Expert Analysis

• Lack Of Associate Pay Progression May Leave Firms Exposed

  

  Willkie’s recent salary increases for newly qualified lawyers in London made headline news, but the more important issue is how firms pay midlevel associates, since allowing pay progression to lag materially risks undermining the cohort firms rely on to sustain client relationships and train the next generation, says Adam Stocker at Major Lindsey.

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  Practice Leader Insights From Wedlake Bell's Adam Grant

  

  Adam Grant, head of employment at Wedlake Bell, discusses the challenges of persuading a business to offer employees greater support when it makes large-scale redundancies, the need for new guidance on returning data subject access requests to their intended purpose, and how economic uncertainty with less job security may lead to more office presence.

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  Practice Leader Insights From Willkie's Gavin Gordon

  

  Willkie's chair of European private equity, Gavin Gordon, discusses the challenges of conducting a merger across differing time zones and in a complex regulatory environment, how clients are frustrated by the growing impact of antitrust filings, and why there is a mismatch on valuation expectation between buyers and sellers.

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  Practice Leader Insights From CRS' Dewdney Drew

  

  Dewdney Drew, head of brand protection at Charles Russell Speechlys, discusses the challenges of working on a firm's rebrand under time pressure, how the process to simplify U.K. design protection is under way, and why lawyers need to harness the power of artificial intelligence.

• What UK, EU Law Firms Can Do To Rectify Gender Inequality

  

  The latest figures show that elite international law firms remain among the weakest performers on gender equality in the legal industry, demonstrating that equity is no longer external to the practice of law, and sits within the core responsibilities of those who steward trust in courts and governments, says Govindi Deerasinghe at Global 50/50.

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  Practice Leader Insights From Jones Day's Vica Irani

  

  Vica Irani, co-leader of Jones Day's corporate practice, discusses the challenges of assisting a multinational client with divesting its Russian operations at the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war, why greater harmonization across borders would be beneficial, and the increase in regulatory scrutiny for deals in terms of antitrust and foreign direct investment screening.

• Why SRA Is Cracking Down On 'No Win, No Fee' Law Firms

  

  Harriet Gamper at the Solicitors Regulation Authority discusses the regulator’s recent warning notice concerning "no win, no fee" arrangements in high-volume consumer claims, aimed at offering lawyers clarity in understanding their obligations following findings that many law firms were failing in their duty to protect clients' best interests.

• Why UK Criminal Court Changes Need To Be Systemic

  

  The proposals in the second part of Brian Leveson's long-anticipated independent review of criminal courts, aimed at easing pressure on the criminal justice system and restoring public confidence, are broadly welcomed, but without structural change and sustained funding, they risk becoming little more than temporary fixes, says Vicky Lankester at Brett Wilson.

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  Practice Leader Insights From Stewarts' Aaron Le Marquer

  

  Aaron Le Marquer, Stewarts' head of insurance, discusses the challenges of conducting defamation proceedings in Thailand, why the minimal impact of the Insurance Act 2015 is disappointing, and how working in diverse environments provides a more holistic understanding of the way insurance works.

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  Practice Leader Insights From Skadden's Deborah Kirk

  

  Deborah Kirk, Skadden's head of intellectual property and technology, discusses the challenges of cross-disciplinary collaboration on a transaction, how the proliferation of artificial intelligence is forcing clients to rethink their IP and data strategies, and why flexibility, curiosity and dynamism are key as a lawyer.

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  Practice Leader Insights From Stewarts' Joseph Lappin

  

  Joseph Lappin, head of employment at Stewarts, discusses the challenges of representing barristers with very high IQs, how the employment tribunal system is crying out for proper investment, and the Financial Conduct Authority's inconsistent approach to nonfinancial misconduct.

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  Practice Leader Insights From Jones Day's Anna Cartwright

  

  Anna Cartwright, co-head of Jones Day's real estate practice, discusses the challenges of working on a transaction requiring regulatory expertise from multiple regions, why new regulatory complexities in the real assets sector can introduce risks for clients, and how the convergence of real estate and infrastructure is playing out in asset managers' investment decisions.

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  Practice Leader Insights: Kingsley Napley's Corinne Aldridge

  

  Corinne Aldridge, head of employment at Kingsley Napley, discusses the challenges of leading a transaction requiring local employment law advice from multiple jurisdictions, how the perception of workplace conduct has changed dramatically in recent years, and why people skills and empathy are key in her field.

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  Practice Leader Insights From Birketts' Gavin Coull

  

  Gavin Coull, head of insurance and reinsurance at Birketts, discusses litigating in the aftermath of the London Market Excess of Loss spiral, how reinsurance disputes have grown in scope in the last few years, and why understanding commercial drivers is just as important as learning the law.

• Practice Leader Insights From McDermott's Aymen Mahmoud

  

  Aymen Mahmoud, co-head of the London transactions practice at McDermott, discusses the challenges of navigating a complex cross-border financing in his first matter as partner, why regulators should resist the instinct to fix what is not broken, and how private capital continues to reshape the landscape.