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The 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.

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Brad 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.

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The 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.

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The Lawyer Podcast is back for 2026 and it is picking up where we left off: with  transatlantic mergers.

Just before Christmas, Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader announced what will be, by value, the largest law firm merger ever agreed.

The headline figures look good, but all may not be as it seems…

So on the first podcast of the year, we assess what we really make of the tie-up and ask, is time running out for other firms to find a merger partner?

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As if 2025 needed just another little dollop of big legal news, Taylor Wessing and Winston & Strawn are set to become the fourth major transatlantic merger in two and a half years.

So The Lawyer Podcast is back for an unexpected bonus episode as they talk through the announcement.

The second transatlantic tie-up in a month, the team discusses what the firms are up to, what it means for Germany and the rest of Europe, and whether it is actually a good idea, or a bold mistake…

Hosts Catrin Griffiths and Christian Smith are joined by deputy insight editor Nikhil Raj Aggarwal and international editor Charlie Johnstone, along with very special guest Aled Griffiths, the founder of German legal magazine Juve.

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As 2025 draws to a close, it feels like 2025 has been an inflection point for the legal sector.

While firm financials largely look good, fundamental changes are underway on both sides of the Atlantic.

Technology, investment, mergers and even politics all shook the business of law this year.

So for the final episode of The Lawyer Podcast in 2025, we take a look back at what has changed for the sector this year, and what it means for 2026.

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Unlike A&O’s tie up with Shearman and Sterling, Ashurst’s announcement that it had agreed a merger did not come as a surprise.

The firm had been in the market for a US-merger for more than two decades, yet its new partner, Perkins Coie, did still come as a bit of a surprise.

The silver circle firm clearly needed to make its move, but was it the right one?

Tune in to the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast as hosts Catrin Griffiths and Christian Smith are joined by Matt Byrne and Nikhil Raj Aggarwal discuss what the move might mean for the two firms, the wider market, and those firms leftover who are still looking for their own merger partner.

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The Lawyer’s editor Catrin Griffiths and director of insight Matt Byrne are back from a fact-finding mission in New York, and merger mania is gripping the city’s lawyers.

As firms seek scale, reach and private capital clients, some of the oldest firms in the Big Apple are pondering how a tie up could help their bottom line.

And while private equity investment into firms is all the rage in the UK, in the US it is starting to gain traction as well.

So in the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast, Catrin and Matt recount what they learned on their adventure across New York last week…

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Tax rises for partnerships may be on the way in next month’s Budget – and potentially big ones at that.

Many lawyers were left shocked after the news broke last week that the Government is considering adding the equivalent of employer’s national insurance onto partnerships.

So on the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast, we ask what that might mean for a range of firms, whether it is a good idea (or just good politics), what firms might do about it, and what friend of the show and former Clifford Chance head of tax Dan Neidle thinks…

You can read The Lawyer’s piece on the idea from 2022 here:

https://www.thelawyer.com/the-treasury-could-tax-commercial-law-firms-an-extra-1bn-and-theyd-barely-notice/

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Private equity investment in law firms has accelerated in the past 12 months. Essentially every UK200 law firm in the country has been approached, and many have already accepted the opportunity. Now the question is whether firms at the top of the market might join in.

But is it actually a good idea? Can law firms offer the rapid turnaround that private equity demands? Or is it just a chance for equity partners to cash in and retire, leaving behind them a mess for their firms?

The Lawyer Podcast investigates.