Our Thinking

Counsel Culture – In Discussion with Camille Vasquez 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – In Discussion with Camille Vasquez

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week, we have the privilege of welcoming a very special guest, Camille Vasquez, a Partner and Co-Chair of the Brand & Reputation Management Group at Brown Rudnick. Camille, who has worked with a number of high-profile clients, gained global recognition…

read more
Byfield Bytes the Big Apple 1200 630 Sean Cullen

Byfield Bytes the Big Apple

Byfield joint managing director Ben Girdlestone reports from New York. This is the third successive Spring trip I’ve made to New York – well, I say Spring but the weather has been more like a monsoon.  Every second person I’ve met has asked me why I brought the English rain…

read more
Counsel Culture – Can AI Solve the Value Gap in Law Firms? with Stefan Ciesla of Ayora 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – Can AI Solve the Value Gap in Law Firms? with Stefan Ciesla of Ayora

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week Meg is joined by Stefan Ciesla, Co-founder of Ayora, a company that provides AI for legal revenue management. They discuss Ayora’s report called “Addressing the $36bn value gap in law firms: a primer for innovative law firms” which claims…

read more
Image of Ben Girdlestone, Byfield Joint Managing Director
Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – February 24 1200 801 Sean Cullen

Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – February 24

Welcome to your February edition of Byfield Bytes – bringing you the biggest stories and issues impacting the business of law. The news agenda has certainly had a transatlantic feel of late – with notably strong annual results posted by many AM Law 100 firms. After a tough 2022, it was…

read more
Counsel Culture – Disputes & Investigations Monthly: Christian Horner Case, SLAPP Legislation and FCA Transparency 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – Disputes & Investigations Monthly: Christian Horner Case, SLAPP Legislation and FCA Transparency

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! Today, Meg is joined by Gus and Dina for the next instalment of our Disputes & Investigations Monthly series. They discuss the Christian Horner case, the latest legislative proposals regarding SLAPPS, the FCA planning to name firms being investigated earlier and…

read more
Counsel Culture – Bar Row, Judges on Social Media and Lower Class Travel with Steven Barrett 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – Bar Row, Judges on Social Media and Lower Class Travel with Steven Barrett

This week’s episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week Meg is joined by Steven Barrett from Radcliffe Chambers to discuss when barristers should call themselves barristers and whether judges should be banned from using social media. They also spoke about Latham & Watkins’ decision to cut off automatic…

read more
Counsel Culture – The Latest on the Post Office Inquiry and Axiom Ince with John Hyde 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – The Latest on the Post Office Inquiry and Axiom Ince with John Hyde

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week Meg is joined by John Hyde, Deputy News Editor at The Law Society Gazette. They sat down to discuss the latest developments in the Post Office Inquiry including what the next phase looks like, the impact on the victims…

read more
WhatsApp Messaging Service
WhatsApp: The Unofficial Boardroom? 1200 630 Sean Cullen

WhatsApp: The Unofficial Boardroom?

Instant messaging apps are neither a new nor novel invention. For quite some time, they have become an unofficial feature of many people’s working habits – why send a formal email when a simple and immediate WhatsApp message will suffice? Why risk an important and timely request getting lost in…

read more
Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – January 24 1200 801 Sean Cullen

Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – January 24

Welcome to the January edition of Byfield Bytes, your monthly update on the biggest stories and issues impacting the business of law – and the first of 2024! There has been no shortage of headline-grabbing stories to kick off the year. The Post Office inquiry continues to throw up outrage…

read more
Counsel Culture – Disputes & Investigations Monthly: Trends to Watch Out For in 2024 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – Disputes & Investigations Monthly: Trends to Watch Out For in 2024

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week’s episode marks the first instalment of our Disputes and Investigations monthly series. Meg is joined by Byfield Founder Gus Sellitto and Dina Hudson, Senior Consultant in our Disputes and Investigations practice, to discuss Byfield’s updated Disputes & Investigations PR…

read more
Counsel Culture – HSBC’s 2024 Law Firm Strategy Report: A Conversation with Victoria Ritchie 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – HSBC’s 2024 Law Firm Strategy Report: A Conversation with Victoria Ritchie

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week Meg is joined by HSBC’s Head of Professional & Business Services, Victoria Ritchie. They discussed various aspects of HSBC’s annual law firm strategy report for 2024 including, how law firms are planning for the impact of the basis period…

read more
2024: The Byfield Legal Industry Forecast 1200 630 Sean Cullen

2024: The Byfield Legal Industry Forecast

As we make our way through a wet and windy start to the year, we asked leaders across our agency for their thoughts on what 2024 might hold for the legal industry. Beth Durkin, Associate Director Beth:  “A major legal story in 2023 was the SRA’s Axiom Ince intervention, which…

read more
Counsel Culture – Black Box, PACCAR and Office Attendance 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – Black Box, PACCAR and Office Attendance

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week Meg is joined by Joint Managing Director Michael Evans to discuss the new black box partner remuneration model at Paul Weiss, Slaughter and May announcing it will name and shame those who work from home full time, SSB Law…

read more
Counsel Culture – Kicking Off 2024 with Litigation Scandals, Hires and M&A Rankings 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – Kicking Off 2024 with Litigation Scandals, Hires and M&A Rankings

The first Counsel Culture episode of the year is now live! This week Meg is joined by Account Director Liam McCafferty to discuss this week’s biggest legal stories. They cover the Post Office scandal, Linklaters’ latest hire in the US, SRA fines for breaches of transparency, M&A advisers table from…

read more
Is litigation always the answer in trademark disputes? 1200 630 Sean Cullen

Is litigation always the answer in trademark disputes?

Trademark and copyright claims regularly hit the news headlines, particularly regarding high profile companies and individuals. But are lawsuits and threats of litigation the best way to approach these disputes? A significant part of a brand is goodwill, which can easily be lost when a trademark dispute is put in…

read more
Counsel Culture – 2023 Rewind 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – 2023 Rewind

The last Counsel Culture episode of 2023 is now live! This week, Meg is joined by Joint Managing Directors Michael Evans and Ben Girdlestone to discuss the biggest stories of 2023. They cover the A&O and Shearman merger, Paul Weiss’ recruitment, the Axiom Ince fallout, how firms have handled their…

read more
Counsel Culture – Cyber Security, Axiom Ince and Workplace Wellbeing Schemes 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – Cyber Security, Axiom Ince and Workplace Wellbeing Schemes

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week Meg is joined by Joint Managing Director Michael Evans to discuss the news that Deloitte and KPMG are asking staff to use burner phones on Hong Kong trips and CTS has fallen victim to a cyber security attack. They…

read more
Counsel Culture – Hacks and Wokes 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – Hacks and Wokes

This week’s episode of Counsel Culture is now live! Meg and Joint Managing Director Ben discuss Allen & Overy’s ransomware attack, breaking glass ceilings for women in law, and junior lawyers wanting to join firms and do work that align with their values. The podcast is available to download and…

read more
Counsel Culture – Fraudly Serious 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – Fraudly Serious

This week’s episode of Counsel Culture is now live! As regular host Meg takes a well-deserved break, Account Director Liam and Joint Managing Director Michael step in to speak about the week’s biggest legal stories. They discuss the Rwanda scheme ruling, Axiom SFO raids, the recent trends in younger lawyers…

read more
Counsel Culture – At the Bench with Hogan Lovells’ Thomas Kendra 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – At the Bench with Hogan Lovells’ Thomas Kendra

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! Meg is joined by Thomas Kendra, Arbitration Partner from Hogan Lovells, to discuss market trends in litigation and arbitration in Europe and Africa, how Asian investments in Africa are affecting disputes across the continent, the Nigeria arbitration case in the London…

read more
Image of Ben Girdlestone, Byfield Joint Managing Director
Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – October 23 1200 801 Sean Cullen

Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – October 23

Welcome to the October edition of Byfield Bytes, your monthly update on the biggest stories and issues impacting the business of law. We have to start with the biggest legal story of the year – after months of suspense, partners at A&O and Shearman voted overwhelmingly in favour of the…

read more
Counsel Culture – In Conversation with Mark Stephens CBE 1200 628 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – In Conversation with Mark Stephens CBE

This week’s episode of Counsel Culture is brought to you all the way from Paris, as a week of knowledge sharing and networking at the IBA draws to a close. Joining Meg this week is Mark Stephens CBE, Founder of and Partner at Howard Kennedy and Co-Chair of the International…

read more
IBA 2023: Predictions from the Byfield team 1200 628 Sean Cullen

IBA 2023: Predictions from the Byfield team

This week, the IBA annual conference takes place. Paris is the destination this year, and before they left for the French capital, Byfield attendees Gus, Michael and Meg shared a few of their thoughts ahead of one of the world’s biggest legal conferences.   Michael, a veteran of the conference, is…

read more
Counsel Culture – Lawyers’ Hours, Mid-Market Law Firm Consolidation and Directory Headaches 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – Lawyers’ Hours, Mid-Market Law Firm Consolidation and Directory Headaches

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week, Meg is joined by Account Director Liam McCafferty to discuss the lawyers doing the longest hours, Mid-market M&A, the Bar Standards Board’s proposed disclosure of chambers rankings to implement further regulatory changes and whether legal directories are still worth…

read more
Counsel Culture – A&O Shearman, Revenues and Overheads 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – A&O Shearman, Revenues and Overheads

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week Meg is joined by Joint Managing Director Ben Girdlestone to discuss the A&O Shearman merger, KPMG’s legal arm reaching ÂŁ100 million in revenues, how Inflation and increased overhead expenses, combined with a decrease in billable hours, is causing concerns…

read more
Byfield welcomes Dina Hudson back to the agency as a Senior Consultant in Litigation Communications 1200 628 Sean Cullen

Byfield welcomes Dina Hudson back to the agency as a Senior Consultant in Litigation Communications

LONDON, 18 October 2023 – Byfield Consultancy, a market leading Legal Communications firm, has welcomed back Dina Hudson from Portland Communications who rejoins the business as a Senior Consultant in Litigation Communications.  In a newly created role, Dina will focus on expanding Byfield’s disputes and investigations offered domestically and internationally,…

read more
Counsel Culture – Politics, Settlements and Legal Advice for Rappers 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – Politics, Settlements and Legal Advice for Rappers

The latest episode of Counsel Culture: The Business of Law Podcast is now live! In today’s episode, Meg and Ben discuss the latest from party conference season and expected impacts on the legal industry, an increase in the number of lawyers calling a mental health hotline, firms wrestling with return…

read more
M&A - a handshake
Components of a successful strategic communications strategy in professional services M&A 1220 628 Sean Cullen

Components of a successful strategic communications strategy in professional services M&A

The communications plan is an essential tool for success in any merger or divestment, and benefits from being given due attention early in the process. While it might be tempting to see your communications strategy as just being on the announcement of a deal, a strategic communications plan will lay…

read more
Counsel Culture – Regulator Actions, Political Opinions and Kindness Codes 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture – Regulator Actions, Political Opinions and Kindness Codes

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now available to download and stream! This week Meg is joined by Joint Managing Director Michael Evans to discuss the Axiom Ince closure, the Bar Standards Board’s new social media guidelines for barristers and the SDT’s findings in the Oliver Bretherton case. They…

read more
Gus Sellitto
PR Perspectives: When Law Firms Offer PR Services by Gus Sellitto – Law360 1200 801 Sean Cullen

PR Perspectives: When Law Firms Offer PR Services by Gus Sellitto – Law360

As the importance of law firm public relations continues to grow and the role of communications teams evolves, in this Expert Analysis series PR professionals discuss lawyer media relations, reputation management and more. The news of libel law firm Schillings International LLP setting up its own public relations firm is…

read more
Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – September 23 1200 801 Sean Cullen

Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – September 23

Welcome to the September edition of Byfield Bytes, your monthly update on the biggest stories and issues impacting the business of law. The most anticipated news event of the year is on the horizon as voting for the A&O and Shearman merger opened last week. Partners have until 13 October…

read more
A headshot of Byfield Special Advisor Funke Abimbola MBE
Why diversity, equity and inclusion still matter 1200 628 Sean Cullen

Why diversity, equity and inclusion still matter

Driving diversity, equity and inclusion remain firmly on the agenda within the legal industry and firms using best practices will see real commercial and reputational benefits, writes Funke Abimbola MBE, Partner at Korn Ferry (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consulting, EMEA) and special advisor to Byfield. Driving diversity, equity and inclusion…

read more
Byfield Appoints Special Advisers 2000 1414 Sean Cullen

Byfield Appoints Special Advisers

London, 18 September 2023: Leading legal PR agency Byfield Consultancy is enhancing its capabilities with the addition of three new special advisers. They join Simon Slater who has worked with Byfield for over four years, including as our non-exec Chairman. The special advisers are drawn from a range of backgrounds…

read more
Counsel Culture: Partner Moves, Gardening Leave Controversy and Job Cuts 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Partner Moves, Gardening Leave Controversy and Job Cuts

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week, Meg is joined by James Booth, Professional Services Reporter at Financial News. They discuss the Kirkland & Ellis departures to Paul Weiss in London, KPMG halving pay for its US partners on gardening leave and Goldman Sachs announcing job…

read more
Counsel Culture: In Case You Missed It and Looking Ahead 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: In Case You Missed It and Looking Ahead

The latest episode of Counsel Culture: The Business of Law Podcast has arrived! This week Meg is joined by Joint Managing Director Michael to discuss the recent departures from Kirkland & Ellis, ongoing developments at Axiom Ince and the news that Schillings is opening a PR arm. They also look…

read more
Image of Ben Girdlestone, Byfield Joint Managing Director
Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – August 23 1200 801 Sean Cullen

Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – August 23

Welcome to the August edition of Byfield Bytes, your monthly update on the biggest stories and issues impacting the business of law. So much for the quiet month of August—there have been quite a few developments causing a stir in the legal world! The month started with Dentons announcing it…

read more
Counsel Culture: The New Regulatory Supercycle: AI, ESG and Billable Hours with Eric Staal of Lex Mundi 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: The New Regulatory Supercycle: AI, ESG and Billable Hours with Eric Staal of Lex Mundi

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now available to download and stream! In this week’s episode, Meg is joined by Eric Staal, Vice President, Global Markets at Lex Mundi, the world’s leading network of independent law firms. They discuss the consequences of AI adoption by in-house teams, the ESG…

read more
Counsel Culture: A Look Ahead to Autumn 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: A Look Ahead to Autumn

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! As our regular host Meg has taken a well-deserved break and with summer drawing to a close, we have taken a different approach to this week’s episode. Joint Managing Director Ben Girdlestone and Senior Account Executive Hattie Lunt have stepped in…

read more
Is it “About Damn Time” Lizzo practised what she preached? 1200 800 Sean Cullen

Is it “About Damn Time” Lizzo practised what she preached?

It’s hard to avoid the ongoing news coverage around allegations of misconduct made against the high profile musician Lizzo. With the latest update being that legal teams are reviewing at least six new allegations against the singer, this case raises questions around the role of high profile celebrities as an…

read more
Counsel Culture: Separation, Firm Identity, and the Vilification of Lawyers 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Separation, Firm Identity, and the Vilification of Lawyers

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week, Byfield Joint-Managing Director Michael Evans and Meg discuss Dentons’ separation from Dacheng, the firm’s Chinese arm, as well as the latest clarifications from Freshfields on the decision not to release their financials. They also discuss the ongoing Government campaign…

read more
How Google Analytics Can Improve Your Business 1200 801 Sean Cullen

How Google Analytics Can Improve Your Business

Google Analytics is a platform that collects data from your website and apps to create reports that provide insights for your business. In the 17 years since its launch, the platform has become more and more popular with around 28.1 million websites (roughly 55.49% of all websites) using the programme,…

read more
Counsel Culture: Regulator Crackdowns, Workcations, and Private Financials 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Regulator Crackdowns, Workcations, and Private Financials

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week, Byfield Joint Managing Director Michael Evans joins Meg to discuss the SRA cracking down on anti-money laundering failures and on firms falsifying asylum and human rights claims. They also discuss the implication of the latest Supreme Court judgment on…

read more
Image of Ben Girdlestone, Byfield Joint Managing Director
Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – July 23 1200 801 Sean Cullen

Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – July 23

Welcome to the July edition of Byfield Bytes, your monthly update on the biggest stories and issues impacting the business of law. It’s financial reporting season and firms have been releasing their latest profit and revenue figures for  Results have been mixed – while some have posted an increased revenue,…

read more
Counsel Culture: Financials, Social Mobility, Office Returns and Tattoos 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Financials, Social Mobility, Office Returns and Tattoos

Counsel Culture: The Business of Law Podcast is back, with the same in-depth analysis of the biggest news stories in the UK legal market but now with a mid-week release! Each episode will now hit the airwaves every Wednesday which will allow us to cover those important stories breaking over…

read more
Content Strategy #101 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Content Strategy #101

Every day at Byfield, we asks ourselves (and our clients): “how do we tell stories people will actually listen to?” That question is as old as the communications industry itself, and the absence of a eureka answer means client briefs haven’t changed much in as long as anyone can remember.…

read more
Counsel Culture: Financials, Appointments and Looking to the Future 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Financials, Appointments and Looking to the Future

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now available to download and stream! This week, Michael Evans is back to discuss the early days of financials season for UK firms, the new SFO appointment, law firms’ AI and cybersecurity woes, the awful story about Hong Kong putting a bounty on…

read more
Litigation PR – A Harsh Climate 1200 800 Sean Cullen

Litigation PR – A Harsh Climate

It must be hard being the CEO of an oil company. You run an immensely complex organisation, where at any moment a tanker could run aground, a war break out near one of your fields, or activists tie themselves to various parts of your building. These PR nightmares have recently…

read more
Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – June 23 1200 801 Sean Cullen

Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – June 23

Welcome to the June edition of Byfield Bytes, your monthly update on the biggest stories and issues impacting the business of law. The big story in the sector continues to be the A&O and Shearman & Sterling Merger. As people began to wind down for the summer, the management teams…

read more
Counsel Culture: The Importance of Disability Inclusion 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: The Importance of Disability Inclusion

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now available to download and stream! King & Spalding Associate Rosie Watterson joined Meg this week to discuss how law firms and the wider legal industry can better embrace their lawyers and staff with a disability, chronic and/or mental illness and why it…

read more
Counsel Culture: Access, Retention, Promotion 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Access, Retention, Promotion

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now available to download and stream! This week, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Partner and PRIME Executive Chair Elizabeth Robertson joins Meg to discuss social mobility in the legal industry. They discuss Elizabeth’s own journey into law, and best practice for firms…

read more
Counsel Culture: Investigative Journalism is Alive and Kicking 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Investigative Journalism is Alive and Kicking

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now available to download and stream! This week, Byfield Founder Gus Sellitto joins Meg to discuss the impact of investigative journalism on the reputation of companies following the FT’s latest expose into Odey Asset Management, the parallels between the latest partygate revelations and…

read more
Investigative journalism is alive and kicking, with wide-ranging reputation implications – Gus Sellitto writes for PR Week 771 771 Sean Cullen

Investigative journalism is alive and kicking, with wide-ranging reputation implications – Gus Sellitto writes for PR Week

In 2021 a judge cleared Crispin Odey of indecent assault for an alleged workplace-related incident that took place 20 years earlier. The Judge told the eccentric hedge fund millionaire and founder of Odey Asset Management (OAM) that he could leave the courtroom with his “good character intact” and congratulated Odey…

read more
Counsel Culture: Masters of the Mergerverse 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Masters of the Mergerverse

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! Rose Walker, Editor at Bloomberg Tax, joins Meg to talk about successful strategies for a merger announcement, following the A&O Shearman news a few weeks ago. We talk about the importance of getting the choreography right for different stakeholders – as…

read more
Counsel Culture: Magic Mergers 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Magic Mergers

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! As our regular host Meg takes a well-deserved break, Account Director Liam McCafferty steps in to discuss the top legal stories of the week with Joint Managing Director Ben Girdlestone. They cover topics such as the A&O and Shearman merger, The…

read more
Image of Ben Girdlestone, Byfield Joint Managing Director
Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – May 23 1200 801 Sean Cullen

Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – May 23

Welcome to the May edition of Byfield Bytes, your monthly update on the biggest stories and issues impacting the business of law. A busy month drew to an end with a massive story which broke last Sunday and took everyone by surprise: the proposed merger between Allen & Overy and…

read more
Counsel Culture: Walk for Access to Justice 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Walk for Access to Justice

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week, Bob Nightingale MBE, Founder of the London Legal Support Trust, joins Meg to discuss the Legal Walk 2023 taking place in June, access to justice, and the appointment of Alex Chalk as Lord Chancellor. If you wish to participate…

read more
The Student Group Claim – Capturing your audience and maintaining momentum in group claims 1200 900 Sean Cullen

The Student Group Claim – Capturing your audience and maintaining momentum in group claims

If you’re a student or recent graduate in the UK, you’ve almost certainly seen either targeted adverts to join the Student Group Claim (SGC) across social media, student newspapers sharing the story, or links to sign up to the claim repeatedly shared in group chats. Yesterday the SGC had its…

read more
Our thoughts on the A&O Shearman merger discussions 1200 800 Sean Cullen

Our thoughts on the A&O Shearman merger discussions

The proposed merger between Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling is the biggest, and arguably most surprising story in the legal sector in recent years.  Joint Managing Director Ben Girdlestone and Account Manager Meg Tillay share their initial reactions to this week’s shock news. Ben “My instant reaction when…

read more
We must avoid televised court proceedings turning into Punch and Judy courtrooms 1200 800 Sean Cullen

We must avoid televised court proceedings turning into Punch and Judy courtrooms

There is almost a mystique in terms of the UK court system and that is because of a public mistrust of the legal system and the way it works. Judges can be seen as out of touch with modern Britain and an expansion of TV cameras in courtrooms will certainly…

read more
Counsel Culture: LIDW, Gen Z and Not-So-Green Credentials 2560 1707 Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: LIDW, Gen Z and Not-So-Green Credentials

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now available to download and stream! This week, CMS’ Head of International Arbitration and London International Disputes Week Co-Chair Richard Bamforth joins Meg and Michael to discuss what to expect at the LIDW starting next Monday, and how London as a disputes centre…

read more