Sonia Hickey

Sonia Hickey is a freelance writer, magazine journalist, and owner of 'Woman with Words'. She has a strong interest in social justice and is a member of the Sydney Criminal Lawyers® content team. Sonia is the winner of the Mondaq Thought Leadership Awards, Spring 2022.

Legal Market Analysis – BigLaw’s Lateral Frenzy Is Reshaping the Market

Big Law, Headlining, US Law /
biglaw talent

The Perkins Coie exodus in Seattle signals a permanent shift in the lateral hiring labor market that is changing the way top law firms operate. Lateral hiring is no longer just a tactic but an entire business model.

When Perkins Coie lost lawyers to the announcement new offices for Morrison Foerster and McGuireWoods. It was in fact a signal of something structural.

The departures came as Perkins Coie prepares for its merger with Ashurst, a combination that will create a global platform of roughly 3,000 lawyers. The timing reveals a pattern that now defines elite legal practice: mergers create opportunity, but they also create instability. And instability is oxygen for competitors.

What we are witnessing is not a phase. It is the emergence of lateral acquisition as BigLaw’s dominant growth strategy.

The New Economics: Why Firms Are Buying Revenue

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Clooneys Team Up with Legal Heavyweight Quinn Emanuel To Don the Cape for Global Justice

Headlining, Law Firms, LawStars /
Amal Clooney - Image: CNN

In a world where celebrity philanthropy often feels like a scripted sequel, the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) – that noble venture launched in 2016 by Amal Clooney, the hard-wired international barrister from Doughty Street Chambers, and her silver-screen spouse George – has rolled out its Justice Champion Program with all the flair of a premiere.

Snagging litigation titan Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan as the inaugural partner, this initiative promises a pro bono powerhouse to shield at-risk women from discrimination and violence, while springing journalists from unjust detention for daring to ink the truth.

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BigLaw vs In-House Counsel Salaries 2026: The $75K Gap Driving Legal Talent Crisis

Big Law, Career Advice, Law Job News, Lawyers, US Law /
inhouse recruitment 2026 - lawfuel

Let’s cut the corporate speak: your legal department is bleeding talent, and pretending it’s just about billable hours versus work-life balance isn’t going to stop the hemorrhage.

Here’s what’s really happening in Q1 2026; and if you’re a General Counsel, CLO, or corporate counsel, you need to pay attention because the landscape just shifted beneath your Italian loafers.

LawFuel took a look at recruitment strategies for in-house counsel and what recruiters and corporates can do to attract in-house legal talent in the face of BigLaw’s big money advantage.

What Is the Current Salary Gap Between BigLaw and In-House Counsel?

First-year BigLaw associates are now pulling in $240,000. Read that again. First. Year. Meanwhile, your mid-level in-house counsel with five years of actual business experience, the one who just negotiated that complex vendor agreement and actually understands your company’s risk tolerance, is making $175,000. Maybe $185,000 if they negotiated hard.
Log in to read . . .

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Ex‑Sidley Chair Bets Big on AI‑Native Law Firm Norm Law

Law Firms, LawPreneur, Legal AI /

Sidley Austin’s former executive committee chair Mike Schmidtberger is trading Big Law leadership for an AI‑first experiment, stepping in as chairman and funds/regulatory head at two‑month‑old Norm Law LLP, an “AI‑native” firm built around legal agents rather than billable hours. This is a live test of whether a partner who doubled Sidley’s revenue can now

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Managing Cash Flow in Small Law Firms During Slow Billing Cycles

Law Firm Management, Power Briefs, Sponsored Post /
money men in law and legal billing software

Many small law firms are not profitable, even when the numbers say otherwise. Work moves forward, cases stay active, and invoices are issued. Still, companies monitor the bank balance and worry about covering basic expenses. The reason is simple: money does not arrive immediately when the work is completed. Clients rarely pay at the time

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The Largest Law Firms in New York 2026: Latest Rankings & Market Analysis

Best Firms, Headlining, Power Briefs, Press Releases /
new york law firms survey - largest NYC law firms

LawFuel Report – Largest Law Firms in New York New York’s legal market continues its dramatic expansion in 2025, with the top firms now employing over 13,000 attorneys—an 8% increase from 2024. For the first time, two firms have exceeded 1,000 attorneys in their New York offices: Kirkland & Ellis with 1,133 lawyers and Davis

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Why a Former Tennis Pro Chose a Law Career – and What Lawyers Can Learn From It

Australia Law News, Lawyers /
Jade Hopper lawyer and tennis star

How a Tennis Career Prepared Jade Hopper for Law Jade Hopper was once headed for the kind of sporting life most lawyers would only see in an ad campaign: junior Australian Open battles, a Commonwealth Youth Games gold medal, and rising up the tennis ranks with all the discipline that implies. She spent her teenage

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Future-Proof Your Law Career – Blend Law with Tech Savvy

Law Job News, Legal AI /
lawyers learning AI

Back in 2022, US powerhouse Orrick decided its UK company setup process was about as efficient as a horse-drawn carriage in rush hour. So, they sicced a squad of lawyers on it, birthing a snazzy digital form via Orrick Labs, their in-house tech wizardry arm.

But here’s the surrprise – they roped in two fresh-faced associates to rub elbows with the geeks, all in the name of molding the “lawyer of the future” into a triple-threat: part esquire, part biz whisperer, part code cracker.
Register to read more . . .

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