Stories making recent headlines on LawFuel . .
- Mishcon in the Firing Line as ‘Secret Sale’ Sparks Explosive A$41 Million Court Ruling
In a stinging rebuke to ethical back-room deals, an Australian Federal Court has found that Jason Karas, former partner at Lipman Karas (now LK Law), secretly brokered a deal to hand over the firm’s Hong Kong practice to London legal powerhouse Mishcon de Reya. The court ruled that Karas negotiated the deal without informing his co-founder Skip Lipman or disclosing the extent of the transfer. Log in to read more . . - The Legal Stars Who Made Netflix’s 83bn Warner Deal
LawFuel Premiers The Legal Stars Behind The Netflix Mega-Deal Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributing writer Hollywood finally did what everyone feared it might do and handed the keys to the Warner Bros kingdom to the world’s rrichest and determined binge machine, Netflix in an $82.7 billion deal that has involved platoons of lawyers. The deal is… Read more: The Legal Stars Who Made Netflix’s 83bn Warner Deal - Saunas, Salons and 2,000 Hours – Inside Big Law’s ‘Wellness’ Arms Race
Law firms aren’t just trying to out‑pay each other anymore – they’re now in an amenities arms race, turning offices into luxury wellness bunkers so lawyers can bill 80 hours a week and still get their steps in, their hair done and their chakras aligned. The money is still obscene, but the new game is: who can make the golden handcuffs feel most like a spa bracelet. Newly qualified lawyers in London are now pulling up to around £180,000 in their mid‑20s, with top partners into the multi‑million‑dollar level, but the issue for law firms once everyone is paying nose-bleed money is to be the differentiator. Log in to read more . . . - Private Equity Eyes Big Law And Top Firms Are Opening the Door
The Private Equity Law Firm Play Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributor Private equity is circling the legal sector, a new breed of law firm is exploring ways to monetise its most valuable asset: equity in the partnership. Both Cohen & Gresser, a litigation boutique, and global player McDermott Will & Emery have reportedly been in discussions… Read more: Private Equity Eyes Big Law And Top Firms Are Opening the Door - From Tinder Swipes to AI Legal Wins
Remember swiping right on Tinder? Now imagine swiping through contracts at warp speed. That’s the magic LegalFly is bringing to the staid world of law, courtesy of a founding team that once powered the world’s hottest dating app with AI smarts. Fresh off a blockbuster €15 million Series A, this Belgian legal tech disruptor is gunning for America’s biggest law firms, and it’s not messing around. Register to read more . . - Biglaw Bonus Season 2025
Cravath Fires the Starting Gun, Milbank Plays Coy, and Everyone Scrambles Like It’s Black Friday Sonia Hickey Bonus season – that magical time of year when Biglaw associates pretend to care about “firm culture” while frantically refreshing their inboxes, praying for a six-figure dopamine hit before the holiday eggnog kicks in. As of November 20,… Read more: Biglaw Bonus Season 2025 - Ashurst and Perkins Coie Ink Mega-Merger Deal
Tom Borman, LawFuel contributing editor Anglo-Australian biglaw’s Ashurst and US player Perkins Coie have decided to tie the knot, crafting a new transatlantic megalaw entity – to be Ashurst Perkins Coie – pending the perfunctory partner vote and regulatory nods. The new firm will straddle 52 offices in 23 countries, weaving a legal web from… Read more: Ashurst and Perkins Coie Ink Mega-Merger Deal - Courts Drowning in Fake AI Cases as New Report Sounds Alarm
GenAI, Fake Law & Fallout – New Australian report reveals surge in legal cases involving generative AI The UNSW Centre for the Future of the Legal Profession has dropped a sober but necessary reality check on the messy intersection between generative AI and actual courtrooms. Reviewing more than 520 cases from January 2023 to September… Read more: Courts Drowning in Fake AI Cases as New Report Sounds Alarm - McDermott Toys With Private Equity Money
Big Law’s Next Taboo Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributing editor McDermott Will & Schulte has decided to dip a cautious toe into capitalism’s deep end, confirming it’s in “preliminary discussions” about selling a slice of the firm to outside investors. Chairman Ira Coleman delivered the usual corporate zen: they get “inbound interest,” they “listen to new… Read more: McDermott Toys With Private Equity Money - Can the Magic Circle’s Most Profitable Firm Survive Its Own Success?
Slaughter and May’s Billion-Dollar Dilemma – Expand or Perish John Bowie, LawFuel publisher Slaughter and May, a member of the UK’s elite Magic Circle, has proudly charted a different course to its contemporaries. Rebuffing endless international expansion and a bigger partnership, it has maintained a tightly-knit operation. But is it sustainable? Where Slaughters’ rivals have… Read more: Can the Magic Circle’s Most Profitable Firm Survive Its Own Success? - Trump’s $1bn BBC Defamation Shakedown
From ABC to BBC – Trump’s Media Litigation Roadshow Claims New Victim Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributing editor The BBC finds itself staring down the barrel of Donald Trump’s latest legal offensive, this time demanding $1 billion for a Panorama documentary edit. With two top executives already out the door, Britain’s public broadcaster faces what may… Read more: Trump’s $1bn BBC Defamation Shakedown - Saudi Market Lures BigLaw with Cash, Contracts and Headaches
Riyadh Rising For Big Law Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributor In the kind of year when seismic regulatory shifts and eye-popping economic ambition collide, 2025 has positioned Saudi Arabia as the world’s most coveted legal hot spot. Heavyweights like Reed Smith, Morgan Lewis & Bockius, Trowers & Hamlins, and Stephenson Harwood have placed big bets on… Read more: Saudi Market Lures BigLaw with Cash, Contracts and Headaches