Norma Harris

Burnout Is Back: Why Record Pay Isn’t Stopping BigLaw’s Associate Retention Crisis in 2026

Featured, Lawyers, US Law / April 20, 2026

BigLaw associates are earning more than ever yet they’re leaving faster than firms can replace them. Despite an 8.2% average compensation increase across U.S. law firms in 2025, associate attrition rates remain stubbornly high and, in some metrics, are climbing.

The human and financial toll is mounting, and the structural drivers in law firms go far deeper than salary. We took at look at some of the recent stats and surveys to identify whast is happening acccording to the people who should know these things.

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Billionaire Balks at $35M Legal Bill After Partner Claims 19-Hour Workday

Featured, Law Firms / April 11, 2026

London High Court orders full assessment of WilmerHale invoices after judge flags “charges so high as to raise concern”

A Brazilian billionaire is pushing back on a jaw-dropping $35 million legal bill from BigLaw heavyweight WilmerHale and one eye-popping detail has caught the court’s attention: a partner who logged more than 19 hours in a single day.
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Legal AI – JustFund: From Divorce Funding Pioneer to Estate Law Disruptor

Australia Law News, Lawpreneur, New Zealand Law News / April 9, 2026

JustFund is an Australian legal finance startup that has rapidly evolved from a niche divorce funding provider into a dual-purpose lender targeting both family law and estate administration. Founded in 2022 by Sydney lawyers Jack O’Donnell and Andy O’Connor alongside fintech entrepreneur Craig Carroll, (pictured) the company has positioned itself as Australia’s first and only dedicated provider of legal funding for both family law and estate matters. As we reported last year, the company has also expanded to the New Zealand legal market.
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The New Chapter for Mallesons And Why the Australian Firm Chose Independence After 14 Years with KWM

Australia Law News, Featured, Law Firms / March 31, 2026

Today, 31 March 2026, marks the official launch of Mallesons as a fully independent, top-tier Australian law firm operating in Australia and Singapore, effectively unwinding the 14-year Swiss verein partnership with China’s King & Wood that created King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) in March 2012. The split was first announced on 9 December 2025 (KWM

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Knights Confirms Talks to Acquire Law Firm in Move That Could Forge £200m UK National Firm

Featured, LawPreneur, Lawyers, UK Law / March 27, 2026

In the latest sign of relentless consolidation among UK regional law firms, AIM-listed Knights Group Holdings PLC has confirmed it is in advanced discussions to acquire South East heavyweight Moore Barlow LLP — a deal that, if completed, would create one of the largest independent national platforms outside the City with combined revenues approaching £200m.
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Why Baker McKenzie’s Major Job Cuts Send Shivvers Down Lawyers’ Spines

Featured, Law Firm Management, Law Firms, US Law / March 24, 2026

The job cuts that sent 700 Baker McKenzie employees home in February has sent major ripples around law firms everywhere.

The cuts, affecting less than 10% of Baker McKenzie’s total support workforce, touched nearly every non-lawyer function across every office. This is the kind of story that makes managing partners and chief operating officers sit up straight, because it’s not about associate headcount or NQ retention. It’s about the infrastructure that keeps a modern firm running.
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The Private Equity Lawyer Who Will Run Weil Gotshal

Big Law, Headlining, LawStars / March 18, 2026

When Weil, Gotshal & Manges announced last week that Ramona Y. Nee will succeed Barry Wolf as Executive Partner from January 2027, the news landed with the quiet inevitability of a deal that everyone saw coming.

Wolf, who has steered the firm for 16 years, called her “uniquely suited.” He was not exaggerating. For nearly a quarter-century Nee has been the quiet engine of Weil’s U.S. private equity practice and the beating heart of its Boston office. Now the firm is handing her the keys.

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Big Law, Featured, UK Law / March 14, 2026

Willkie Pushes London NQ Salaries to £180,000 as BigLaw Pay War Escalates US law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher has lifted the salaries of its newly qualified lawyers in London to a market-topping £180,000, placing it firmly among the highest-paying firms in the City. The increase represents a £10,000 rise, or just under six percent,

Kathy Ruemmler – The White House Power Lawyer Now at the Centre of Wall Street’s Latest Scandal

Featured, LawStars, US Law / March 10, 2026

If you wanted one lawyer who perfectly captures the Washington-to-Wall-Street revolving door in all its glittering, slightly nauseating glory, Kathy Ruemmler would be exhibit A. And the Epstein connection has emphasized the power and the gory of her fall.

For years she operated in the shadows, the kind of operator who whispers in presidents’ ears one day and bills Fortune 50 clients the next.

Now she’s front-page news, and not the good kind. As Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of Goldman Sachs, Ruemmler just announced she’s stepping down in June 2026 after her past friendship with Jeffrey Epstein turned into the kind of reputational hand grenade that even the best white-collar defence team can’t defuse.

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The UK Law Firm Vanishing Act: Over 1,100 Law Firms Gone in Five Years

Featured, Law Firms, UK Law / March 2, 2026

Norma Harris, LawFuel contributing editor Well, if the UK legal scene were a magic show, the disappearing firms would be the star trick. By the end of 2025, SRA-regulated firms in England and Wales dipped below 9,000—the first time in recent history—down from over 10,000 in 2020, a net loss of more than 1,100. Over

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