Counsel Culture: The Business of Law Podcast

In this episode, Meg and Dina are joined by Sean McGuiness, Investment Manager, Senior Legal Counsel at Omni Bridgeway. They discuss how the PACCAR decision is impacting the market and what to expect from this government in the legislation tackling it (when it comes through), controversies around litigation funding such as fees the funders charge, why funding is so important for litigation and the upcoming market trends to watch out for.If you'd like to get in contact with Sean, his details are as follows:Sean McGuiness Investment Manager, Senior Legal Counsel OMNI BRIDGEWAYLink House, Level 2, 78 Cowcross Street, London EC1M 6EJ M +44 7725 340 688E [email protected] you for Listening!

In the episode, Meg is joined by Byfield Joint Managing Director, Ben Girdlestone, to discuss the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer merger, the climate protests outside law firms, the US election and a couple of law firm culture stories recently published by The Times.  Thank you for Listening!

In this episode, Michael and Ben dive into some of the biggest news stories in the UK Legal Market. They explore whether law firm leaders are experiencing FOMO (fear of missing out) amidst the wave of mergers sweeping the sector. The conversation also touches on trainee salaries and the divide between equity and non-equity partners in US firms. Additionally, they provide updates on high-profile cases, including the BHP case regarding the dam disaster in Brazil, as well as how the SRA is handling the Post Office and Axiom Ince cases.Thank you for Listening!

Meg welcomes Simon Davis, former Law Society of England and Wales President and former commercial litigation Partner at Clifford Chance, on the podcast this week to discuss the ever-changing landscape in the legal industry and all of the challenges arising out of that for law firms and their lawyers.They also discuss scrutiny of lawyers in litigation and ethical considerations in disputes.Thank you for Listening!

Rose Walker from Bloomberg Tax is back on Counsel Culture this week to discuss how mergers, rebrands and restructurings may impact culture in law firms.Leaning on the latest Freshfields rebrand and the Johannesburg office closure and equity partner cut at A&O Shearman, Rose and Meg discuss the communications and cultural challenges that come with such changes, and what firms can do to ensure they walk the talk when it comes to diversity and inclusion.Thank you for Listening!

Counsel Culture is back with another instalment of Disputes & Investigations Monthly!In this episode, Meg is joined by Founder Gus Sellitto and Senior Consultant Dina Hudson to discuss the upcoming liability trial in the BHP Mariana Dam case, along with broader reputational concerns surrounding strategic litigation related to ESG.Thank you for Listening!

In this episode Meg and Michael Evans, Joint Managing Director at Byfield, discuss his highlights at the IBA including: his session on whether firms should speak up or remain neutral on major geopolitical/societal issues and the fact that the Mexican President attacked the legal sector and rule of law by revamping the judicial system. They also spoke about recent office closures from Armstrong Teasdale, Hogan Lovells and A&O Shearman.Thank you for Listening!

In today’s episode, Meg is joined by David Patient, Senior Adviser at Travers Smith, for a conversation on law firm expansion in the Middle East, the talent war and David's key lessons for law firm leaders. He also shares his predictions on how the legal industry may evolve in the coming years.Thank you for Listening!

After a summer hiatus, Counsel Culture is finally back!We’re kicking off with an exciting new episode featuring James Booth and Edin Imsirovic from Financial News.Together with Meg, they discuss Paul Weiss' impressive growth one year later and A&O Shearman’s recent hiring of two private equity partners from Sidley and making people redundant (probably).Thank you for Listening!

This week Meg is joined by Joint Managing Director Ben Girdlestone to discuss the return of deals, Kirkland & Ellis Partner moves and diverse lawyers being used as “window dressing” in client pitches. Thank you for Listening!