Social mobility could be the next hot-button issue – and smart firms would be wise to act now February 10, 2021 Here’s a game for your next tedious Zoom meeting. Take a look at those attentively nodding heads and ask yourself: how many went to an ordinary school? By ordinary I don’t mean a comprehensive so exceptional that the local estate agents memorise its catchment area. I mean the rest. The average to poor ones. The [...]
Disgruntled ex-Linklaters exec agrees not to disclose information alleging Magic Circle firm’s ‘struggle’ with women February 18, 2019 An aggrieved former senior executive at Magic Circle law firm Linklaters has agreed to destroy a set of documents related to a case about the firm’s alleged “ongoing struggle" with women. Former chief marketing officer Frank Mellish had threatened to disclose information about the firm's culture and the way it dealt with three incidents internally after losing [...]
Law and accountancy firms weigh coronavirus profit distribution delay March 30, 2020 Law and accountancy firms are weighing up delaying partner profit distributions to preserve cash to ride out the coronavirus-triggered economic crash. It is one strategy being considered among the Big Four accountancy firms and major law firms such as Linklaters and Pinsent Masons. US law firm Reed Smith, which has a sizeable London operation, confirmed [...]
US legal giant Latham & Watkins boosts revenue to record $3.7bn February 26, 2020 US law firm Latham & Watkins today announced a revenue boost of 11 per cent to $3.76bn (£2.91bn) for the 2019 calendar year. Latham, which has been heavily investing in its City office in recent years, became the first law firm to surpass the $3bn revenue mark in 2018. Its London revenue is understood to [...]
Central London office take-up plummets as employees work from home May 27, 2020 The amount of central London office space leased in the first quarter of the year plunged as employees began working from home and the UK entered its coronavirus lockdown. Office space leased in the capital between January and March reached 2.7m sq ft, down 30 per cent on the previous quarter. The government introduced a [...]
RBS could hold AGM ‘in an empty room’ due to coronavirus outbreak March 12, 2020 Banking giant RBS is gearing up to hold a dramatically scaled-back physical annual general meeting (AGM) due to the coronavirus pandemic, with just core attendees present in person. RBS, like all listed companies with a financial year ending in December, has a legal obligation to hold a physical AGM by 30 June, with the meeting [...]
Coronavirus: How is business in Italy coping with the crisis? March 15, 2020 Milan. City of the Sforzas, La Scala, Internazionale, Giorgio Armani and Dario Fo. The Lombard capital is also the beating heart of the Italian economy; home to the stock exchange; Italian business success stories such as Unicredit, Versace and Pirelli; and outposts of overseas financial institutions, multinationals, law firms and consultancy giants. Sadly, Milan is [...]
Ministers to block foreign takeovers of UK firms under new law November 11, 2020 The government will today unveil legislation which will enable ministers to intervene and block firms in hostile states from taking over UK companies. Under the National Security and Investment Bill, it will be mandatory for deals involving firms in 17 sectors deemed of strategic importance to be notified to officials. In addition, the government will [...]
London Stock Exchange pushes for virtual AGMs due to coronavirus March 22, 2020 The London Stock Exchange Group is lobbying for companies to be allowed to hold remote annual general meetings during the coronavirus pandemic. LSE and other City groups are pushing for the government to make emergency amendments to the Companies Act to avoid disruption during the AGM season, Sky News reported. The broadcaster said that law [...]
City of London braces for coronavirus: Banks, insurers and audit firms activate contingency plans March 5, 2020 With health secretary Matt Hancock warning that the UK should prepare for “widespread transmission” of coronavirus, City of London firms have braced for impact. Banks, insurers, law firms and accountancy giants have dusted off contingency plans, instituted travel bans and cancelled events to try and mitigate the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. HSBC and Deloitte [...]