The best news, analysis and features from Legal Week over the last seven days

Legal Week | Editor's Comment
March 7, 2016

Partner exoduses at Kirkland and Jones Day, pay divides and Brexit – the best of Legal Week last week
The best news, analysis and features from Legal Week over the last seven days

As a general rule Kirkland tends to be the firm raiding its rivals rather than suffering on the receiving end of others' recruitment drives. Last week though the Chicago firm got a taste of its own medicine with news that no fewer than seven of its London partners were heading for the door, with six going to Sidley and one to Freshfields.

All of those leaving in London handed in their notice ahead of new worldwide rules that double the notice period for equity partners and introduce a 30-day notice for salaried partners for the first time. As a signal of internal sentiment, it's a move that suggests the firm is keen to stem a flood of exits that has hit roughly 100 globally over two years - some voluntary, some not.

But while the timing of the latest exits was hastened by the notice change, the exits themselves are happening for wider reasons. As our analysis last week found, career prospects and divisive leadership figures all played a part in the flurry of departures from the City.

In a week dominated by partner moves it wasn't just Kirkland seeing people head for the door. Its US rival Jones Day also saw a number of departures, taking total exits in London to eight since August.

Other highlights on Legal Week last week included our analysis of partner earnings based on limited liability account filings, which show the difference in earnings between what the highest paid member took home and average earnings, with Clyde & Co emerging as the firm with the biggest gap.

Meanwhile a number of law firm leaders publicly came forward for the first time to back the UK staying inside Europe as part of our survey on the implications of Brexit on the commercial legal market.

Other stories you may have missed last week:

Clifford Chance rejigs partnership council as Linklaters boosts advisory team

Nabarro elects real estate head Ciaran Carvalho as senior partner

BLP to shift all City lawyers and staff to Adelaide House

'The lanes we want to run in': the strategy behind Latham's recent Asia hiring spree

Transfer Window: Addleshaws, Mayer Brown and Hogan Lovells all make hires

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