More summer rises Baker McKenzie has become the latest City law firm to match Magic Circle pay levels, increasing newly qualified (NQ) solicitor salaries in London from £145,000 to £150,000. The 3.4% uplift took effect from the beginning of July…
Family connection unknown Linklaters has defended its approach to trainee recruitment after it emerged that the child of a member of the firm’s senior leadership team secured a training contract with the Magic Circle giant, with no one realising the…
Support roles Gateley has become the latest law firm to confirm job cuts, after its share price took a near-50% tumble over the past six months. The firm has entered a “formal consultation process regarding proposed changes”, with redundancies on…
The top legal affairs news stories from this morning and the weekend AI should have senior lawyers sharpening their hunting spears [Financial Times] (£) Thames Water lenders plot legal fight with Burnham over nationalisation [Sky News] Boohoo hit by new…
Transatlantic firm goes into fully-remote mode The newly merged Hogan Lovells Cadwalader has been forced to ask its London lawyers to work from home for a fortnight after their air conditioning systems packed in this week. The upside? Not having…
Ex-Hogan Lovells and Linklaters lawyers slam the SQE Ex Hogan Lovells solicitor James Richardson and former Linklaters solicitor Helen Pamely Two former City lawyers have teamed up to demand an overhaul of the Solicitors Qualifying Exam (SQE). James Richardson and…
Profits return to pre-merger levels A&O Shearman partners are taking home an average of ($2.9 million) £2.2 million despite broadly flat revenue, as profits return to pre-merger levels. In its second full year since being created through the 2024 merger…
£34 million extra funding The government has set out how it plans to spend up to £34 million a year on legal aid for the criminal bar, with the money going towards higher fees for the barristers who prosecute and…
New policy The University of Chicago has introduced a policy banning its incoming law students from using laptops and smartphones during lectures in a bid to limit AI dependency. The new policy will come into effect at the beginning of…
Joins Chelsea Akif Rahman and Xabi Alonso A departing Magic Circle lawyer has found a rather creative way to announce his departure from the firm, recreating a viral post made by former Spanish footballer Xabi Alonso. Sharing the image on…