It’s Trump, Not AI Threatening These Lawyers Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributing editor Skadden has cut a $100 million deal with the Trump administration to avoid becoming the next law firm target of presidential wrath. The firm preemptively approached the White House after learning they were in the crosshairs of a potential executive order, opting to […]
Skadden Coughs Up $100M to Avoid Executive Order Hammer Read More »
Nearly 70 percent of European companies with U.S. government contracts are now caught in a cross-border compliance nightmare that could fundamentally reshape corporate diversity policies worldwide.
The Trump administration has begun demanding European companies comply with the President’s executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, which follows his moves against major law firms in the US on the DEI issue.
The Trump Crackdown on Law Firms Meets Resistance Ben Thomson, Legal contributing editor US lawyers have rallied in an unprecedented show of unity, with over 700 attorneys and legal organizations across the political spectrum joining forces to write to US Attorney General Pam Bondi urging her to take a stand in defense of lawyers’ and
700+ Attorneys Unite Against Trump’s Law Firm Crackdown Read More »
Slaughter and May The promotional round from Slaughter and May is similar to last year when five were elevated, although it is considerably down on the 2023 figure when 10 lawyers were made partner. The partners bring the total partnership number in the firm to 110, with the majority based in the firm’s London office
Baker & Hostetler is celebrating breaching the $1 billion turnover figure for the first time. American Lawyer report that Chair Paul Schmidt reports the firm’s $1.05 billion in gross revenues last year has capped 31 straight years of growth. The firm has been ranked among the top firms in activism-related cases, placing 9th in 2024
What Brad Karp Told Paul Weiss Staff Over The Trump Crisis On March 23, 2025, Paul Weiss Chairman Brad Karp sent a firm-wide email addressing the recent crisis triggered by a presidential executive order that threatened the firm’s existence. Legal blogger David Lat published the full memo in his Original Jurisdiction newsletter. In his message,
The Brad Karp Memo To Paul Weiss And Its Existential Crisis Read More »
Chinese Law Firms Move Strongly On Hong Kong China’s top law firms are making moves that are turning heads in Hong Kong as the so-called “red circle” firms (think Magic Circle, but with a dash of communist flair) are snatching up partners from their American counterparts who are leaving the island. As Western law firms
Chinese Law Firms Are Shaking Up the Legal Scene in Hong Kong Read More »
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has been fined £465,000 by the UK government for sanctions breaches related to Russia, with payments made to banks the subject of asset freezes under British sanctions. The fine was imposed by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) after HSF’s former Moscow office made six payments totaling £3.9 million to
Herbert Smith Freehills’ Expensive Breach of British Sanctions on Russian Banks Read More »
The Paul Weiss ‘Inflection Point’ Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributor Vivia Chen’s latest column at her blog ‘The Ex-Careerist’ on substack delivers a sharp critique of Donald Trump’s escalating attacks on major law firms, with Paul Weiss being his third target. This pattern of retaliation has reached what Chen calls “an inflection point,” as Trump’s executive
Why Trump’s Attack on Elite Firms Is Particularly Savage for Paul Weiss Read More »
The Big Law Message to Associates In what’s becoming a familiar tune across BigLaw, A&O Shearman is now wielding the bonus stick to ensure their office chairs don’t remain empty. The recently merged firm has reminded its London associates that failing to meet the firm’s 60% in-office requirement could leave their wallets lighter come bonus
A&O Shearman’s Message to Associates: Show Up or Kiss Your Bonus Goodbye Read More »
