Lewis Silkin set to leave its City HQ for £2.5bn Southbank development February 9, 2022 London law firm Lewis Silkin is set to leave its Canada headquarters and move south of the River Thames, as it seeks to sharpen its focus on its media and tech clients. The commercial law firm, which first started operating out of offices on Rye Lane, Peckham in 1950, said it will move [...]
Solicitor suspended for a year after overcharging client with bill for £2.9m February 8, 2022 A solicitor has been banned from practicing for a year and ordered to pay costs amounting to £41,400, after a tribunal said he had tried to overcharge his client after asking more than £2.9m for his services. The tribunal said Nabeel Amer Sheikh had failed to act with “integrity” as it claimed the solicitor had [...]
UK government appoints four new directors to FRC in shakeup of audit regulator February 8, 2022 The UK government has put four new directors on the board of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), amid a shakeup of the UK’s audit regulator. The appointments come after former Rio Tinto chairman Sir Jan du Plessis – the government’s pick to head the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) – said the watchdog is in a [...]
Clifford Chance undecided on plans to ditch Canary Wharf HQ and slash size of offices February 8, 2022 Clifford Chance is weighing up plans to slash the size of its London offices, with a view to leaving its Canary Wharf headquarters and moving back into the City. However, Morning Wire understands the London law firm has not yet come to a decision on whether to leave its docklands HQ or get rid of [...]
DLA Piper hikes pay for newly qualified lawyers in its London offices to £95k February 8, 2022 DLA Piper has said it will give its London lawyers an eight per cent pay rise in upping salaries paid to its newly qualified solicitors from £88,000 to £95,000. The law firm also said it will hike pay for freshly qualified lawyers by 35 per cent, by upping salaries for solicitors in its Birmingham, Leeds, [...]
Royal family’s law firm hires first apprentice solicitors February 8, 2022 Farrer & Co, the London law firm that represents the Queen on legal matters, has said it will hire its first apprentice solicitors to start in Autumn this year. The law firm told Morning Wire that it will be taking on two apprentice solicitors to start in September this year. Apprentice solicitors hired by the [...]
Freshfields to support staff through the menopause with paid-for benefits February 7, 2022 Magic Circle law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has adopted a new policy to support employees through the menopause. Canada law firm is also offering specialist care to any employees experiencing symptoms of the menopause, through its private healthcare provider. Employees working in Freshfields UK offices will be able to book appointments with [...]
High-flying barrister Nicola Cain struck off for forging judge’s signature in Steele dossier lawsuit February 7, 2022 A high-flying barrister has been struck off for forging a judge’s signature, while defending former MI6 agent Christopher Steele against a libel action filed by Russian tech tycoon Aleksej Gubarev. Veteran barrister Nicola Cain was disbarred for giving her client, Christopher Steele, a fake High Court order, on which she had cut-and-pasted a copy of [...]
White male barristers earn twice as much as female, ethnic minority colleagues February 7, 2022 White male barristers earn more than twice as much as female barristers from ethnic minority backgrounds, figures from the Bar Standards Board (BSB) show. White men working as barristers earned £238,241 in 2020, while women from ethnic minority backgrounds earned just £98,324 over the same period of time. On average, female barristers earned just more [...]
UK government should upskill managers to level up the country, CMI says February 7, 2022 The UK government should invest in efforts to upskill Britain’s managers in its bid to tackle regional inequality, according to the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). The trade body for managers said the government should fund schemes to improve Britain’s leadership skills, in order to increase productivity and level up the country. CMI chief executive Ann [...]