‘The trouble with dreams is you wake up’ – DWF hammered after CEO exit May 29, 2020 The magnitude of the ousting of listed law firm DWF’s chief executive Andrew Leaitherland today for the future of the business cannot be overstated. Leaitherland was no technocratic leader or managerial gun for hire. It was his vision and drive that took the firm from its humble northwestern roots to make history as the first [...]
Listed legal business DWF ousts chief executive amid covid-19 crisis May 29, 2020 Listed legal business DWF today announced it was ousting its longstanding chief executive in favour of its chair to help steer it through the coronavirus pandemic. Chief executive Andrew Leaitherland is stepping down from DWF “with immediate effect” to be replaced by chair Sir Nigel Knowles who was previously chief executive of legal giant DLA [...]
The City View with Sir Nigel Knowles June 28, 2021 This week City A.M.’s Andy Silvester sits down with DWF Group CEO Sir Nigel Knowles. What Sir Nigel doesn’t know about legal and business services probably isn’t worth knowing. In this podcast he opens up on what he thinks the industry needs to do to stay ahead of international competitors, the new skills that young [...]
Freshfields outbids Magic Circle rivals by offering newly qualified lawyers £125,000 a year April 1, 2022 London’s oldest law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is set to pay its newly qualified lawyers more than any other Magic Circle law firm, after upping pay for its new associates to £125,000 a year. Freshfields salary hike will see it pay NQs considerably more than its Magic Circle rivals – including Clifford Chance, Linklaters, Allen [...]
“Some firms don’t get it” – Sir Nigel Knowles on innovation in the legal sector, staying ahead of global competitors & the UK’s competitive advantage June 28, 2021 What Sir Nigel Knowles doesn’t know about legal and business services probably isn’t worth knowing. After a glittering 38-year career at DLA Piper, he is now CEO at London-listed DWF Group. He took the job in May 2020, after three years as Chair. Since then, the firm’s share price has risen around 30 per cent, [...]
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 [...]
Eversheds Sutherland matches rivals after upping pay for new lawyers to £95k February 15, 2022 Eversheds Sutherland’s has given newly qualified lawyers in its London offices a 15.8 per cent pay rise after upping their salaries to £95,000 a year. The firm also said it will give lawyers in the rest of its UK offices a 24 per cent pay rise, which will see their salaries increase from £50,000 to [...]
The Big Four’s legal ventures should worry mid-tier law firms August 26, 2022 THE BIG Four’s first forays into the legal sector in the 1990s ended in abject failure. Yet over the past decade, the world’s four biggest accounting firms have captured a significant share of the UK’s market for legal services, and have increasingly begun to compete with traditional firms. Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC have used [...]
City’s law firms navigate choppy pandemic seas with aplomb July 22, 2021 Despite the disruption caused by Covid-19, City law firms have continued to display strong financial results as senior partners head off on long-awaited summer breaks. Ashurst, currently advising Morrisons on a £6.3bn takeover, saw their revenue rise 10 per cent from £644 million to £711 million. Additionally, profit per equity partner rose 15 per cent [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? September 8, 2021 City A.M.’s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Exclusive: Kin Fund Services poaches secretarial lead from Flutter Alternative investment fund manager and fund administrator Kin Fund Services, part of Kin Group, has poached Deirdre Quinn from FTSE 100’s Flutter Entertainment, City A.M. can reveal. [...]