The Lawyer Podcast

The wait is finally over. In just under a week, the transformational merger between Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling will go live.But while the deal is done, the job is only just beginning. So on this episode of The Lawyer Podcast, Catrin and Christian look at how the merger will play out in the next week, the next year and beyond?They are joined by director of insight

The Lawyer's Christian Smith, Catrin Griffiths, Richard Simmons, Katy Dowell and Charlotte Lear are joined by College of Legal Practice CEO Giles Proctor for this emergency episode of The Lawyer Podcast as they discuss the latest Solicitors Qualification Exam debacle: marking errors that led to 175 students being incorrectly told they had failed.What went wrong, who's to

Regional offices have long been critical to some of the UK’s biggest law firms.The essential components of today’s DLA Piper came from across the country, legacy Eversheds was formed of four firms from outside London, and Pinsent Masons was a Birmingham and Leeds outfit before it opened in London.But in recent years, some of those firms’ regional offerings have started to loo

Grabbing the attention of aspiring solicitors and spectators alike, criticism of the Solicitors Qualifying Examination has torn through the media over the weeks following the most recent set of results.From City firms dropping training contracts from offer holders after failing on their first attempt, to questions over whether the exams really equip candidates for life as a newly-q

Law firms leaders love saying they don’t want growth for growth’s sake, but the truth is, without any growth at all they soon find themselves floundering.So as the financial year draws to a close, litigation editor Christian Smith and deputy editor Rich Simmons are joined by head of insight Matt Byrne, Horizon editor Katy Dowell and international editor Alex Taylor to look at w

The new episode of The Lawyer Podcast is out now.Last week The Lawyer reported that claimant firm Pogust Goodhead could pay its newly qualified associates up to £2m (if it wins its cases), making them by far and away the highest paid in the country.Yet although Pogust Goodhead is offering more money than anyone else, the move is also a sign of what is an exciting and diverse marke

London has become the biggest referral market in the world - and the Brits are nowhereThe rise and rise of American firms in London’s private equity market – and the challenge that has presented to UK firms - has been well documented, particularly here at The Lawyer. But their increasing dominance is now also threatening UK firms across Europe, as European relationships in Lond

Linklaters seemingly started the year strongly with a six partner hire from Shearman & Sterling in New York.So why then has it come in for so much negative attention?From an absent US strategy to a stream of senior partner losses, many in the market now believe Linklaters is losing its sparkle.On this episode, Catrin and Christian are joined by director of insight Matt Byrne an

The Lawyer Podcast is back for 2024 and we’re kicking things off by delving into the lessons the legal profession can glean from the Post Office scandal.The Post Office scandal has already become one of the biggest stories of the year and few groups are so closely tied to it as the legal profession.With that in mind, editor Catrin Griffiths and litigation editor Christian Smith a

Every law firm and his dog seems to be moving into a green office at the moment, but how important is that really when it comes to a law firm's impact on the environment?Well with COP28 well underway in Dubai, for the last episode of The Lawyer Podcast for 2023, we dive into one of the great challenges for this generation of lawyers: how can firms manage their relationship wit