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There is a radical reconfiguration taking place in the world of BigLaw that may make terms like magic circle or white shoe firm obsolete.

The transatlantic, private capital corridor between New York and London is now the stamping ground for some of the world’s best and most profitable law firms - firms that The Lawyer are now calling the Global Elite.

The Lawyer’s brand new The Global Elite report sets out those firms making the grade as part of the transatlantic universe.

So tune in to this episode of The Lawyer Podcast as the team discusses who has made the grade, the decline of New York elite firms like Cravath and Cadwalader, the emerging battle between the Kirkland and Latham models, and why the Global Elite is really the new club many firms will want to join. Plus, which firms we think are the ones to watch going forward.

The Lawyer Podcast will be taking a break over August, but will be back in September with new and exciting content, so make sure you subscribe to get the latest episodes.

You can read The Global Elite report here:

https://www.thelawyer.com/mda/report/the-lawyer-global-elite/

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As the government launches a sweeping review into parental leave, The Lawyer Podcast takes a look at the challenges faced by parents and other carers working in the legal sector. Are firms pulling their weight? Are men? How far have we come and what more can be done?

SHOW NOTES

The Lawyer's Working Parents Report can be read here.

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Lewis Silkin and Freshfields are two very different law firms.

But they now have one thing in common – they won one of the two big awards at The Lawyer Awards 2025 last week.

Now, The Lawyer Podcast is not typically a podcast to gush and coo.

But with Lewis Silkin taking home UK firm of the year this year, and Freshfields winning Transatlantic firm of the year, on this episode, the team wanted to ask what these two firms are getting right. 

And the answer is something that The Lawyer always tries to avoid: the C-word. Culture.

The two firms’ cultures, although very different, are creating success, inflecting their strategies, and allowing them to set themselves apart.

Tune into this episode as Catrin and Christian are joined by Richard Simmons (deputy editor UK), Jessica Boak (regional editor), Matt Byrne (director of insight) and Rachel Moloney (deputy editor City) to discuss why Freshfields and Lewis Silkin are the firms of the moment.

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We have never seen such rapid investment in the London legal market like Paul Weiss’s recruitment spree since 2023.

Between 2023 and 2024 alone, the firm's London headcount tripled and its estimated turnover grew by more than 550 per cent.

But that was just the start of the story for US firms in London over the last financial year, as private capital doubled down on the London market.

So is it all rosy for American firms in London? Or could there be trouble on the horizon?

Tune in to the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast as Catrin Griffiths and Christian Smith are joined by The Lawyer's director of insight, Matt Byrne, and deputy editor (City), Rachel Moloney, as they discuss the US firms to watch, and what they should look out for.

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On the surface, litigation funding and class actions are booming in the UK. Over the past five years, dozens of class actions have been filed in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) and just at the start of this month, a new £5bn action was filed against Google. The 60 cases now in the CAT are said to be worth more than £160bn. And they are all backed by a litigation funder.

But with the judgment in Merricks v Mastercard this month seeing funder Innsworth lash out at the CAT over an “unfair” result, with class actions yet to bring any substantial returns, and with the result of the Civil Justice Council’s review into litigation funding not far away, litigation funders might be having an existential crisis.

So on this episode of The Lawyer Podcast, Catrin and Christian are joined by deputy litigation editor Annabel Tinson to explore whether funders are chasing a busted flush, and if the class action regime is proving a bit of a dud.

To listen to February’s episode about the Merricks v Mastercard case, click here.

To read The Lawyer’s recent coverage of the Merricks v Mastercard case, click here and here.

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News broke last week that the first ever AI law firm had been given the green light by the SRA. The rush by law firms to adopt Artificial Intelligence has been the standout feature of the past two years.

But amongst all the hype, the promises, the bizarre naming of internal chat bots (we’re looking at you, Mishcon de Reya), it’s difficult to get a handle on who is doing what – and if your firm is going to be left behind.

Here at The Lawyer though, we have been working hard to decipher all the tricky messaging to map out how law firms are responding to what is the biggest technological change to the profession since the internet.

So on this episode of the podcast, Catrin and Christian are joined by tech editor Lucie Cruz and director of insight Matt Byrne to discuss firms’ differing responses, what they should be doing, and whether everyone is replaceable.

If you want to read The Lawyer’s Innovation Map for the full analysis on what firms are up to, click here.

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Trump’s attacks on some of America’s most famous law firms has set in motion a chain of events that has thrown the world of BigLaw into chaos.

In episode three of The Lawyer Podcast's mini-series on Trump v BigLaw, Christian, Catrin and Richard assess what the crisis means for the junior members of the legal profession. The team speaks with Rachel Cohen, whose resignation on a point of principle from Skadden and subsequent advocacy has made her something of a leader among the associate community, as well as Georgetown student Caleb Frye, who gives the lowdown of the state of play on campus.

And they discuss what comes next and whether the saga has changed BigLaw forever…

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Trump’s attacks on some of America’s most famous law firms has set in motion a chain of events that has thrown the world of BigLaw into chaos.

On this second episode of our podcast mini-series, Catrin, Christian and Richard look at how firm managements are responding to Trump’s targeting.

The team speaks to former Ashurst senior partner Charlie Geffen and former Weight Watchers and Kenneth Cole General Counsel Michael Colosi for their views.

They also debate whether law firms like A&O Shearman and Paul Weiss were right to enter into deals with the administration, how other firms were ready to poach their lawyers, what it says about the state of the profession, and the response of UK firms in the US.

In our final episode later this week, The Lawyer Podcast explores the response of junior and future lawyers.

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Trump’s attacks on some of America’s most famous law firms has set in motion a chain of events that has thrown the world of BigLaw into chaos.

Across the course of three episodes, The Lawyer Podcast will be talking to figures across the political and legal spectrum on both sides of the Atlantic, from Trump supporters to liberal academics, senior partners to students, associates to judges, to understand the crisis facing BigLaw… and what comes next.

In this first episode, we will take a look at what is behind the moves, and why so many people have a problem with them.

The Lawyer Podcast team speak to former UK Supreme Court Justice Lord Sumption, Harvard law professor Jody Freeman, senior legal fellow at the Trump-sympathetic Heritage Foundation GianCarlo Canaparo, and Professor John Greil, a clinical professor of law in the Law and Religion Clinic at the University of Texas.

In our second episode, released early next week, we will dive into the view from partners and clients, before finishing the series by looking towards the next generation of lawyers, and what long-term effects the crisis might have.

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Law firm listings are out of fashion, but private equity interest in firms has never been higher. 

With more deals already struck this year, The Lawyer Podcast crew sets out the state of PE investment in firms, debates the benefits and challenges of PE involvement, explores the experience of DWF, and ponders what the future will bring.