Career development
As founder and senior partner at Al Tamimi & Company, the largest law firm in the Middle East, Essam Al Tamimi had played a prominent role in the Arabic-speaking legal scene for the past three decades. In 2016, he turned his attention to the lack of opportunities for younger lawyers emerging from the Arab League …
Continue reading “The future of Arab law: The Arab Lawyers Forum 2020 – London”
Marketing
With a number of high-profile investigations linked to excessive drinking, legal sector crisis PR specialist Gus Sellitto of Byfield Consultancy asks if it is time for law firms to sober up
In my experience, there has never such an acute awareness among law firms of the reputational damage they and their people can suffer as a result of inappropriate workplace behaviours. The latest potential threat that law firms are having to grapple with is the excessive drinking culture associated with the business of doing law and …
Continue reading “Does reputation risk mean calling time on law firm drinking?”
The Bar
Mary Dobson, former joint COO and head of fundraising and comms at Advocate, the Bar’s national pro bono charity, says those providing free legal advice should be more vocal about what they are doing
It is a truth universally acknowledged that all barristers do pro bono. Or is it? Despite the wide variety of interesting and deserving cases, the opportunity for practice development and the fact that, unlike when doing paid work, a barrister gets to choose which cases they take on, the number of barristers undertaking work through …
Interview with...
The managing partner of DLA Piper in Germany talks about his firm’s recent growth, the competition for talent, and looking out for the next big trend
Dr Parameswaran, you joined the firm almost a decade ago and have been managing partner for six years. In your opinion, what’s changed most within that time? Having started as a greenfield operation in Germany only 15 years ago without building on a legacy firm, we are now very well established in the German legal …
The Legal 500 view
Ben Wheway looks at the firms that secured the most new rankings and moves up last year
With the submissions deadline for the next Legal 500 UK guide fast approaching, and with lawyers and BD professionals across the country busy crafting their case for a move up the rankings, it seems as good a time as any to look back at the firms that were most successful last time around. Almost 400 …
Continue reading “The UK Legal 500 2020 – which law firms made the best impression?”
Interview with...
The managing partner of Gide Loyrette Nouel talks about the importance of collaborative partners, establishing an Innovation Commission, and investing in your top talent
How would you define your firm’s culture? Gide has always been a pioneer on the market: for instance, we were the first French firm to set up in Brussels in 1967. Agility is also part of our culture; we have always adapted to our client’s needs with our unique platform of diverse practices and specialties. …
Continue reading “Stéphane Puel: The ties that bind a partnership”
Interview with...
Helen Donegan, US editor (content) at The Legal 500 speaks with Baker McKenzie’s US managing partners about their new appointments since July 2019, plans for their offices, and how these fit with client needs and existing managing partner responsibilities
Can you provide a brief overview of the office(s) you manage? Bobby Albaral: I was appointed managing partner of the firm’s Dallas office in 2017, then in July 2019 – as we combined the Dallas and Houston offices into one collaborative Texas team – I was appointed the Texas office managing partner. Baker McKenzie has …
Interview with...
Candey’s managing partner talks about the culture of a disputes-only firm, the challenges and opportunities facing litigation boutiques, robot armies, and why it’s important for a leader to retain their humanity and humour
For readers who don’t know you or Candey well, please provide us with a brief history of you and your firm. Founded in 2009, we have grown into an international litigation boutique of 25 fee earners. We are a mix of solicitors and barristers undertaking large scale multi-million pound global and cross-border litigation with a …
Continue reading “Ashkhan Candey: It’s like being at a zoo but only hanging out with the gorillas”
Paralegals are not going away, so why not make use of them, argues Amanda Hamilton, CEO of the National Association of Licenced Paralegals
For a top legal firm, productivity and profitability are probably the two main concerns for the business. All the more reason to consider the value of paralegals and what they can do for you. Paralegals are emergent as the go-to profession for the assistance they can give to consumers, but the value that the paralegal …