The Lawyer Podcast

Kirkland's partners make $11m a year – but can it last?

Send us Fan MailIn hindsight, Kirkland & Ellis’s rise to the top of BigLaw may now seem as predictable as death and taxes.There was even a sense of inevitability when its latest financial results were released earlier this month, becoming the first firm to surpass $10bn with PEP at $11m.But it was actually less than a decade ago, in 2017, when the firm first topped the global revenue charts.So how did Kirkland get here, what makes it so successful, and is its place at the top of the tree actually secure?Tune in to the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast to find out!

Scottish lawyers are raging about private equity

Send us Fan MailPrivate equity investment in law firms is kicking off in England. But in Scotland, lawyers are at risk of falling behind as regulations restrict Scottish firms from doing the same – and that’s left lawyers there frustrated.So on this episode of the podcast, the team is joined from Glasgow by Horizon editor Margaret Taylor and deputy editor (UK) Richard Simmons, as we unpack the challenges facing private equity investment in Scotland, dive into the dramatic changes in Scottish firms' leadership in recent years, and ask what the future has in store for the market. 

Slaughter and May is a Silver Circle firm

Send us Fan MailThe Silver Circle was a concept coined by The Lawyer more than 20 years ago. Rather than describing a set of “magic circle wannabes”, its purpose was to collate the firms’ strategies and models. Those in the Silver Circle have arguably changed over the years, with the likes of Macfarlanes and Travers Smith remaining constant.But after two decades and enormous changes in the legal market, does the term still hold true, and who is actually in the Silver Circle now?Tune in to the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast as we discuss what the future holds for the Silver Circle.

Brad Karp, the Epstein files, and the future of Paul Weiss

Send us Fan MailBrad Karp became a household name - for Big Law at least - during his 17 year tenure at the helm of Paul Weiss.But the long serving chair of the New York firm resigned from his leadership role last week over revelations in the latest batch of the Epstein files.His exit makes him one of the first Americans to resign over the revelations.So on this episode of The Lawyer Podcast, we take a look at why he quit, and what next for Paul Weiss under new chair, Scott Barshay. 

Why Greenland could redraw the law firm map

Send us Fan MailThe annual meeting of the World Economic Forum at Davos usually revolves around talk of business, finance and investment. Indeed, law firms Baker McKenzie and DLA Piper are official partners of the forum.But last week’s meeting was dominated by the unusual topic of Greenland: President Trump’s threat to take the island by force, the Danish government’s rebuff and the seeming fracturing of the NATO alliance.While the issue may seem like a matter of geopolitics not immediately connected to lawyers and law firms, the ramifications of the crisis have big implications for the increasingly international and, perhaps more importantly, transatlantic nature of Big Law.Not least of all for firms in Denmark, where the market was already flying through some (quite exciting) turbulence.So on this episode of The Lawyer Podcast, we assess the wide ranging implications of the crisis for Danish and global lawyers, along with the rapid developments in the Danish legal market in recent years.