July
It turns out Quadrant isn’t quite done with employment group APM
The private equity giant will take a stake alongside Madison Dearborn Capital Partners, if the Chicago-based buyout group acquires the ASX-listed company.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Ex-Allens lawyer sets up Australia’s first prison newspaper
The first edition of About Time was delivered to correctional facilities in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT this month.
- Maxim Shanahan
Rapid growth puts pressure on law partnership structures
Almost two-thirds of new legal partners are now on a part-salary arrangement as rapid growth puts pressure on equity allocations.
- Maxim Shanahan
ASX rallies 1pc; Pressure builds on Biden; Get-rich tricks
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
More law firms hit gender targets as partnership gap narrows
A record number of law firms now have more than 40 per cent female partnerships, but part-owner gender ratios contrast sharply with the engine room.
- Maxim Shanahan
June
Top 50 law firms add a record 806 new senior associates
Law firms have promoted a record number of senior associates, as demand for work remains high and staff turnover is slowing.
- Maxim Shanahan
Energy transition lights a rocket under law firms
Law firms are streaking ahead of the broader economy, adding partners as deals return and the energy transition offers decades of lucrative work.
- Maxim Shanahan
- Exclusive
- AI
Aussie brothers’ AI firm worth $120m as big name backers invest
Melbourne-based Affinda has built AI-based software used by numerous big companies around the world, it has doubled its valuation in 18 months with well-known investors.
- Paul Smith
Challenger firms increase pay in fight for top-tier legal talent
Clients, social positions and work-life balance are among the factors in-demand graduates are looking for in a firm – but high rates of pay don’t hurt.
- Maxim Shanahan
Top law firms question AI’s usefulness
The technology, which has been touted as a revolution in legal practice, will streamline basic tasks but is likely to have limited impact on core legal work.
- Maxim Shanahan
May
Allens to be king of the hill in Sydney’s new legal district
Allens and four other law firms are set to move into the revamped AMP building at Circular Quay as a new legal district in Sydney develops towards the harbour.
- Maxim Shanahan and Campbell Kwan
Law graduates are about to crack a salary record
Top-tier graduates will earn more than $100,000 this year – in Sydney only – but law firms remain tight-lipped on pay rates despite moves towards transparency elsewhere.
- Maxim Shanahan
April
Energy focus as Ashurst, Allens, Freehills appoint new partners
Energy and environment lawyers have led promotions at top-tier firms, as the legal industry targets the energy transition as the next big source of billings.
- Maxim Shanahan
‘Get the job done’: One in two lawyers use AI
In-house lawyers were adopting the tools more quickly than their law firm counterparts, research has found.
- Euan Black
Progress on free trade deal for foreign lawyers
Australia and the UK have taken the first steps toward a free trade agreement for lawyers that will relax strict rules around the admission of foreign lawyers.
- Michael Pelly
March
Vale Charles Williams, corporate poacher turned gatekeeper
The influential regulator was born, raised and worked in the heart of the Melbourne business establishment but became a key oversight figure.
- Andrew Clark
Private capital dominance to increase even if IPOs restart: investors
Initial public offerings will pick up in the next 18 months but many companies will still prefer the “patient” capital provided by super and private equity, investors say.
- Hannah Wootton
February
Why Corrs CEO Gavin MacLaren has a target on his back
Gavin MacLaren has become the best-known law firm leader in the land. And that’s not a good thing.
- Michael Pelly
How to get a job at a top-tier law firm
Mere legal ability is no longer enough to secure a prized top-tier clerkship. Firms are looking for excellence in all aspects of life. Here’s our guide.
- Maxim Shanahan
Corrs lags top law firms on gender pay gap
Firms with a higher proportion of women partners tended to have a smaller median pay gap among staff, new data from WGEA shows.
- Maxim Shanahan