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• Washington DC law firms fall behind US average

  Aug 29 2013 Law firms in Washington DC have fallen behind the national average on a number of key metrics: revenue, demand, productivity and billable hours. A new survey by... more

• Is this the end of BigLaw?

  Jul 23 2013 This article By Noam Scheiber in New Republic, entitled ‘The Last Days of BigLaw’ is making waves through the blogosphere and beyond. The article points out that the... more

• Good times at Mishcon de Reya with 20% PEP jump

  Jul 18 2013 Mishcon de Reya has reported a 20 percent leap in average profit per equity partner, growing from £700,000 last year to £840,000 in the 2012/13 financial year.... more

• Malpractice claims on the rise in the US

  Jul 04 2013 The number of malpractice claims against law firms is on the rise, along with the number of multi-million dollar payouts, according to a new study. Insurance... more

• US summer associate numbers drop

  Feb 12 2013 A new report published by the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) shows a drop in the summer associate recruitment figures in the fall of 2012, continuing a... more

• BLP posts 64% retention rate, promises to 'bounce back'

  Jan 27 2013 Berwin Leighton Paisner is keeping just 64 per cent of its March qualifying trainees, though the firm has said that it intends to ‘bounce back’ in the next intake.... more

• LSAT figures drop by 16.4%

  Nov 25 2012 October is usually a busy month for the LSAT - the Law School Admission Test, but last month the number of people taking the test dropped 16.4 percent from the year... more

• High-level US government lawyers head to small law firms

  Aug 22 2012 US firm Murphy & McGonigle has made a high-profile addition to its partnership with the hire of veteran Justice Department lawyer Rob Park. The firm was founded in... more

• Bigger isn't better in Washington DC

  Aug 07 2012 A survey of the law firms operating in Washington DC indicates that the “bigger is better” growth strategy might be a thing of the past. In fact, eight of the region’s... more

• A quarter of small firms in the South West UK face prospect of failure

  Aug 02 2012 Small law firms are starting to feel the impact of legal reforms in the UK, with more than a quarter of South West law firms at risk of going out of business over the... more

• US judicial salaries rise by 1% per annum

  Jul 26 2012 A new survey shows that judicial salaries in the US are increasing by a mere one per cent annually. The report, put together by the National Center for State Courts,... more

• US legal sector remains steady at 1.1 million jobs

  Jul 09 2012 The US legal services sector remained steady last month, with marginal gains of around 200 positions to reach 1.1 million jobs. Legal jobs have remained at around... more

• US law firm mergers slow down

  Jul 05 2012 There were 25 mergers in the US in the first half of this year, up from 22 in the same period last year. The rate at which mergers are taking place does however seem... more

• At least 10 US law schools cut class sizes

  Jun 12 2012 At least 10 of the US’s roughly 200 law schools are decreasing their class sizes or have plans to do so, according to this article. The schools are eliminating revenue... more

• Real estate team leaves Portland firm Ball Janik to launch new firm

  May 24 2012 A real estate team has departed Portland law firm Ball Janik to launch a new law firm under the name Radler White Parks & Alexander.   The departures come after... more

• Long term thinking could save biglaw

  May 16 2012 Here is an interesting article by Mark Harris, the chief executive of Axiom Law, a 900-person new-model legal services firm. Harris attempts to diagnose some of the... more

• Law firm mergers signal growing confidence, says report

  May 01 2012 Fourteen law firm mergers were announced in the US in the first three months of this year, according to a new report from legal consulting firm Altman Weil. “Firms... more

• When large law firms fail, we need to re-examine the business model

  Apr 24 2012 Here is a very good article that addresses the question of why large law firms fail. The article points out that a dozen firms that have folded over the past ten... more

• Recession-era measures seem as though they are here to stay

  Feb 02 2012 The cost-cutting measures undertaken by law firms in the recession – including smaller entry-level classes, stagnant salaries and an impossibly long road to... more

• Law firms remain cautious in recruitment despite recovery

  Feb 01 2012 This article in the Wall Street Journal points out that law firms are finally starting to recover from the recession, but that the returning good fortune is not being... more

• Merger activity signals growing confidence in US legal services market

  Jan 15 2012 There were 60 mergers between US law firms last year – an increase of 53 per cent – according to a new report by legal consulting firm Altman Weil. The growth in... more

• Legal support staff get a rough deal at bonus time

  Dec 22 2011 Above the Law has been keeping a close eye on announcements regarding annual bonuses from large law firms. Their reporting has noted that the size of this year’s... more

• Can graduate deferral be a good thing?

  Dec 02 2011 This article discusses the unexpected benefits of graduate job deferral. It says that while the prospect of having one’s graduate position deferred may be daunting... more

• US firms cut pro bono hours while need increases

  Dec 02 2011 Pro bono work at large law firms appears to be on the slide, as law firms cut costs in a difficult economy. Reports show that the average number of pro bono hours... more

• Gender imbalance increases at top US firms

  Nov 07 2011 Newly released figures on diversity in US law firms shows a slight improvement in ethnic diversity at major firms. The percentage of minority lawyers at top US rose... more

• US legal industry grows by just 100 jobs in 12 months

  Sep 06 2011 The US Bureau of Labor Statistics says the legal industry added just 100 jobs in August 2011. The Bureau’s reporting on the industry shows fluctuations in hiring over... more

• Summer Associate hiring in Washington remains steady

  Sep 06 2011 The summer associate recruitment process is well under way in Washington, where the largest law firms are hiring around the same number of summer associates as last... more

• Canadian law firms weather the economic storm

  Jul 06 2011 Canadian law firms seem to have weathered the financial crisis and recession without seeing any major firms go under, without serious hits to the bottom line, and... more

• Pro-Bono work in decline at US law firms

  Jul 04 2011 The American Lawyer magazine has released statistics showing that pro-bono output declined at the top 100 US firms in the past year, during which those same firms... more

• Graduate deferrals continue at US firms

  Jun 21 2011 The effects of the recession are still being felt by law school graduates, with many firms still deferring their incoming classes. At Proskauer Rose, the class of... more

• Law graduates beat job market by launching their own firms

  Jun 21 2011 Here is an interesting article on law graduates that deal with the tough job market in the legal services industry by striking out on their own – launching new firms.... more

• The third tier of US lawyers

  Jun 16 2011 There is interesting coverage in the Wall Street Journal on the creation of a ‘third tier’ of legal practitioners in the US: temp or contract attorneys that perform... more

• Eversheds reports 7% increase in PEP over flat revenue

  Jun 14 2011 Eversheds has reported that revenues remained flat at £355m in the 2010-2011 financial year, while profits increased by 3 per cent and Profits per equity partner... more

• US diversity scorecard stabilizes in 2010

  Jun 10 2011 The Am Law Daily has completed its Diversity Scorecard for 2010, showing a 0.2 per cent increase in the proportion of minority lawyers at big firms, to 13.9 percent.... more

• Top 100 US firms streak ahead; second 100 post modest gains

  Jun 01 2011 The top 100 US firms by revenue seem to have recovered after a disastrous 2009, posting strong results in 2010: a 4 per cent increase in gross revenue, a 4.4 per cent... more

• Canadian law firms prepare for increase in Indian investment

  May 31 2011 Canadian law firms expecting a surge of business from India have been kept waiting, with the recession slowing things down. But things are starting to pick up, and... more

• Budget cuts threaten access to justice in the US

  Apr 18 2011 Government cost cutting, at both the state and federal level, is threatening access to justice in the US, according to reports. According to the Wall Street... more

• Starting date prospects for associates: looking good

  Mar 30 2011 Interesting article here about the follow on effects of all those deferred start dates for associates during the height of the recession in 2008 and 2009. The... more

• US legal Industry lost 2900 jobs in February

  Mar 09 2011 The Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that US unemployment fell to 8.9 percent in February, but the legal industry lost 2,900 jobs in the same month. In... more

• NY lawyers charging over $1000 per hour

  Feb 23 2011 While lawyers across the industry have suffered from redundancies and pay freezes as a result of the recession, there are some lawyers who are still enjoying high... more

• Large US law firms take a step backwards on diversity

  Jan 03 2011 US law firms seemed to be moving in the right direction on diversity issues, hiring more women, people of color and people with disabilities, until the recession... more

• 300 year old firm Dawsons in trouble?

  Dec 20 2010 Dawsons, a firm with 300 years of lawyering to its name, is showing signs of wobbling in the tough economic climate - asking staff to consider working a four-day week... more

• Redundancies for the banking practice at UK firm Dickenson Dees

  Dec 16 2010 After escaping the firm’s last three redundancy rounds, the banking team at Dickinson Dees is now in redundancy talks, with plans to lay off two of the seven fee... more

• US Government lawyers see a two year salary freeze

  Nov 30 2010 The US Government has taken the step of freezing salaries on federal employees for two years. Lawyers who left big law looking for some stability during the... more

• Corporate jargon skews reality in the legal profession

  Nov 26 2010 This article from The Guardian observes that the legal industry’s love of corporate jargon Last week, for example, DLA Piper heralded a fresh round of redundancies... more

• Going backwards on diversity in top US firms

  Nov 09 2010 A new survey from the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) indicates that things are getting even tougher for women in the top 200 law firms in the US.... more

• Headcount in decline for a second year at US top 250 law firms

  Nov 09 2010 The largest 250 law firms in the US have seen their lawyer headcount drop for the second consecutive year. This year’s 1.1 per cent decrease in headcount... more

• Top London firms streak ahead as mid-tier firms struggle

  Nov 04 2010 An annual survey of the legal services market by PricewaterhouseCoopers has shown a widening gap between London’s biggest law firms and the mid-tier firms.... more

• The future of associate pay

  Nov 03 2010 Before the recession, graduate starting salaries grew at a rate that considerably outstripped inflation. When the demand for legal services dropped, law firms moved to... more

• Law students angry over the false promise of law school

  Nov 01 2010 During the recession law school increased in popularity, with the number of LSAT takers climbing 20.5 per cent between 2007 and 2009, and law schools seeing more... more

• US legal sector gains jobs, opposing national trend

  Oct 12 2010 For the third month in a row, the US legal sector added jobs, with the Bureau of Labor statistics reporting an increase of 2,500 jobs in September. While the... more

• 2010 sees leaner US summer associate programs

  Oct 07 2010 2010 was another tough year for summer associates, with many firms reducing the size of their summer intake, cutting the length of their summer programs, or doing away... more

• A new caste system for lawyers

  Oct 06 2010 This article contains some interesting insights on the state of play in the legal services industry after the recession. The main thrust of the article is a... more

• Diversity outcomes sacrificed in tough economic climate

  Oct 01 2010 Diversity efforts by US law firms have stalled, according to new data from the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and Vault.com. The 2009 summer intake had the... more

• Georgia State named 'best value' US law school

  Sep 30 2010 While the recent recession has slowed hiring at many law firms, costs of tuition and costs of living continue to rise. Law students are therefore beginning to look... more

• Are the tough times over? US Associates see pay increase

  Sep 22 2010 Associate pay seemed for some time to be directly linked to the financial health of law firms – when demand for legal services outstripped supply, the cost of labour... more

• Salaries for US associates hold steady through recession

  Sep 16 2010 A new study of salaries for US associates has shown that they have remained steady throughout the recession. The report by the National Association for Law... more

• Firms are cautiously optimistic about year ahead survey reveals

  Nov 17 2009 Law firms are growing increasingly confident about the year ahead, but any optimism is still guarded. According to a survey carried out by accountancy firm Smith &... more

• What recession? UK lawyers charge $1400 an hour

  Apr 03 2009 UK regulatory lawyers at firms like London-based Simmons & Simmons bill as much as 1,000 pounds ($1,440) an hour for advising clients on the financial crisis and... more

• Recession affecting the legal profession to the tune of 5500 jobs

  Mar 26 2009 As if you needed someone to tell you, the global economic downturn has also been felt in the legal sector. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the legal... more

• Discussing hot industry topics: Surviving a Recession: A Global Perspective

  Oct 07 2008 A PANEL discussion on “Surviving a recession: a global perspective” is to form part of the forthcoming Global Reinsurance Forum in Boston. Peter Rogan, of Ince & Co,... more

• Cadwalader to Fire 96 Lawyers on Real-Estate Slowdown

  Jul 31 2008 Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, the New York-based law firm founded in 1792, will fire 96 salaried lawyers in the U.S. and London because of "a significant slowdown''... more

• UK Top 100 Law Firm Feel A Recessionary Shiver

  Mar 09 2008 The UK’s top 100 law firms have continued to grow despite signs that the economic downturn is beginning to have an impact, according to the figures from Deloitte.... more

• Fearing Recession, Law Firms Tighten Belts

  Jan 23 2008 Over the past several years, with the economy booming and business brisk, New York City's best law firms scrambled to hire as many lawyers as they could out of school,... more