The Big Question

Business confidence at top commercial law firms has been further battered by gloomy economic news in the current quarter — but nearly one in two partners still expect their firms to achieve revenue growth this year. Conducted a month after the... more 30 October 2008 03:59

City partners have shrugged off their free market principles to support the UK Government’s historic £400bn bank rescue package that will see the state partially nationalise swathes of the UK financial system. The latest Legal Week Big Question... more 16 October 2008 08:00

Almost half of partners believe lawyer redundancy programmes have a major negative impact on law firms’ reputations, according to new research. The latest Legal Week/Big Question survey findings follow several City firms — including Freshfields... more 02 October 2008 04:00

Leading City lawyers believe strong management has helped drive law firms’ success in recent years, with new research showing partners are now ascribing far more value to effective leadership than in the past. The latest Legal Week/Big Question... more 13 September 2008 01:05

Senior lawyers remain deeply ambivalent regarding attempts to rank and disclose pro bono activity despite a clear majority believing such initiatives would boost commercial firms’ non-profit activities. This is the key finding of the latest Big... more 31 July 2008 01:04

Despite a stream of negative headlines and gloomy predictions that the UK is entering into a recession, two-thirds of senior City partners are still forecasting revenues to increase over the next 12 months. Legal Week’s quarterly business confidence... more 17 July 2008 04:29

Partners at leading City firms face an uphill struggle to win senior roles after a career in law, with the overwhelming majority believing commercial lawyers suffer from an image problem in the wider business community. Results of the latest Legal... more 26 June 2008 05:59

More than three-quarters of senior lawyers believe charge-out rates at leading commercial law firms will rise over the next 12 months, despite growing pressure from clients to cut back on fee increases because of uncertain market conditions. Results... more 05 June 2008 01:04

Staff turnover of once-mobile junior lawyers is set to fall in response to the leaner commercial environment but associates aiming to stay put are likely to face tougher performance reviews. That is the message coming from the latest Legal Week Big... more 15 May 2008 01:05

Online special: Partners to deliver reality check to Gen Y assistants in tough pay round

Junior City lawyers — especially in property and banking — should not expect large salary hikes this year but the best mid-level associates remain in demand, according to new research. Those are the key findings of the latest Big Question survey,... more 01 May 2008 00:46

More than 90% of leading lawyers believe the profession has improved its record on supporting gay staff, as highlighted by a number of law firms recently launching their own lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender groups. Emma Sadowski reports more 17 April 2008 01:52

Law firms are scaling back growth predictions in the face of continued market turmoil, according to Legal Week research, with international firms increasingly backing the Middle East and Asia to drive their current expansion. Legal Week’s quarterly... more 03 April 2008 01:03

Online special: City partners name BLP as most upwardly mobile in chasing pack

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), Herbert Smith and Ashurst have seen their market reputation improve more in the last three years than any other ‘chasing pack’ firm, according to new Legal Week research. The latest Legal Week/EJ Legal Big Question... more 13 March 2008 01:55

Online special: Non-dom tax row stokes partner fears over Labour’s City support

Almost a third of leading lawyers think the UK Government’s tax policies have damaged the City’s position as a global financial centre, with almost 70% objecting to recent proposals to impose a charge on non-domiciled individuals. Legal Week research... more 28 February 2008 02:01

More than half of the UK’s leading lawyers believe the Bar’s independence is under threat from sweeping reforms contained in the Legal Services Act (LSA), according to new research. The finding is part of the latest Legal Week/EJ Legal Big Question... more 14 February 2008 04:00

Online special: CSR winning more lawyer converts

Only a small percentage of UK lawyers are strongly opposed to taking on ethically-questionable mandates, a survey of the profession has found, even though the majority believe doing so can damage a law firm’s reputation. Just 11% of leading UK... more 31 January 2008 02:00

Business confidence among the UK’s top lawyers has dropped from sky-high levels to its lowest rate in almost five years in the clearest indication yet that City partners expect shifts in the global economy to hit the legal sector. The quarterly Legal... more 17 January 2008 00:25

Russia’s oil-driven economic revival is generating a flood of corporate work and surging demand for City partners. Richard Lloyd reports on Moscow’s white-hot legal market more 10 January 2008 00:05

Partners warn that litigation risks for law firms are mounting in the global marketplace in the wake of a spate of negligence claims, but firms have beefed up their risk management procedures. Michelle Madsen reports on the latest Big Question survey more 13 December 2007 00:07

Online special: City firms improving pro bono efforts but controversy rages over PR tactics

City firms are becoming stronger converts to the pro bono cause, but conservative Brits still cannot quite get used to the US example of firm-wide ventures and hourly targets. Caroline Grimshaw reports on the latest Big Question survey more 29 November 2007 00:07