Syria crisis: How to defeat Isis in five steps without misleading the public December 6, 2015 While the Prime Minister searches in vain for the 70,000 moderate Syrian troops on the ground he disingenuously promised were just waiting for UK air strikes to begin before they rose up against Isis, I thought we might better occupy our time by actually laying out how the terror state can be strategically defeated. Ironically, [...]
Mayer Brown becomes London’s first law firm to offer earn-as-you-learn September 7, 2015 Law is typically the career path of the most diligent students – but aspiring solicitors can now skip university and law school thanks to the launch of London's first earn-as-you-learn legal apprenticeship. City law firm Mayer Brown has teamed up with the University of Law to offer the “articled apprenticeship", which is aimed at school leavers who [...]
How the traditional world of law is embracing entrepreneurial values July 29, 2015 THE legal profession has always been exactly that – a profession. It has grown within a strict statutory framework, which has been vital for maintaining standards, but it’s perhaps not the easiest environment for flexibility and entrepreneurialism. However, that doesn’t mean law firms can ignore this growing trend. After all, the legal profession vies for [...]
Combined parental leave gets 63pc support from parents or parents-to-be in FTSE 100 firms November 19, 2014 Substantially more parents are in favour of taking shared parental leave than had been previously estimated by the government, according to a report published yesterday by law firm Linklaters. According to the study – based on the answers of 250 parents or parents-to-be working in FTSE 100 firms – 63 per cent would be interested [...]
Employee exodus: The housing crisis is now a dire threat to the future of London’s businesses October 11, 2015 Tomorrow will see a key intervention in the housing debate. Business leaders from across the capital will launch a major campaign called Fifty Thousand Homes. That’s the number of houses we need to build a year to keep up with London’s growing population. Housing costs are becoming a problem for employers as much as [...]
Magic circle firms struggle to keep up with US rivals September 4, 2015 BRITAIN’s elite law firms failed to track the country’s improving economy and reported a combined turnover of £20.64bn, a one per cent drop in earnings from 2014. Figures released by Legal Business magazine today show that the number of lawyers employed by the largest 100 firms in the UK, has also fallen, down two per [...]
Uber faces UK legal action from GMB union over driver employee rights July 29, 2015 The GMB union has launched legal action against Uber over the way it treats drivers. The union claims drivers should be considered employees and has a legal duty to provide them with working rights on pay, holiday, health and safety, and grievances. Uber considers drivers as self-employed "partners". Now GMB has instructed law firm Leigh [...]
Earnings drop at magic circle law firms as they fail to benefit from global M&A boom September 3, 2015 Britain's elite law firms failed to track the country's improving economy, reporting a combined turnover of £20.64bn, a one per cent drop in earnings from 2014. The number of lawyers employed by the largest 100 firms in the UK, has also fallen, down two per cent to 64,024, according to figures published by Legal Business [...]
Buyout gurus make venture charity push July 12, 2015 CVC Capital’s managing partner talks to Michael Bow about his plans for so-called venture philanthropy MENTION the words “business philanthropy” to most cynical people and their eyes will glaze over. The onslaught of charity gala dinners and community initiatives, however well intentioned, can arguably make philanthropic ventures indistinguishable from one another. CVC Capital’s managing partner [...]
Perils of the amateur office lawyer June 15, 2015 If you’re making decisions that have a legal dimension, it pays to ensure you’re informed. Nearly 75 per cent of employees would rather not seek advice from their company lawyers about a serious business decision. The desire for ease and proximity means that turning to the person next to them is far more appealing [...]