From Cravath Star to Paul Weiss Chair Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributing writer In one of the most dramatic leadership transitions in Big Law history, Scott Barshay has been appointed Chairman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, effective immediately, following Brad Karp’s decision to resign as Chairman. The sudden change, announced February 4, 2026, […]
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.
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BigLaw vs In-House Counsel Salaries 2026: The $75K Gap Driving Legal Talent Crisis Read More »
Paul Weiss Goes to Houston And The Energy Talent War Just Escalated When Paul Weiss just poached senior energy M&A dealmakers from Kirkland & Ellis and promptly announced a strategic push into Houston, this was not a polite handshake between firms but a major shakeup with weaponized intent. Paul Weiss, fresh from the headline-making resignation
Kirkland Loses Elite Energy Makers as Paul Weiss Goes on Offense Read More »
Partners at Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing have voted decisively in favour of their landmark transatlantic merger, clearing the path for the creation of Winston Taylor—a new legal powerhouse set to launch in May 2026.
The combination, reported last month, will create a firm with more than 1,400 lawyers worldwide and combined revenue exceeding $1.75 billion, positioning the newly-formed entity just outside the Global 200’s top 40 firms.
The merger responds to increasing client demand for seamlessly integrated US–UK–EU counsel for the businesses, people, and markets driving capital and innovation.
Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing Partners Greenlight £1.2bn Transatlantic Law Merger Read More »
Ropes and Gray has expanded its Paris office with a major acquisition of talent from Linklaters, strengthening its European private funds and tax practise. The partners joining the firm are Edouard Chapellier and Jonathan Abensour. Chapellier’s practice focuses on fund formation and tax advice to corporates, private equity and banking work, and leveraged buyouts and
Beth Taylor has been appointed Chief Legal Officer at Dentons following a 14 year stint at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. Toronto-based Shane Mercer has been appointed Global Chief Information Officer at the firm also, a 25-year veteran with the Firm, having led the transformation and optimized operations across platforms in the more than 85 countries where Dentons
Former Cadwalader General Counsel Joins Dentons As Global Chief Legal Officer Read More »
Reuters reports the new top line for Susman Godfrey’s trial stars and sets it against peers where rates already crossed three thousand last year. Public filings and prior coverage show Latham partners at just over three thousand and Quinn Emanuel partners near that mark, with associates at some shops topping one thousand six hundred.
Four thousand is not only a flex, but also one that needs to be ‘sold’ to clients. If law firms want this price to clear, they must show time saved, risk shifted and outcomes earned.
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Four Thousand an Hour Arrives in US Big Law Billing Read More »
A BigLaw defamation fight has turned into a full-blown courtroom food fight. An ex-associate at Baker McKenzie has fired back with her own lawsuit after the firm sued her for defamation, escalating what is now a rare and highly public public dispute inside elite legal ranks. The firm’s original claim alleges the former associate made
BigLaw’s Messy Baker McKenzie Defamation Case Just Got Messier Read More »
Willkie Farr & Gallagher is now at the centre of a $735 million fraud suit that doubles as a warning shot for Big Law about conflicts, gatekeeper liability and deal‑side risk management. The firm has already been stung by a major talent walkout last year over its deal with the Trump administration. BRC Group Holdings
Willkie Farr Hit With $735m Fraud Suit: Franchise Group, Conflicts And Big Law Risk Read More »
Gibson Dunn is planting its flag in Spain, and it’s doing it the only way Big Law knows how – by hiring the country’s most decorated dealmaker and building an office around him.
The firm has confirmed that Armando Albarrán, widely regarded as Spain’s premier private equity and M&A lawyer, is joining as a partner, triggering the launch of Gibson Dunn’s Madrid office. It is not a symbolic outpost. This is a full-blooded expansion of the Gibson Dunn’s European transactional machine.
Albarrán arrives with a reputation that does the heavy lifting. He is Band 1 across the board at Chambers for Capital Markets, Corporate/M&A and Private Equity, and has advised on many of Spain’s most consequential domestic and cross-border transactions. Log in to read the story . . .
Gibson Dunn Storms Spain With Star Dealmaker Armando Albarrán to Lead Madrid Launch Read More »
