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Partnership

This Month

Hogan Lovells finance partner Bryan Paisley.

Robin Khuda’s go-to finance lawyer finds a home at Baker McKenzie

Street Talk understands banking and finance partner Bryan Paisley has returned to the top-tier firm he left five years ago. 

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport

EY sues five partners who left for Alvarez & Marsal

The civil action comes as EY’s leadership asks at least eight partners to leave as part of a cost-cutting exercise.

  • Edmund Tadros
Clyde & Co and GilChrist Connell.

Wave of partner exits unsettles Clyde & Co amid turnaround struggles

The London-headquartered law firm’s entire local cybersecurity practice is leaving, taking to one-third the number of senior departures over the last 12 months.

  • Maxim Shanahan

November

SLater & Gordon will head to conciliation as it negotiates with the Australian Services Union over a new pay deal.

Union slams ‘shameful’ Slater & Gordon offer after pay talks fail

Slater & Gordon has put a pay deal direct to staff, after Fair Work-brokered negotiations failed on Wednesday.

  • Maxim Shanahan

Pro bono laggards rewarded as major law firms cut free hours

Law firms were warned that failure to meet a target for pro bono hours would endanger government assignments, but laggards have been rewarded.

  • Maxim Shanahan
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Baker McKenzie’s local managing partner, Anne-Marie Allgrove.

Baker McKenzie abandons merger plan after second defeat

The vote failed by a greater margin than the initial ballot and upends management’s strategy for the local division of the global firm.

  • Maxim Shanahan
US President-elect Donald Trump.

‘Happy days’: Trump presidency poised to benefit Australian law firms

They predict a rise in bills following Donald Trump’s election victory, as his administration pledges to cut regulations and tear up trade deals.

  • Maxim Shanahan
Baker McKenzie’s local managing partner, Anne-Marie Allgrove.

Baker McKenzie partners reject overhaul plans

The firm had hoped to integrate the Australian operations into the broader Asian division in a bid to combat partner exits and financial instability.

  • Maxim Shanahan
Insurance sector head Matthew Curll and eight partners will join UK firm DWF.

Nine partners jump ship from national law firm Hall & Wilcox

Private equity-backed UK firm DWF has raided Hall & Wilcox’s insurance group, adding to a period of instability in the niche practice area.

  • Maxim Shanahan
Herbert Smith Freehills’ global chair Rebecca Maslen-Stannage said the firm had been focused on finding a partner for the last few years.

What does the Freehills merger mean for lawyers?

Herbert Smith Freehills’ UK lawyers will be celebrating the announcement of its US merger plans, but the benefits for Australian partners are less obvious.

  • Maxim Shanahan
Amber Matthews - Managing Partner, and Shane Bilardi - Head of Corporate Australia and Managing Partner Elect at DLA Piper.

US firms to reshape market: new DLA Piper head

Corporate partner Shane Bilardi will take over from Amber Matthews as DLA Piper’s local managing partner early next year.

  • Maxim Shanahan
Herbert Smith Freehills’ local chief executive, Kristin Stammer, says the merger will allow the firm access to global talent and deals.

Herbert Smith Freehills proposes merger with US firm

The top-tier firm’s last big change was when it merged with London’s Herbert Smith in 2012. Its rivals are also looking for American partners amid intense competition.

  • Maxim Shanahan

October

Why the $5m lawyer is no longer a rarity at top Aussie firms

Top law firms are forking out more than $5 million a year to poach or protect big-billing market leaders from rivals, amid intense industry competition.

  • Maxim Shanahan
Quadrant Private Equity executive chairman Chris Hadley.

Quadrant PE set to acquire stake in property valuer HTW

Quadrant has secured exclusivity with HTW owners in a bilateral deal that is slated to close within weeks.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport

Holding Redlich moves to capitalise on government legal shake-up

The firm says a renewed focus on public sector work will push it towards growth and let it take advantage of procurement priorities.

  • Maxim Shanahan
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The lawyers, who are not qualified to practice independently, have benefited from US firms’ aggressive expansion into the UK.

Student lawyers without practising certificates to earn $136k

US law firm Davis Polk will pay their UK trainee lawyers, who are yet to qualify as solicitors, at least $135,000.

  • Adam Mawardi

MinterEllison nabs KWM’s former disputes head

Litigator Peter Pether says “the calibre and structure” of Minter’s partnership enticed him to leave KWM.

  • Updated
  • Maxim Shanahan

September

Matthew McMillan, Partner at Lander + Rogers.

‘Gold rush mentality’: Lawyers pile into AI advice

Lawyers are taking advantage of uncertainty around the legal implications of artificial intelligence use to build out new practices in the area.

  • Maxim Shanahan
KWM chief executive partner Renae Lattey said the changes were necessary to attract and retain top talent.

KWM changes partner pay to reward the biggest billers

KWM’s top-performing partners will be able to take home a greater share of the firm’s profits, after “moderate” changes to remuneration structure were approved by partners.

  • Maxim Shanahan
The demands placed on lawyers have been in focus after the death of a partner last year.

Law firms urged to track employees’ sleeping patterns

British firms have been urged to track the mental health and wellbeing of employees, as the legal profession confronts its often toxic work culture.

  • Adam Mawardi

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/professional-services-partnership-1mqu