African firm Bowmans announced today (3 October) that it has hired all the lawyers from A&O Shearman’s shuttered Johannesburg office, including eight partners and a further six lawyers who are set to join as partners. The moves include Johannesburg office managing partner Gerhard Rudolph and partners Deborah Carmichael, Ze’ev Blieden, Alexandra Clüver, Ryan Nelson, Callum O’Connor, … The post A&O Shearman Johannesburg team heads for Bowmans after office closure appeared first on Legal Business ..read more

Almost 1,200 law firms have secured spots in the new Legal 500 UK rankings, which have been revealed today after months of research into the legal markets up and down the country. The rankings, which are based on extensive analysis of the legal markets across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, have been put together based … The post Pinsents, CC and HSF among big winners as new Legal 500 UK rankings are revealed appeared first on Legal Business ..read more

In their first interview since leaving Latham & Watkins, Jayanthi Sadanandan and Sam Hamilton discuss their new roles as global co-heads of Sidley Austin’s leveraged finance practice ‘Sidley wants to provide a best-in-class financial sponsor legal service – Sam and I have built out a practice before and we know how to do this,’ says Sadanandan … The post ‘We have a remit to build’ – ex-Latham team open up on Sidley’s bold City lev-fin play appeared first on Legal Business ..read more

Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF) has today (24 September) formalised its leadership structure, with interim global managing partners Jeff Cody and Peter Scott to head a global management committee to coordinate regional leadership. Under the new structure, US managing partner Cody and Europe, Middle East and Asia (EMEA) managing partner Scott will formally lead the firm, … The post NRF to incentivise cross-border work with formalised global management committee appeared first on Legal Business ..read more

Freeths has revealed its results for the 2023-24 financial year, with double-digit increases to both revenue and PEP. The firm reported a 13% increase in revenue to £145.5m, with an average growth rate of more than 10% over the last five years. PEP, meanwhile, hit £691k – up over 10% on last year’s £626k. ‘Last year was … The post ‘Ready to set the stage’: Freeths posts 13% revenue growth in 2023-24 financials appeared first on Legal Business ..read more

Freeths, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Vodafone were among the big winners at this year’s Legal Business Awards, which were revealed last night to a packed house at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. Twenty-seven prizes were handed out on the night, with the event hosted by BBC journalist, broadcaster and Mastermind host Clive Myrie and introduced by global … The post Freeths, Freshfields and Vodafone take top prizes at Legal Business Awards appeared first on Legal Business ..read more

McDermott Will & Emery is pushing forward with ambitious plans to prioritise its ‘power alley’ transactional practices in London, following the departure of its last remaining private client partners in London. The firm has been one of the last major US players in London with a private client practice, but following the recent departures of … The post McDermott sets sights on big-hitters in London as private client team moves on appeared first on Legal Business ..read more

The Legal Business Commercial Litigation Summit 2024 saw barristers, solicitors, in-house counsel and other professionals in the disputes sector come together to discuss the key issues in today’s commercial litigation market – and how to stay ahead of the game. The event, which was held at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster, got … The post ‘It’s not always about winning and losing, it’s about preserving relationships’ – the Commercial Litigation Summit 2024 appeared first on Legal Business ..read more

A&O Shearman is set to cut 10% of its partnership, close its South Africa office and end its consulting business, in the firm’s first major reorganisation since it completed its merger this May. The news was announced today after the completion of what the firm described as ‘a broad strategic review’, which has ‘identified areas … The post A&O Shearman to cut partnership by 10% and close Johannesburg base in post-merger shake-up appeared first on Legal Business ..read more

Samantha McGonigle – General counsel, Hg Year of qualification: 2003 Hogan Lovells, 2001-06 Weil, Gotshal & Manges, 2006-19 Fairview Equity Partners, 2019-24 Paul Hastings, 2023-24 Hg, 2024-present What do you most enjoy about working in PE? Private equity is incredibly diverse and dynamic. Even within a very specialist firm like Hg, which focuses only on … The post ‘Co-founding an investment firm was the single biggest learning curve of my career’ Hg Capital GC Samantha McGonigle on non-linear careers and building relationships and businesses appeared first on Legal Business ..read more