BigLaw Pay vs Boutique Pay Scale Sonia Hickey The boutiques are once again teaching BigLaw a lesson in how to spend money on associates with New York boutique Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider, a New York-founded antitrust and litigation shop, is dishing out special bonuses of $10,000 to $25,000, payable by 15 July, per a 23 […]
Axinn’s Boutique Offers $25,000 Bonuses While BigLaw Plays Catch-Up Read More »
On 2 June 2026, Sidley elected 52 new partners. That is up 79% from its December 2025 class of 29 and reportedly the first and only summer round the firm intends to run. Sidley is the eleventh elite firm to create a salaried partner role since Cravath broke the seal in November 2023. The list
Sidley Just Made 52 Partners Showing The Salaried Tier Is BigLaw’s New Default Read More »
New Zealand’s premium legal market is dominated by four names everyone knows. But beneath that familiar canopy sits an elite tier of specialist boutiques that punch absurdly above their weight — firms that regularly win work the large players refer out, whether for conflicts, specialist depth, or simply because the client wants a partner who’ll actually run the matter.
Our inaugural New Zealand ranking draws on Chambers, Legal 500, Benchmark Litigation, and five years of NZ Law Awards data to identify the boutiques that genuinely compete at the top table.
The findings? One Auckland litigation firm has won Specialist Firm of the Year four times in five years — a dominance unmatched anywhere in the market. Another is described by peers as providing services “at or better than the litigation departments of the largest firms.” And at the independent bar, a single chambers holds more King’s Counsel appointments than any other set in the country.
We’ve also identified the corporate boutique operating at “the top end” of the M&A market with just six lawyers — and the insurance specialist that’s scaled to 90 lawyers without taking a single non-insurance instruction.
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Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is steering SpaceX through what has become the largest stock market debut ever, while Davis Polk & Wardwell is guiding the underwriting banks led by Goldman Sachs. Reports from Bloomberg indicate that SpaceX has committed to $25.5 million in legal costs in its amended S-1 — a figure that dwarfs the typical IPO legal spend, though it’s broadly in line with what other mega-deals have paid out.
For context, the largest US IPO of 2025, Medline’s $6.3 billion listing advised by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, generated $25.2 million in legal fees and expenses, while Cerebras Systems’ $5.5 billion IPO, handled by Latham & Watkins, racked up $4.1 million.
SpaceX’s number sits almost exactly where Medline landed except SpaceX is aiming for a deal roughly twelve times the size.
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SpaceX’s $75 Billion Liftoff – Meet the Lawyers Steering History’s Biggest IPO Read More »
e firm that built its empire on highway billboards and the populist slogan “For the People” is now talking to Wall Street.
Morgan & Morgan, the largest personal injury law firm in the United States, has hired JPMorgan to explore a minority stake sale that could raise more than $1 billion and pave the way for a public listing years from now.
Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan, a Florida-based billionaire and political donor, confirmed he was exploring deal options in a statement to Bloomberg Law, describing the discussions as “purely exploratory” with no immediate plan or timeline in place. “We’re simply listening to people smarter than us and working to understand the pros and cons,” he told BloombergLaw.
The story, first reported by the Financial Times and subsequently confirmed by Reuters and Bloomberg Law, lands as a landmark moment for the US legal services industry, which has long resisted outside capital while watching adjacent professional services sectors transform under private equity ownership.
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While Elon Musk’s legal team tried to transform a federal courtroom in Oakland, California into an existential debate about the fate of human civilization and a “stolen charity,” Sam Altman’s defenders quietly built a procedural guillotine.
A unanimous nine-member federal advisory jury took less than two hours to reject all of Musk’s claims against OpenAI, CEO Sam Altman, and President Greg Brockman, which presumably was both surprising and disappointing for the multi-billionaire.
U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers immediately adopted the verdict from the bench, dismissing the case in full. The same statute-of-limitations finding wiped out Musk’s aiding-and-abetting claim against Microsoft, an early backer of OpenAI’s for-profit arm.
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The OpenAI Defense: Inside the Wachtell Trial Team That Just Beat Elon Musk Read More »
In a bold lateral strike that underscores the fierce talent battle in Paris Big Law, Ropes & Gray has snapped up a high-powered eight-lawyer private equity and M&A group from rival Latham & Watkins.
The move, confirmed by multiple sources including The Lawyer andLaw.com International, brings three partners — Denis Criton, (pictured) Gaëtan Gianasso, and Michael Colle
Ropes & Gray Raids Latham & Watkins for Eight-Lawyer Paris PE/M&A Team Read More »
Val Dahiya was profiled in ALM’s article, “How I Made Practice Group Chair: ‘Building a Culture of Excellence, Curiosity and Trust,’ Says Val Dahiya of Morrison Foerster.” Val describes her professional journey as a securities regulatory attorney. Val’s experience at the SEC’s Student Observer Program was pivotal. “I was deeply inspired by the securities lawyers
Macfarlanes Opens Manhattan Office – With a Deliberately Limited Mission Macfarlanes is joining the steady procession of London firms establishing a presence in New York. But unlike the usual BigLaw expansion playbook, the firm insists it has no intention of practising U.S. law. Instead, the profile City firm is opening what it calls a “representative
Macfarlanes’ Curious New York Move: A Manhattan Office With No U.S. Law Read More »
LONDON (FEBRUARY 13, 2026) – Sullivan & Cromwell LLP announced today that Patrick Bright and William Needham will join the firm as partners. Their arrival continues the momentum in S&C’s London office, reflecting increased client demand for the most sophisticated advice across high yield, private credit, restructuring and special situations. “The addition of Patrick and Will marks another
Sullivan & Cromwell Strengthens London Private Capital Practice With Two Hires Read More »
