Victoria Basham

BAT calls in HSF and Cravath for mega merger

British American Tobacco (BAT) has instructed Cravath Swaine & Moore and Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) to advise on its £38.4bn merger propo....

BIG STORIES | REMUNERATION

Sharp pay rises for partners at US firms

A major survey of law firm partners in the US has revealed a significant rise in compensation in the past two years.....

BIG STORIES | INNOVATION

Law firm launches consultancy for fellow law firms

Hinshaw & Culbertson, which last year hired Dewey & LeBoeuf's former general counsel, is launching what may be the first practice aimed at....

BIG STORIES | LITIGATION FUNDING

Litigation funders plan to invest in ABS law firms

Litigation funders Burford Capital and Woodsford Litigation Funding say they plan to invest in UK-based law firms that are allowed to have non-....

BIG STORIES | LAW AND TECHNOLOGY

Chatbot entrepreneur builds free tool for law firms

The 20-year-old student entrepreneur whose robot lawyer has successfully defeated millions of dollars in parking tickets is working on a free ....

CORPORATE COUNSEL | TRENDS

Survey highlights challenges and changes for legal departments

Research by Thompson Reuters shows how legal departments, whose top challenges continue to be 'too few resources' and 'reducing outside le....

BIG STORIES | BREXIT

Hundreds of British lawyers register in Ireland

With Britain's future outside of the EU still far from certain, the latest figures reveal that more than 700 British solicitors have now registere....

GLOBAL VIEW | CRIME

'El Chapo' judge assassinated

A Mexican judge who presided over appeals by drug cartel kingpins including Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman has been assassinated.....

GLOBAL VIEW | INNOVATION

Firm branches out into non-legal services

Australian firm Sparke Helmore has launched a wholly owned professional services company in a bid to combat the threat of broadening service offerings....

BIG STORIES | LAW AND TECHNOLOGY

The threats and opportunities of cybersecurity

A new survey has found that weaknesses in law firms' data security present an unprecedented threat, but increasing demand for legal expertise in i....

GLOBAL VIEW | LAUNCH

HSF to launch arbitration centre in Australia

Herbert Smith Freehills is establishing a centre of excellence for international arbitration in Australia.....

BIG STORIES | APPOINTMENTS

Lloyds cuts core legal panel to eight after review

Lloyds Banking Group has finalised its UK legal panel review, and DLA Piper and Norton Rose Fulbright have lost their places.....

BIG STORIES | LAW AND POLITICS

Suspended NBC host Billy Bush calls in lawyers over Trump furore

The Today show host, who was suspended after a lewd tape of him and Donald Trump was made public, has hired a prominent Orrick, Herrington & Sutcl....

GLOBAL VIEW | FIRM NEWS

White & Case continues City investment in latest promotions round

The New York-based firm has promoted 40 to partner in its latest global round, eight of whom are in the City.....

BIG STORIES | RECRUITMENT

Law firms hire from the smallest pool

New research shows that law firms hire graduates from fewer universities than other industries such as accountancy and spend the most money in the pro....

BIG STORIES | RETENTION

Firms reveal trainee retention figures

Nabarro and Latham & Watkins have revealed their autumn retention figures, with Clyde & Co and DAC Beachcroft also throwing their results into....

BIG STORIES | ABS

US claims firm granted UK ABS licence

Crawford & Company, which calls itself one of the world's largest independent claims management solutions providers, has arrived in the UK to ....

GLOBAL VIEW | RESEARCH

Volume of global M&A dips in Q3, but value shoots up

Political and macroeconomic uncertainty have continued to stifle cross-border M&A activity, but the re-emergence of the megadeal has seen ....

BIG STORIES | MOVES AND APPOINTMENTS

Multiple hires for Ince JLV in Singapore

Ince Law Alliance, the Singapore joint law venture (JLV) between Ince & Co and local firm Incisive Law, has boosted its ranks by hiring from Allen....

GLOBAL VIEW | CLASS ACTION

Firm to file first shareholder claim against Slater & Gordon

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers is set to become the first practice to file a shareholder class action against embattled Slater and Gordon.....

GLOBAL VIEW | OPENINGS

Chinese law firm eyes UK opening

AllBright Law Offices is set to open a base in London, its first outside China.....

BIG STORIES | REMUNERATION

Mounting pressure causes law firms to demote partners

Shearman & Sterling move to demote under-performing partners would once have been unthinkable, but today's tough legal market has made it ....

BIG STORIES | PERCEPTION OF LAW

New Amazon series asks if BigLaw has gotten too big

Co-written and co-created by Jonathan Shapiro, a former federal prosecutor and former of counsel at Kirkland & Ellis, 'Goliath' st....

BIG STORIES | REMUNERATION

US lawyers can expect to see pay rises next year

Lawyers in the US can anticipate their compensation will rise by an average of 4.6 per cent in 2017, according to a report from recruiter Robert Hal L....

GLOBAL VIEW | COMPETITION

White & Case tops M&A ranking

According to a new ranking, White & Case has advised on global M&A deals with the highest total value announced in the first three quarters of....

GLOBAL VIEW | LIGHTER SIDE

Aus lawyer beats Domino's in court

An Australian lawyer has defeated Domino's Pizza after the fast food giant failed to deliver his food and subsequently broke a promise for a full ....

GLOBAL VIEW | INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

Firm partners with professional mothers' network to break new ground

Online legal marketplace Crowd & Co is the latest legal business to partner with ProfessionalMums.net in a bid to capitalise on the many female la....

BIG STORIES | RESIGNATION

Hogan Lovells Hamburg head steps down amid spying investigation

The managing partner of Hogan Lovells' Hamburg office has resigned over claims of illegal surveillance made by an employee of former client EWE Gr....

GLOBAL VIEW | INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

Dentons launches global referral network

Dentons has officially launched its free to use Nextlaw Global Referral Network and has signed up 283 member firms and over 18,500 lawyers.....

BIG STORIES | MOVES

Ashurst keeps second partner

Six months after he announced his move to Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Ashurst has announced it is holding on to London regulatory partner James Perry.....

GLOBAL VIEW | APPOINTMENTS

Goodwin Procter takes team for Paris office

Goodwin Procter has confirmed that it is recruiting a team of lawyers from Shearman & Sterling for the Private Equity Practice in the Paris office....

BIG STORIES | JOB LOSS

Slater & Gordon slashes UK jobs

Embattled firm Slater & Gordon cut 640 jobs in the UK last year, according to its 2015/16 accounts.....

BIG STORIES | APPOINTMENTS

Burford Capital launches own law firm with Akin Gump hire

After receiving a licence at the start of this year, Burford Capital has launched its own Alternative Business Structure, Burford Law, with the hire o....

BIG STORIES | PAY

NQ pay increases at Baker & McKenzie and Kirkland & Ellis

Baker & McKenzie's London office has upped the salaries of its NQ lawyers to £72,000, while at Kirkland & Ellis London NQ pay packet....

BIG STORIES | LEADERSHIP

KWM elects new EUME managing partner

After running against SJ Berwin veteran Gareth Amdor, former Mallesons partner Tim Bednall has been elected as King & Wood Mallesons' new mana....

BIG STORIES | DISCIPLINE

Howard Kennedy to block computers of lawyers who don't meet target

London-based law firm Howard Kennedy has introduced a penalty system in which lawyers - including partners - who fail to clock up seven ho....

BIG STORIES | EMISSIONS SCANDAL

Lawyers defend $300m fees in VW settlement

Plaintiff lawyers who helped negotiate a potential $10bn settlement with VW in the emissions case fired back at critics who say they are asking for ov....

BIG STORIES | MERGERS

Seddons and BD Laddie announce merger

London-based law firms Seddons and BD Laddie have joined forces, creating a 33-partner Top 200 UK law firm.....

BIG STORIES | APPOINTMENTS

Dentons names new global CFO

Dentons has appointed Neal Livingston, former managing director and general manager of global trade and transactions at the Commonwealth Bank of Austr....

BIG STORIES | APPOINTMENTS

CEO designate elected at Eversheds

Following an uncontested election, Eversheds has announced that Lee Ranson will succeed Bryan Hughes as the firm's chief executive.....

GLOBAL VIEW | OFFICE OPENINGS

Former solicitor general opens D.C. office for Munger Tolles & Olson

Los Angeles-based law firm Munger Tolles & Olson has hired former US Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli to open an office in Washington, D.C....

BIG STORIES | DEALS

Ashurst, CC and HSF advise on Hinkley deal

Ashurst, Clifford Chance and Herbert Smith Freehills have advised on the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station deal, China's biggest ever investme....

BIG STORIES | INDUSTRY TRENDS

PwC integrates legal arm

Accountancy giant PwC has integrated PwC Legal into its UK business, enabling it to operate as a multi-disciplinary practice instead of a standalo....

BIG STORIES | WORKING CONDITIONS

City lawyers hit with a holiday ban

Taylor Wessing has followed in Macfarlanes' footsteps and prohibited its private client team from holidaying for three months next year.....

BIG STORIES | LEADERSHIP

Reed Smith realigns leadership

Reed Smith's leadership changes in the past few months include the departure of its CMO and a reshuffle of its senior leadership team.....

GLOBAL VIEW | APPOINTMENTS

SPB takes international arbitration head from K&L Gates

Squire Patton Boggs has announced the appointment of international arbitration counsel Haig Oghigian to lead its international arbitration practice in....

BIG STORIES | LAW AND POLITICS

PM announces crackdown on law firms that make vexatious claims against troops

Theresa May has announced a crackdown on 'no win no fee' law firms that 'impugn' the name of the army by making vexatious claims again....

BIG STORIES | LEADERSHIP

Dentons announces new US leadership

The megafirm will implement a major reshuffle of its US leadership, effective 1 January 2017.....

GLOBAL VIEW | COMPETITION

High Court of Kenya litigates its first competition case

The High Court of Kenya handed down judgement on the first competition case in the country this August, in the matter between Mea Limited and the Comp....

BIG STORIES | TRAINEE RETENTION

Slaughter and May completes Magic Circle retention season

The firm has posted an autumn retention figure of 89 per cent, holding on to 32 of its NQ lawyers.....

GLOBAL VIEW | THEFT

Law firm office manager steals millions

A former office manager of a law firm in Fremantle, south of Perth, is facing jail after admitting to stealing more than A$2m from her employer.....

BIG STORIES | LAW AND TECHNOLOGY

Legal CIOs quicker to embrace AI than counterparts in other sectors

Although the legal sector is often criticised for being slow to adopt new technologies, a new study suggests it is more advanced in its use and unders....

BIG STORIES | FINANCIALS

Revenues skyrocket at Signature Litigation

Disputes boutique Signature Litigation has seen revenue jump by 36 per cent for FY15/16 to £10.2m and continues to invest in lateral hiring with....

GLOBAL VIEW | COMBINATIONS

DLA Piper combines with IP boutique in Canada

Interest in the Canadian legal market from global heavyweights continues as DLA Piper announces it has combined with IP boutique Dimock Stratton.....

BIG STORIES | APPOINTMENTS

Former US House Speaker joins Squire Patton Boggs

Squire Patton Boggs has announced it has hired former US House Speaker John Boehner as a strategic advisor.....

BIG STORIES | CORRUPTION SCANDAL

Judge sets trial for Nov 2017 as defendants seek deals

Some defendants in the FIFA corruption probe are in talks to plead guilty, according to federal prosecutors, as a trial in November 2017 looms for tho....

BIG STORIES | M&A

Gateley in second post-IPO acquisition

The UK's first publicly listed law firm has continued its post-IPO expansion, acquiring Birmingham-based property consultancy Hamer Associ....

BIG STORIES | CAREER PATHS

Septuagenarian law student awaits entrance to the bar

Whilst many of his age would now be retired from the legal profession, a 75-year-old law student says he has a job lined up at a law firm as s....

GLOBAL VIEW | APPOINTMENTS

FIFA creates CCO role, hires PwC

Football's scandal-plagued governing body has announced that for the first time in its history that it has created a chief compliance officer ....

GLOBAL VIEW | LEADERSHIP

New global chair for McDermott

McDermott Will and Emery has elected Ira Coleman as its new global chairman, replacing co-chairs Jeffrey Stone and Peter Sacripanti.....

BIG STORIES | LEADERSHIP

Kennedys senior partner set to serve fifth term

Nick Thomas is to stand uncontested for a fifth five-year term as senior partner at insurance specialist Kennedys.....

GLOBAL VIEW | OFFICE LAUNCH

Mayer Brown affiliate opens in Brasília with ex-AG hire

Mayer Brown's Brazilian arm has opened a new office in the country's capital and hired a former attorney general and confidant of ousted presi....

BIG STORIES | LAW AND TECHNOLOGY

Truss gives go-ahead to digital criminal courts

Lord Chancellor Liz Truss has today backed a £1 billion programme to extend online courts to criminal offences.....

BIG STORIES | M&A

Big firms advise on Bayer's Monsanto megadeal

Around six large law firms are advising on Bayer AG's $66 billion acquisition of Monsanto Co, the largest all-cash transaction in history.....

GLOBAL VIEW | ALLIANCES

Cuatrecasas enters association with Colombian firm

Iberian firm Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira has entered into an association with Colombian firm Posse Herrera Ruiz.....

GLOBAL VIEW | OFFICE LAUNCH

Vedder Price opens doors in Singapore

The Chicago-headquartered firm has announced it is opening a new office in the city-state to strengthen its Global Transportation Finance (GTF....

GLOBAL VIEW | TEAM HIRES

Kirkland & Ellis absorbs DC boutique Bancroft

BigLaw firm Kirkland & Ellis has hired all 17 lawyers at elite Washington DC boutique Bancroft.....

BIG STORIES | INDUSTRY TRENDS

Mergers losing ground to tech investment and team moves

New research shows that the leading 200 UK law firms are moving away from mergers as a favoured growth strategy and instead see investing in new techn....

BIG STORIES | PERFORMANCE

Revenue soars at PwC Legal

Revenue at the legal arm of the accounting giant has jumped by 25 per cent this financial year, from £48.5m to £59.9m, while net income st....

GLOBAL VIEW | GROWTH

Olswang expands into Korea

TMT specialist Olswang has announced it is expanding its Asian offering to include Korea with the hire of consultant Steve Kim to lead business develo....

BIG STORIES | CLIENT RELATIONS

HSF sues client over unpaid fees

Herbert Smith Freehills has successfully sued its client San Leon Energy at London's High Court for nearly £500,000 in unpaid fees.....

BIG STORIES | BENEFIT CUTS

Private banking perks in peril for lawyers

Wealthy lawyers are among those set to be most affected by J.P. Morgan's recent decision to increase the threshold for its elite private banking s....

BIG STORIES | REMUNERATION

NQ pay at Weil Gotshal hits new high

Reports indicate newly-qualified lawyers at the London office of US giant Weil Gotshal & Manges are set to earn 15 per cent more.....

BIG STORIES | FINANCIAL CRIME

Norton Rose, BCL and Hickman & Rose called in as Tesco execs charged with fraud

The Serious Fraud Office has charged three former Tesco executives with fraud by abuse of position following its investigation into the supermarket gr....

GLOBAL VIEW | APPOINTMENTS

PwC Legal hires new head for Vietnam

PwC Legal has hired Gide Loyrette Nouel's Vietnam head to lead its operations in the country, which has the fastest growing economy in Southeast A....

GLOBAL VIEW | EXPANSION

Rocket Lawyer moves into the Continent

The US-based online legal document provider is moving into mainland Europe after signing up over 200,000 people in the UK for its services.....

GLOBAL VIEW | MOVES

Hong Kong boutique takes team from Ashurst

Hong Kong boutique Howse Williams Bowers has hired a team of restructuring and insolvency lawyers from Ashurst, led by partner Bertie Mehigan.....

BIG STORIES | EXPANSION

Kennedys expands in Ireland

Insurance specialist Kennedys is set to more than double its office space in Dublin following significant expansion in Latin America, in a decision th....

BIG STORIES | DEALS

NewQuest Capital Partners acquires Integreon

Hong-Kong based private equity firm NewQuest Capital Partners has acquired major LPO player Integreon from LiveIt Investments and Actis for an und....

BIG STORIES | ABS

SME adviser moves into legal services

A business adviser specialising in small businesses has become the latest professional services firm to enter the legal services market.....

BIG STORIES | RETIREMENT

Baby Boomer retirement wave set to hit BigLaw hard

The upcoming wave of retirement among Baby Boomer partners is set to have a big impact on BigLaw firms, both financially and in terms of client relati....

BIG STORIES | FINANCIAL CRIME

Law chief calls for 'culture of responsibility' to tackle corporate crime

The attorney general has said that a 'culture of corporate responsibility' should be introduced from the boardroom down to combat failure to p....

GLOBAL VIEW | CYBER SECURITY

High demand sees HSF launch new hotline

Herbert Smith Freehills has launched a new cyber security hotline to help clients keep their online security in-check.....

GLOBAL VIEW | OFFICE LAUNCHES

White & Case lands team from HSF for Aus launch

The New York-headquartered firm has taken ten partners from Herbert Smith Freehills to open in Australia.....

BIG STORIES | APPOINTMENTS

Bryan Cave boosts Paris office

The US law firm has added a three-lawyer team to its Paris office.....

BIG STORIES | TRENDS

Law firm partners get younger the bigger the firm

New research reveals that partners at UK law firms tend to be younger, on average, the bigger the firm for which they work, presenting a recruitment o....

GLOBAL VIEW | EXPANSION

HSF launches legal support hub in China

Herbert Smith Freehills has expanded its Belfast-based alternative legal services business with the launch of a 13-lawyer legal services centr....

GLOBAL VIEW | ASSOCIATIONS

International law firm seeks Chinese partner

Hogan Lovells is hoping to tap the vast potential of mainland China through an association with a local law firm.....

BIG STORIES | SCAM

Fourth person pleads guilty in BigLaw firm scam

A sister of a former employee of BigLaw firm Vedder Price has pleaded guilty to her part in a fake invoice scheme that allegedly cost the Chicago-....

BIG STORIES | APPOINTMENTS

Top KWM funds partner exits for CC

Clifford Chance has tapped King & Wood Mallesons for its highly-regarded former Germany head Sonya Pauls.....

GLOBAL VIEW | CASES

Kim Dotcom calls for livestream of extradition appeal

Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom wants to livestream his legal battle against the US on YouTube.....

BIG STORIES | WORKING STYLE

City firm goes 'super agile'

London law firm Schillings is taking the concept of agile working to a new level, telling its lawyers that they only need to come into the office two ....

GLOBAL VIEW | LAW AND TECH

Can't buy me love - tech tops pay in work-life balance survey

New research has found that lawyers in Australia view new technology and flexible working conditions as more important for their work-life balance....

BIG STORIES | PERSONALITY TRAITS

Study shows lawyers less adept at coping with uncertainty

New research has found that lawyers are less able to cope with uncertainty and are less suited to handling difficult situations than other professiona....

BIG STORIES | DEALS

Freshfields and Linklaters take lion's share in AB InBev deal

Anheuser-Busch InBev's $108bn (£71bn) takeover of SABMiller, set to be the largest ever of a London-listed company, has generated $2....

GLOBAL VIEW | INDUSTRY TRENDS

Whistleblower law firms look to India

The rising number of drug manufacturing-related violations in India and increasing presence of large US companies in the country are leading whist....

GLOBAL VIEW | FINANCE

Law firm partners face the perfect storm in retirement

The trend of earlier retirement for partners in law firms could put them in financial danger.....

BIG STORIES | CRIME

Fake law firm found real lawyers via Craigslist

A fake law firm reportedly used Craigslist to find real lawyers to do their work while reeling in hundreds of clients who were near being foreclosed f....

BIG STORIES | PAYMENT

Lawyers should be upfront about prices, says watchdog

The legal profession is not moving quickly enough to address the concerns of consumers over transparency in pricing and quality, according to the indu....

BIG STORIES | POLITICS

NI lawyers challenge Brexit

Lawyers acting on behalf of politicians and human rights activists from across the religious divide have begun a legal challenge to the UK's decis....

Victoria Basham

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