Tom Borman

Tom Borman is a regular LawFuel contributor writing on the top law firms and best law firm lists in American law. He has written recently about law firm pay rates, major law firms like Kirkland & Ellis, law firm SEO and related legal matters. He can be contacted through news@lawfuel.com

The Kirklands vs. Latham AI Arms Race Sees Associates on the Front Line

Law Firm Technology, Law Firms, Lawyers, Legal AI, Press Releases /
BiglawAIfight

Battle Moves From Hype to Burnout, Billing and Platforms Mega firms like Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins are turning their AI arms race into a battle pitching associates and the onset of AI into a knife-edge fight that directly challenges the 2000 hour grind, the traditional apprenticeship model and identifying what top-of-the-market salaries

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Linklaters Smashes Record as Aggressive US Expansion Pushes to Unprecedented FY26 Heights

Big Law, Headlining, Press Releases, US Law /
Linklatersnewyork

Tom Borman Following a blockbuster run that saw the firm smash the billion-pound profit ceiling in recent years, Linklaters has once again rewritten its own record books. According to the firm’s newly released FY26 financials, the firm has posted unprecedented revenue and profit-per-equity-partner (PEP) figures, confirming what the market has been whispering: Linklaters’ aggressive transatlantic

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BigLaw’s $440,000 Problem -The AI Director Job Nobody Can Fill

Briefings, Featured, Law Firms, Legal AI /
AIlawyer

Key Takeaway: At least 16 major law firms, including Latham & Watkins, Gibson Dunn, and Pillsbury, are chasing more than 25 AI leadership hires, with pay running from $200,000 to $440,000. The problem is not the budget, but the fact that lawyers with real AI implementation experience barely exist yet. Tom Borman, LawFuel contributing editor

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The £40k Pay Gap & The 50% AI Surge – Here Is The Hidden Friction Inside Ashurst’s £1.15Bn Mega-Merger

Australia Law News, Law Firms /
Ashurst Perkins Coie’s global co-CEOs, Paul Jenkins and Bill Malley - LawFuel

In its final set of financial results before the highly anticipated transatlantic union with US giant Perkins Coie, Ashurst has posted a formidable swan song. But behind the headline figures lies some major obstacles that may create major issues for the merged firm such as a complex web of legal AI integration, mounting pressure in the associate pay wars, and the ever-present threat of lateral poaching.

The £40k Pay Gap & The 50% AI Surge – Here Is The Hidden Friction Inside Ashurst’s £1.15Bn Mega-Merger Read More »

A&O Shearman’s Talent Drain Continues as Weil Lands Global Fund Finance Co-Head

Law Firms, Lawyers, UK Law /
The logo of law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is seen outside of their office in Washington, D.C.

Tom Borman, LawFuel contributing editor The battle for top lawyers shows no sign of easing as A&O Shearman’s exodus continues with the firm suffering another senior casualty with global fund finance co-head Fiona Cumming leaving to join Weil Gotshal & Manges in London. The move gives Weil another heavyweight in one of the fastest-growing areas

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AI Won’t Hollow Out the Graduates, Says eBay’s Legal Chief

LawFuel Jobs, LawStars, Lawyers, Legal AI /
Samanthawelllington lawfuel

Samantha Wellington, eBay’s senior vice president and chief legal officer, thinks the profession is panicking about the wrong people. AI will not gut the graduate ranks, she argues, because the AI-native juniors are the ones teaching firms how to rebuild their workflows. The lawyers who should be nervous are the mid-career middle managers, and anyone

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Turbo Law’s USD 3.8m Raise Signals Next Wave of AI Defence Litigation Tools

Law Firm Technology, Legal AI, Power Briefs, Press Releases /
Turbo law lawfuel

Legal technology startup Turbo Law has secured USD 3.8 million in seed funding as investors continue to back AI tools built specifically for complex defence litigation and insurance work. The round was led by Revo Capital, with participation from existing backers Treeo VC, BridgeX Ventures, Alchemist Accelerator, prominent technology executive Gokul Rajaram, and a cohort

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The Rise of Justin Smith – How a Missouri Boutique Cornered the Federal Judiciary

Briefings, Featured, LawStars, Lawyers, US Law /
Justinsmith

Tom Borman, LawFuel contributing editor The confirmation of Justin Smith to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit is a major moment in Donald Trump’s second‑term judicial strategy. The Senate voted along party lines to hand Smith a lifetime seat on a key federal appeals court that covers seven states. To much

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How US Heavyweights Hijacked London’s Legal Economics

Big Law, Lawyers, UK Law /
Gherkin

Law.com International’s latest UK revenue‑per‑lawyer rankings add to growing evidence that London’s top‑end legal market is no longer defined by the Magic Circle alone. Instead, a small group of elite US firms have carved out a parallel “New York–style” market in the City, where profit per partner and revenue per lawyer for firms like Lathams sit at levels most UK rivals struggle to match.

For years, the line in London was that City lawyers billed like New Yorkers but were paid like Londoners. That joke looks increasingly dated.

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