The Firm Analyst

Hello everyone! Welcome back to The Firm Analyst. This week, we bring you in-depth analysis on a range of important stories including: the CMA opening a formal investigation into the Three x Vodafone merger, the fourth 'mega transaction' it has put under the microscope recently; BlackRock bets on the infrastructure sector by purchasing Global Infrastructure Partners in the hopes of a boom...

Welcome back to this week's episode, I hope all of your applications are going well! Today we discussed: Labour's plans to take the UK's business offering to a new level as the elections approach; the government's intention to reverse the effects of the recent Supreme Court judgment in the case of PACCAR, which rendered many litigation funding agreements unenforceable; and how cons...

It's already been a very busy start to the year across the globe and The Firm Analyst is no exception. This week we delved into the following topics: Linklaters' raid on Shearman &. Sterling's M&A team in New York, including the lateral hire of one of their Global Heads; how the Post Office's computation of compensation paid to wrongfully accused postmasters may lead to tax...

This episode aimed to address some of the main shifts we have seen in the legal market over the course of the year. Some of the biggest stories covered included: the A&O Shearman merger; major US firm Paul Weiss' entry into the UK market; and how firms have coped with the recent transactional downturn. This marks the last episode of this year! I hope that you have found all of our episodes...

2023 was indeed a mixed bag for ESG. Some reports indicated a reduced return on ESG investments while there have also been significant strides in integrating ESG within a regulatory framework. This was the main focus of this podcast, where we discussed: incoming FCA regulations targeting greenwashing and CMA action regarding the same; COP28 and the UAE setting up a specialised $30 billion ESG fund...

This year has seen some of the most significant M&A transactions, from the merger between Vodafone and Three, to the massive combination of Microsoft and Activision. In that light, we decided to discuss a range of stories spanning across competition, M&A and PE, including: how PE funds are coping with a higher interest rate environment; the CMA investigations into the Microsoft x Activisio...

As crazy as it sounds, this is the final episode of The Firm Analyst this year. I was joined by Waheed Kalungi, a contracts paralegal at UserTesting Inc. and aspiring Trainee Solicitor. Together, we discussed a range of business stories and how they featured throughout the year. As a lot has happened in 2023, we decided to split this massive two-hour long episode into a few parts, releasing one ev...

Welcome to the second last episode of this year! I hope you've enjoyed the podcast this far and thank you immensely for helping us reach more than 1,000 views across all episodes. In this episode, we discussed: how a possible listing of Boots and SHEIN on the LSE could revive hopes in the UK stock markets; the London Metal Exchange facing off with major hedge funds in the Court of Appeal in re...

In this episode of The Firm Analyst, we will be covering a range of exciting new stories including: discussions of a possible merger between KPMG's UK and Swiss arms; the CMA asking market participants to comment on the increasingly close partnership between Open AI and Microsoft; and the Bank of England raising concerns about the vulnerability of the private credit market to an economic downt...

Welcome back to The Firm Analyst! In this episode, we switched things up. We brought on Kevin Poulter, a partner in Freeths' employment team to discuss a range of things, including: Training Contract application and career tips; the recent Supreme Court judgment in IWUGB v CAC where the employment status of Deliveroo riders was discussed; and Sam Altman's termination and reinstatement as O...

Hello everyone! Welcome to this episode of The Firm Analyst where we do a deep dive into what the development of AI means for law firms today, what risks and opportunities it poses and how firms can approach this sector as a whole. In particular, we looked at how law firms manage the risk of AI giving incorrect outputs and the regulatory, insurance and business development considerations that must...

Welcome to the latest episode of The Firm Analyst after a brief pause due to me falling ill. Today we discussed: Kirkland & Ellis making a range of lateral hires in order to rebuild its debt finance team after the departure of a range of partners and associates to Paul Weiss recently; rumours that Britishvolt, the UK battery startup, may be trading while insolvent again; and plans by the FCA t...

Hello network! Welcome to this episode where we discussed:   How an economic slowdown has caused mass redundancies across the Big Four accountancy firms and a range of UK law firms;   PIF’s inaugural Islamic bond issuance and why Islamic finance is becoming increasingly important in the international capital markets; and   M&G (a major global asset manager) closing its £585m UK retail property...

Welcome back everyone! I'm excited to kick off this season of The Firm Analyst. In this episode, we discussed: Travers and K&E losing top ESG partners to Freshfields and Paul Hastings respectively and how ESG talent is becoming increasingly sought after in the legal market; the FCA bringing Cryptocurrencies within the financial promotions regulatory framework and warning against 146 firms...

Welcome back to the podcast! In the last episode of this season we look deeper into the business of law firms in today's markets. Here are some of the main questions we delved into during the podcast: Why do law firms decide to list their shares on a stock market? What are the benefits and challenges associated with a public listing? What firms are currently listed and how have they performed?

Good evening listeners! Welcome back to The Firm Analyst. In this week's episode we discussed: DWF's appointment to Tesco's real estate legal panel, challenging BCLP's ten-year-long run as Tesco's sole provider; how PE firms are using Net Asset Value loans to breathe life into their portfolios given the current economic conditions; and Chelsea's reasons behind raising $500...

Hi listeners! I hope you're excited for the newest episode of The Firm Analyst. In today's episode we discussed: how banks are responding to the rise of private credit; the recent hike in oil prices and how this has sparked fears of further interest rate rises; and the UK government's offshore wind programme failing to attract bidders in its most recent auction. Feel free to share the...

Hi everyone I hope you all enjoyed our very first season of The Firm Analyst and that you are excited for Season 2. Today we will be discussing how interest rates have impacted both the real estate and M&A sectors and how US-China tensions are affecting investors across the globe, including the UK. Thanks for tuning in and see you again next week God willing!

Welcome to our first deep-dive into a commercial awareness topic. In this episode, I discuss: why many UK-based and international firms are interested in the US; a key history of attempted expansions into the US by certain firms; how the 2018—2023 pay war started by US-headquartered firms impacted the UK legal market; and reasons for and reactions to the A&O Shearman merger. Thanks for tuning...

Hi everyone! The third episode of The Firm Analyst is officially out. So far we have nearly reached 100 listens across all episodes, so thank you to everyone for their support so far. In this episode, we discussed: how law firms help businesses raise money creatively when interest rates are high; the recent IPO slump hitting Europe and high-growth companies favouring listing in the USA; and Paul W...

Welcome to this week's episode where we will be focusing on a range of topics, namely: Dentons splitting from its China arm (1:52); AG's reported 18% turnover growth (12:32); Wilko's recent appointment of administrators (25:42); and how higher interest rates are affecting the securitisation market (39:03). This podcast will be a bit longer than expected due to the depth covered in each...

Welcome to the first episode of The Firm Analyst! In this episode I discuss the recent PACCAR & Ors v CAT & Ors case and its effects on the litigation funding industry. We will also take a deep dive into some of the incoming flexible working reforms, Simpson Thacher's lateral hiring strategy and the recent BoE interest rate hike. I hope that you enjoy this episode and that this podcast...