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California Draws a Line on Legal AI And Lawyers Need to Pay Attention

Headlining, Law Firms, US Law / February 2, 2026

For years, lawyers have been quietly experimenting with generative AI while publicly pretending it was all very theoretical. That luxury just expired however has expired as the California passes a first-of-its kind bill that will doubtless be replicated in other jurisdictions.

The California Senate has passed SB 574 aimed squarely at how lawyers use artificial intelligence in legal practice. If it becomes law, California will be the first major jurisdiction to formally regulate AI use by lawyers, not with vague principles, but with obligations that cut straight to competence, ethics, and liability.

In short: lawyers can use AI, but they own the consequences. And that’s something many will find daunting given the hallucinations and legal repercussions of legal AI’s misuse.

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Winston & Strawn and Taylor Wessing Partners Greenlight £1.2bn Transatlantic Law Merger

Big Law, Headlining / February 1, 2026

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 »

Brabners’ Eight-Year Growth Streak Powers London Expansion: What Regional Firms Can Learn

Headlining, Law Firms, LawPreneur / January 29, 2026

While London’s legal market dominates headlines with US firms driving salary wars and Magic Circle mergers, Brabners’ consistent growth story offers a compelling counter-narrative.

The firm’s eight consecutive years of profitable expansion demonstrates that sustainable growth doesn’t require a City postcode—it requires strategic vision, client focus, and calculated expansion timing. And leadership from people like managing partner Nik White (Pictured), who the firm described as the ‘driving force’ behind its growth.

At a time when UK law firms collectively generated £37 billion in revenue, with more than half posting double-digit increases, Brabners’ measured approach to London expansion represents a textbook case of regional strength leveraging metropolitan opportunity.
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Four Thousand an Hour Arrives in US Big Law Billing

Big Law, Headlining, US Law / January 27, 2026

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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Dechert Raids McDermott With 20‑Partner Team as It Re‑Enters Chicago and Targets Texas

Headlining, LawStars / January 24, 2026

Dechert has fired the opening shot of 2026’s lateral wars, lifting a 20‑plus partner team – including a top‑ranked complex litigation and accounting defense squad – from McDermott and using it as the launchpad for new offices in Chicago, Dallas and a disputes outpost in Houston.

Dechert has brought in more than 20 lateral partners across litigation, corporate and securities, IP and employment from McDermott Will & Schulte, anchored by a preeminent U.S. complex litigation practice and a Chambers Band 1 accounting defense team.

The group is led by Chicago trial and strategy heavyweight law star Mike Poulos, formerly partner in charge of global strategy and an executive committee member at McDermott, who becomes Dechert’s vice chair and global head of strategy.

Dechert Raids McDermott With 20‑Partner Team as It Re‑Enters Chicago and Targets Texas Read More »

How Lobbying Turned Into Big Business for Top Law Firms in 2025

Australia Law News, Headlining, Law Firms / January 23, 2026

Lobbying profits for big law firms - LawFuel

Lobbying Law Leaders John Bowie, LawFuel publisher Big Law’s lobbying arms just posted their richest year on record, powered by Trump-era tariffs, AI and health policy fights—and a Trump‑aligned boutique has muscled past the traditional K Street giants as lobbying becomes a major new profit source for law firms in the US, UK and elsewhere.

How Lobbying Turned Into Big Business for Top Law Firms in 2025 Read More »

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

Best Firms, Headlining, Power Briefs, Press Releases / January 21, 2026

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

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

The Largest UK Law Firms 2026 – Who’s Banking What in Big Law

Best Firms, Big Law, Headlining, UK Law / January 15, 2026

The UK legal market just keeps getting bigger and richer as deals and US law firms make a major impact on big UK law firms. In 2025, collective revenues for UK law firms sailed past £52 billion, with the big firms at the top hoovering up an ever-larger slice of the pie.
The UK law firm earnings show massive increases for some firms and equally large take-home pay, as we recently reported.
Whether you’re a graduate eyeing that training contract or a GC shopping for counsel, LawFuel’s UK law firm survey looks at who’s who in British Big Law right now.
The Complete UK Law Firm Revenue League 2026 . .
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Britain’s Top Barristers by Pay – The KCs Who Turn Courtroom Skill into Seven Figures

Headlining, Lawyers, UK Law / January 12, 2026

Since I wrote about Britain’s highest-paid barristers a year ago, the select group of the UK’s top barristers continues to expand, with fees commanded that rival top CEOs.

What we didn’t report on was the sort of money received by the elite UK barristers, apart from quoting the Legal Futures report from 2018 that 125 UK barristers earned over £1million all those years ago.

The UK’s highest-paid barristers are more than just courtroom stars. They are strategic advisors, thought leaders, and, increasingly, agents of change in a rapidly evolving legal market.

However there is little publicly available information aout barrister earnings.

With top hourly billing rates hitting £5000 an hour or more, a barrister billing 1500 hours a year (perfectly common for a top law partner) brings home £7.5m.

Britain’s Top Barristers by Pay – The KCs Who Turn Courtroom Skill into Seven Figures Read More »

BigLaw’s $4.6 Trillion Year Sees Kirkland & Top Firms Dominate

Big Law, Headlining, UK Law / January 11, 2026

M&A Market Soars to Record $4.6 Trillion Tom Borman, LawFuel contributing editor BigLaw firms continue to sit at the top table when it comes to mega deals with the market showing 2025 deals valued at $4.6 trillion in global transaction value – a 49 percent surge over 2024 figures, according to the London Stock Exchange

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