedition have in common? Anderson Strathern, as it turns out. The Lawyer Podcast chats to managing partner Murray McCall about how th...
Jun 29, 2023•26 min
Send us a text The new episode of The Lawyer Podcast is out now! On this episode, Catrin and Christian preview next week’s The Lawyer Awards and take a look at some of the categories exciting them this year. Rachel Moloney, deputy editor (City), joins the podcast to discuss which firms retain talented senior lawyers in corporate when they're not making partner, while other firms just don’t like it (hint, it’s the US ones). And following the launch of Horizon Live last week, we bring you an excer...
Jun 15, 2023•26 min
Send us a text The new episode of The Lawyer Podcast comes to you live from The Lawyer ’s recent GC conference in Bedfordshire. Catrin and Christian are joined by a range of senior in-house leaders, along with journalists from The Lawyer to discuss what’s keeping GCs up at night. Sarah Binder from Lime and Kodak’s John O’Reilly explain how a bad economy is making life tough for in-house lawyers, Chanel’s Cécile Cailac suggests what in-house counsel can do so they aren’t seen as idea killers, Mol...
Jun 01, 2023•26 min
Send us a text It looks set to be one of the most extraordinary deals in legal market history, ushering in a new era of global law, and so The Lawyer Podcast is here with an emergency edition to tell you what the A&O - Shearman & Sterling merger means. Hosts Cat and Christian are joined by deputy editor (City) Rachel Moloney to talk through why they have merged, why it is bold, and why, no matter what they say, it’s absolutely a takeover. Director of insight Matt Byrne also joins the pod...
May 22, 2023•21 min
Send us a text On the brand new episode of The Lawyer Podcast , the coronation may be over, but law firms are still crowning new leaders and partners across the City. Our deputy editor (City), Rachel Moloney, joins hosts Catrin Griffiths and Christian Smith to discuss the trends emerging from the annual round of promotions. Our other deputy editor (UK) Richard Simmons is also with us to explain why A&O and Linklaters have caved and upped their NQ salaries. And Christian tells Cat why the Qui...
May 11, 2023•26 min
Send us a text The latest episode of The Lawyer Podcast is out now! Tune in as hosts Catrin Griffiths and Christian Smith speak to reporter Maria-Ward Brennan about the downfall of the Ince Group, while Horizon editor Katy Dowell joins the podcast to reflect on previous law firm collapses. Director of insight Matt Byrne takes us on a tour of what the 2023 US Top 50 report reveals about some of the most profitable firms in London, and why this year is different to all the others, And are the days...
Apr 27, 2023•26 min
Send us a text On the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast, editor Catrin Griffiths and litigation editor Christian Smith speak to director of insight Matt Byrne, who reveals how litigation funder Harbour is evolving into something of a bank to law firms. Keep an eye out for Matt’s article next week. Meanwhile, in-house reporter Lucie Cruz brings all the goss on Paul Hastings’ controversial slide to junior associates , as Catrin and Christian ask whether it really is a privilege to work at a top 20...
Apr 13, 2023•26 min
Send us a text In the latest episode of The Lawyer Podcast, we ask: Which law firm is involved with a ballet about a tech billionaire? Why is the challenger firm in Oslo banned from a football tournament? And why are we being so nice about Eversheds? 67cf803c0ecd65984faca29daf342d94206f717e
Mar 30, 2023•24 min
Send us a text The latest episode of The Lawyer Podcast has just landed. If you think the last few years have been buoyant for recruiters, then check out what director of insight Matt Byrne has to say about just how busy the lateral market has been. Elsewhere, do you like virgin piña coladas? After her LinkedIn post about alcohol at law firm events gained traction online, Kirkland & Ellis associate and founder of social mobility charity Strive, Sana Shafi, speaks to in-house reporter Lucie C...
Mar 16, 2023•24 min
Send us a text On this episode, editor Catrin Griffiths and deputy editor (City) Rachel Moloney bring you all the drama from Cravath’s raid on Shearman & Sterling’s leveraged finance team. Meanwhile litigation editor Christian Smith quizzes deputy editor (UK) Richard Simmons and in-house reporter Lucie Cruz on how junior lawyers are faring this trainee qualification season. And Catrin and Christian discuss the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s recent decision in the class action against Meta and...
Mar 02, 2023•22 min
Send us a text On this episode, litigation editor Christian Smith and international editor Alex Taylor discuss Man City’s new signing: Lord Pannick KC, and how big money means lawyers are the new stars of football. The Lawyer ’s editor Catrin Griffiths talks about an emerging trend of former managing partners switching firms. And to mark the anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine, the show is joined by Kinstellar’s Daniel Bilak in Kyiv to explain what life is like now for Ukrainian lawye...
Feb 16, 2023•30 min
Send us a text Following the launch of the Hot 100 last week, The Lawyer ’s editor Catrin Griffiths sits down with new Hot 100 member Banke Odunaike from CBRE to discuss her career, the nuances of being a role model, and what her son made of her inclusion. The Six Nations kicks off this weekend as a storm of legal issues hangs over rugby. The Lawyer ’s litigation editor Christian Smith explains what’s going on, and why lawyers are so much more involved in the game now. The Womble Bond Dickinson ...
Feb 02, 2023•28 min
Send us a text The Lawyer Podcast is back for 2023. In the first episode of the year, The Lawyer's editor Catrin Griffiths and litigation editor Christian Smith are joined by deputy editor (City) Rachel Moloney to discuss all the rumours surrounding Hogan Lovells’ merger talks with Shearman & Sterling. We also speak to Hill Dickinson partner Jessica Neary about being accused of being an “ absent mother ” at the school gates. Deputy editor (national), Richard Simmons, is also in the studio to...
Jan 19, 2023•25 min
Send us a text Tis the season to be jolly, so for the last episode of The Lawyer Podcast for 2022, editor Catrin Griffiths and litigation editor Christian Smith are getting into the Christmas spirit with the dulcet tones of the best law firm choirs the City has to offer. But first, can lawyers actually switch off at Christmas? Lawyers-turned-journalists Christian and in-house reporter Lucie Cruz discuss what might be in store for lawyers this holiday season, and what it tells us about the wider ...
Dec 15, 2022•28 min
Send us a text This episode, has the music stopped for leveraged finance? Deputy editor Rachel Moloney joins Catrin Griffiths to assess what the recession is doing to all those expensive hires. Christian Smith talks about lawyers' obligations and the SRA’s new guidance on SLAPPs - and there's a punchy guest appearance from former Clifford Chance UK tax head Dan Neidle on his tussle with Osborne Clarke. And Matt Byrne joins to talk about where there are more merger targets than any other as he ce...
Dec 01, 2022•21 min
