Counsel Culture: The Business of Law Podcast

This week’s episode of Counsel Culture is brought to you all the way from Paris, as a week of knowledge sharing and networking at the IBA draws to a close.  Joining Meg this week is Mark Stephens CBE, Founder of and Partner at Howard Kennedy and Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute.  They discuss Mark’s IBA experience so far, his work in decriminalising homosexual...

This week, Meg is joined by Account Director Liam McCafferty to discuss the lawyers doing the longest hours, Mid-market M&A, the Bar Standards Board's proposed disclosure of chambers rankings to implement further regulatory changes and whether legal directories are still worth the effort. Thank you for listening.

This week Meg is joined by Joint Managing Director Ben Girdlestone to discuss the A&O Shearman merger, KPMG's legal arm reaching £100 million in revenues, how Inflation and increased overhead expenses, combined with a decrease in billable hours, is causing concerns for law firms and the $69 billion Microsoft takeover of Activision. Thank you for listening.

In today's episode, Meg and Ben discuss the latest from party conference season and expected impacts on the legal industry, an increase in the number of lawyers calling a mental health hotline, firms wrestling with return to offices, Clifford Chance's project advising UK rappers on their legal contracts alongside Urban Lawyers, and GSK settling four lawsuits at once in the US. Thank you...

This week Meg is joined by Joint Managing Director Michael Evans to discuss the Axiom Ince closure, the Bar Standards Board’s new social media guidelines for barristers and the SDT’s findings in the Oliver Bretherton case. They further talk about whether law firm leaders should voice their political opinions, the Maria Rooney menopause case returning to the Employment Tribunal and Lewis Silkin’s k...

 This week, Meg is joined by James Booth, Professional Services Reporter at Financial News. They discuss the Kirkland & Ellis departures to Paul Weiss in London, KPMG halving pay for its US partners on gardening leave and Goldman Sachs announcing job cuts for underperforming staff in the US, and how we could see this bleeding into Big Law.  Thank you for listening.

 This week Meg is joined by Joint Managing Director Michael to discuss the recent departures from Kirkland & Ellis, ongoing developments at Axiom Ince and the news that Schillings is opening a PR arm. They also look ahead to what's coming up this quarter including the A&O and Shearman merger and what transactional practices should expect for the end of the year.  Thank you for listeni...

In this week’s episode, Meg is joined by Eric Staal, Vice President, Global Markets at Lex Mundi, the world's leading network of independent law firms. They discuss the consequences of AI adoption by in-house teams, the ESG considerations that are keeping GCs up at night and how the billable hour is affecting relationships between in-house and private practice, all in the context of a new “re...

As our regular host Meg has taken a well-deserved break and with summer drawing to a close, we have taken a different approach to this week's episode. Joint Managing Director Ben Girdlestone and Senior Account Executive Hattie Lunt have stepped in to discuss the three big themes for Autumn - hybrid working, the A&O and Shearman Merger and the consequences of Freshfields deciding not to re...

This week, Byfield Joint-Managing Director Michael Evans and Meg discuss Dentons' separation from Dacheng, the firm's Chinese arm, as well as the latest clarifications from Freshfields on the decision not to release their financials. They also discuss the ongoing Government campaign against immigration lawyers and the latest working from home arrangements in Big Law. Thank you for listen...

This week, Byfield Joint Managing Director Michael Evans joins Meg to discuss the SRA cracking down on anti-money laundering failures and on firms falsifying asylum and human rights claims. They also discuss the implication of the latest Supreme Court judgment on litigation funding, whether the legal industry will adopt workcations and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's decision to no longer sh...

Ben joins Meg this week to discuss expected lawyer salary slumps, tattoos in the workplace, Slaughter & May's new social mobility initiative, Osborne Clarke's return to office policy, and Law.com's inaugural UK Top 30 firms by revenue ranking. Counsel Culture is now moving to publication on Wednesdays, but listeners are more than welcome to provide any feedback!  Thank you for l...

This week, Michael Evans is back to discuss the early days of financials season for UK firms, the new SFO appointment, law firms' AI and cybersecurity woes, the awful story about Hong Kong putting a bounty on pro-democracy lawyers, and former Herbert Smith Freehills Chair and Senior Partner James Palmer's piece on needing policy and regulatory decisions to take into account long-term rat...

King & Spalding Associate Rosie Watterson joined Meg this week to discuss how law firms and the wider legal industry can better embrace their lawyers and staff with a disability, chronic and/or mental illness and why it matters for firms to ensure they are seen and heard. Thank you for listening.

This week, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Partner and PRIME Executive Chair Elizabeth Robertson joins Meg to discuss social mobility in the legal industry. They discuss Elizabeth's own journey into law, and best practice for firms to ensure they help improve access to the profession, and retain talent. They also discuss white collar crime trends to expect as the FCA's joint Exe...

This week, Byfield Founder Gus Sellitto joins Meg to discuss the impact of investigative journalism on the reputation of companies following the FT's latest expose into Odey Asset Management, the parallels between the latest partygate revelations and last week's arraignment of Donald Trump, and the proposal to give judges powers to dismiss some SLAPPs. Thank you for listening.

Rose Walker, Editor at Bloomberg Tax, joins Meg to talk about successful strategies for a merger announcement, following the A&O Shearman news a few weeks ago. We talk about the importance of getting the choreography right for different stakeholders - as well as what to lookout for next in terms of remuneration, people issues and financial integration. Thank you for listening.

As our regular host Meg takes a well-deserved break, Account Director Liam McCafferty steps in to discuss the top legal stories of the week with Joint Managing Director Ben Girdlestone. They cover topics such as the A&O and Shearman merger, The Lawyer's US 50 2023 report, news that a city firm has been instructed to handle the CBI affair and the possible future implications of the rising...

This week, Bob Nightingale MBE, Founder of the London Legal Support Trust, joins Meg to discuss the Legal Walk 2023 taking place in June, access to justice, and the appointment of Alex Chalk as Lord Chancellor.   If you wish to participate in this year's Legal Walk, please visit the LLST's website: https://londonlegalsupporttrust.org.uk/   If you wish to donate to Byfield for the Legal W...

This week, CMS' Head of International Arbitration and London International Disputes Week Co-Chair Richard Bamforth joins Meg and Michael to discuss what to expect at the LIDW starting next Monday, and how London as a disputes centre is faring post-pandemic, and amid economic downturn and the war in Ukraine. Michael and Meg then discuss a survey featured in the Financial Times' Full Discl...

This week, Harneys' Global Managing Partner William Peake joins Meg to discuss the inclusion of AI into lawyers' day-to-day jobs, compliance experts warning junior lawyers who communicate with clients via Whatsapp and social media, NQ salary increase At Linklaters and Allen & Overy, as well as the Legal Services Board opening a call for evidence on the role that lawyers' conduct...

In today's episode Meg is joined by Justice Robin Knowles CBE, judge in the High Court and Chair of the National Pro Bono Centre, and Mary Dobson-Smith, Executive Lead for the National Pro Bono Centre. They discuss the new Lord Chancellor and what challenges he'll face regarding tackling access to justice, the 10-year anniversary of the Legal Aid Sentencing & Punishment of Offenders...

This week, Meg and Ben discuss the messaging and the implications of UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab's resignation on UK regulators and their efforts in cracking down on bad behavior. They then analyse the AmLaw 100 results, discuss the future of Private Equity practices and the latest Law Society guidance on climate change. They end up talking about the AI-produced Oasis album which made t...

Byfield founder Gus Sellitto and Associate Director Beth Durkin join Meg this week to discuss some of the week's biggest stories: Kirkland & Ellis' latest financials, the future of law firm listings following Ince's announcement that it is going into administration, junior lawyers' wellbeing in light of the Paul Hastings viral mishap, and how firms can help women to manage...

This week, Joshua Bates, Associate at O'Connors, joins Meg to discuss law firms cancelling their PII covers, anti money-laundering compliance and cyber security challenges they are facing and how to respond to them, the lack of regulatory scrutiny on law firm use of cryptocurrency as a payment method and artificial intelligence. Thank you for listening.