Financials:
Unfazed by Losing Antitrust Suits, Alphabet Makes Kent Walker First US GC to Break $30M Pay Barrier
Despite significant antitrust defeats, Alphabet’s Kent Walker just became the first U.S. general counsel to surpass $30M in annual pay.
Dallas-Founded Trial Firm Brewer to Boost First-Year Associate Salaries to $300K
April 28, 2025…Dallas, TX – Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors today announced that, effective September 1, 2025, it will increase first-year associate salaries to $300,000.
Rate rises fuel double-digit revenue growth for Big Law in Q1, Wells Fargo reports
Am Law 200 grew revenue 11.3% in first quarter of the year, though demand growth did not live up to expectations according to bank’s research
Barnes & Thornburg, With More Strength in Hiring, Increases Revenue 8%
Firm managing partner Andy Detherage credited the strong results to a mix of higher billing rates, increased staffing, and strong client demand.
Energy, Infrastructure, Finance Practice Lofted Bracewell into Record Year With Revenue Up 11%
The Houston-based firm capitalized on its energy sector expertise and favorable timing to achieve strong financial results in 2024.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Law Students Sue EEOC Over Demands for Big Law DEI Hiring Data
The students’ lawsuit marks another chapter in Democracy Forward’s broader campaign against executive overreach, echoing previous legal challenges the organization has brought against Trump-era policies, including a high-profile suit opposing an executive order that stripped federal employees of job protections and opened the door to politically motivated firings.
Trans former judge to take UK to European Court of Human Rights
A transgender former judge has said she will take the UK to the European Court of Human Rights following the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refers solely to biological sex.
Office Openings & Closing:
UAE firm Habib Al Mulla expands to Egypt
Habib Al Mulla and Partners has expanded into Egypt with the opening of a new office in Cairo.
Mergers & Alliances:
Freshfields has entered into a joint operation with Shanghai-based RuiMin Law Firm, marking a strategic collaboration under the name Freshfields RuiMin.
Dickinson Wright Joins Seattle Push Via Merger With Local Firm
The Detroit-based firm revealed a merger with Seattle firm Ashbaugh Beal this week, adding 11 lawyers to its team in the Emerald City.
Moves:
UK & Ireland
Freshfields Strengthens Energy and Infrastructure Team with New Hire from Paul Hastings
In a strategic move to expand its energy and infrastructure team, Freshfields has welcomed Alistair McKechnie from Paul Hastings
Herbert Smith Freehills Partners to Join Morrison & Foerster
two partners from Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) are set to join the US-based firm Morrison & Foerster.
Wong adds Magic Circle heft to McDermott’s City credentials
Kathleen Wong has joined McDermott Will & Emery as a London-based transactional partner. She leaves A&O Shearman after 23 years.
Morgan Lewis Expands Global Tax Team as Andrew Callaghan Joins in London.
Morgan Lewis is expanding its global tax bench with the arrival of Andrew Callaghan, a seasoned tax adviser who joins the firm’s London office from Milbank.
Eversheds Sutherland augments M&A offering with further lateral partner hire
Eversheds Sutherland has appointed M&A Partner Pieter Paul Terpstra to its corporate finance offering
Linklaters lines up A&O Shearman partner as public international law head
Matthew Hodgson joins Magic Circle rival after more than two decades at A&O
Euan Burrows joins White & Case as a partner in London
Euan joins White & Case from Ashurst, where he was a partner and global head of the antitrust, regulation and trade team.
The Americas
Brian Boynton, former US DOJ Civil Division Head, Rejoins WilmerHale
Boynton worked at DOJ before joining WilmerHale.
Spiegel joins from Offit Kurman.
Former Chief Justice Joins HunterMaclean
Hunter Maclean is pleased to announce that Chief Justice Michael P. has joined the firm as a partner.
Jenner & Block Welcomes Ashley Callen, Former General Counsel
Ashley Callen is joining Jenner & Block as a Partner in the Washington, DC office. She previously served as General Counsel to Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson.
Employment practice partner David Long-Daniels joins Reed Smith in Atlanta
Reed Smith announced that David Long-Daniels has joined the firm’s Labor & Employment Group as a partner in its rapidly growing Atlanta office.
Weil Adds First-Chair Trial Lawyer Nili Moghaddam to Complex Commercial Litigation Practice
Nili’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, government and internal investigations, white collar defense and regulatory compliance. She joins from Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, where she was a partner in that firm’s Litigation practice.
Hogan Lovells adds tech project development lawyers to Miami office
Fernando Margarit has joined as a Corporate & Finance partner in the firm’s Infrastructure, Energy, Resources & Projects (IERP) practice in Miami. Margarit is joined by counsel Brittany Buhler. Both join from Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP.
McDermott Lands Kirkland Capital Markets Partner in Chicago
Craig Garvey aims to mirror the success achieved by several of his former colleagues who made a comparable transition.
Former Senior Trump Administration Trade Official Joins Akin as DC Partner
Kelly Ann Shaw, a Hogan Lovells partner and former key trade official during President Trump’s first term, has joined Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld as a partner in its lobbying and public policy practice.
Akin Adds Two Ex-Government Lawyers to DC International Trade Team
Matthew Borman and Eileen Albanese, both longtime veterans of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), joined Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld on Monday as part of the firm’s expansion of its international trade practice.
APAC
Hong Kong: JSM sees partners exit for Kennedys, Simmons & Simmons
Newly independent Hong Kong law firm Johnson Stokes & Master (JSM) has seen two partner exits, with disputes specialist Wilson Fung (L) departing for Kennedys and employment expert Jennifer Tam joining Simmons & Simmons
The departures leave DLA Piper with no dedicated energy practice partner in Greater China.
EMEA
Latham & Watkins Expands German Operations with New Partner from White & Case
Latham & Watkins is strengthening its presence in Germany by welcoming a new partner from White & Case
Mayer Brown continues Middle East expansion with Dubai partner hire
Priya Shah, an energy specialist, has joined from Ashurst’s Abu Dhabi office.
In-House
US radio giant iHeartMedia hires former CBS Sports GC as next CLO
US radio and audio media company iHeartMedia has hired David Hillman as chief legal officer, filling the seat left vacant by Jordan Fasbender who departed the company in March. Hillman joins from sports streaming business Venu Sports.
Team Moves
Sidley makes London funds play with Weil triple hire
Sidley Austin has hired a trio of funds partners from Weil in London, further ramping up its aggressive City expansion. The group is led by Ed Gander, Weil’s head of London private funds group. Gander is joined by fellow Weil partners Peter Boulle and Stephen Fox.
Cahill hires trio of King & Spalding partners to launch tech IP disputes practice in DC
Cahill Gordon & Reindel is launching a technology IP litigation practice after hiring a three-strong team of highly regarded trial lawyers from King & Spalding. Their names are Chris Campbell, Britton Davis, and Alfonso Garcia Chan.
GRSM Strengthens Florida Footprint with New Miami Team
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani is pleased to welcome a distinguished four-attorney team to its Miami office, led by Partners Lance Shinder and Kyle Johnson. Joining them are Senior Counsel Jordan Utanski and Associate Brandon Shinder, all formerly at Black Srebnick.
John Schnurer, Louise Lu, Kevin Patariu, and Miguel Bombach join the firm’s IP Litigation Practice Group and Innovative Technology Sector in San Diego. Schnurer, Lu, Patariu, and Bombach come from Perkins Coie and bring extensive capabilities in patent litigation. Anderton comes from K&L Gates and advises domestic and international companies.
All practicing Barg Coffin lawyers joined B&D, including Morgan Gilhuly, Brian Haughton, David Metres, Emily Haldeman, Griffin Williams, John Barg, and Stephen Lewis.
Sidley Austin recently expanded its roster by adding nine lawyers from Allen & Overy Shearman’s offices in New York and Washington, D.C. Among the new additions is a seven-lawyer, partner-led finance team in New York and the U.S. regulatory head from Washington, D.C.
Schwartz Sladkus Adds Three-Attorney Fertility Law Team From Warshaw Burstein
Alexis Cirel was a partner at Schwartz Sladkus from 2019 to 2021. She returns as part of a three-lawyer team that is launching a new fertility practice at Schwartz in New York City.
Promotions & Appointments:
Four new partners among promotions at Eversheds Sutherland
Aonghus McClafferty in the dispute resolution and litigation team, Corrina Cassidy in the real estate team, and Chelsey O’Doherty and Nuala Maguire in the construction and projects team have all been promoted to partner.
Ironclad Appoints Docusign’s Dan Springer as CEO
Ironclad Inc. has hired former Docusign CEO Dan Springer as its new leader, with co-founder and outgoing CEO Jason Boehmig becoming executive chairman. Both Springer and Boehmig start in their new roles at Ironclad, a major provider of contract lifecycle management software, on Monday.
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer Appoints New Managing Partner to Lead Asia Strategy Shift
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has appointed Matthew O’Callaghan as its new Asia-wide managing partner. O’Callaghan, who rejoined Freshfields in 2019 as the head of its Asia financial services practice after a 14-year tenure at Goldman Sachs, succeeds Thomas Ng in this role.
Ashurst strengthens Paris corporate team with partner promotion
Global law firm Ashurst has bolstered its corporate/M&A offering with the promotion of Charles-Douglas Fuz to partner in the Paris corporate team, effective 1 May 2025
Clifford Chance promotes 31 to partner – 12 made up in London
Clifford Chance has promoted 31 lawyers to partner in its 2025 round, with London accounting for almost 40% of the global cohort. The latest round is slightly larger than last year’s total of 29 but remains smaller than the firm’s 2023 and 2022 rounds, which saw 32 and 37 promotions respectively.
Chris Clarke, Rich Hawkins to co-lead Bird & Bird’s Australian office
Bird & Bird has announced that Sydney corporate head Chris Clarke and Australian sports practice founder Rich Hawkins will co-lead the firm’s Australian office effective today.
Brazil’s Lefosse Promotes 3 to Partner in Wake of Rainmaker Exit
Brazilian Elite firm Lefosse has strengthened its disputes, capital markets and tax departments by promoting three counsel to its partnership.
Dentons appoints Cornelius Grossmann as Global Head of Solutions Development
Cornelius Grossmann has been appointed Global Head of Solutions Development. He will lead the Firm’s Global Solutions Group to expand and enhance client solutions globally.
Stephenson Harwood promotes 12 partners with a quarter based in Dubai
Jordan Ellis, Paul Katsouris, and Toufic Safie have been promoted to the firm’s partnership, effective from May 1, 2025.
Kennedys promotes Dublin lawyer Mark Dunne to partner
Global law firm Kennedys has promoted Mark Dunne to partner in the firm’s Dublin office.
Linklaters appoints new Global Head of Energy & Infrastructure
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Richard Ginks as Global Head of Energy & Infrastructure! He succeeds Daniel Tyrer, who has led the practice successfully since 2019 and who will be returning to full-time client work
McCann FitzGerald names nine new partners
In Dublin, the new partners are Marie-Alice Cleary and Patrick Longworth in the litigation group, Edel Corry in the real estate group, and Liane Egan, Ronan Murphy and Mark O’Connor in the finance group. Corporate lawyers Jerome Kennedy and Rachel O’Neill have been promoted to partner in the firm’s New York office, while Jack Kelly has become the firm’s third partner in London.
Eversheds Sutherland (International) is pleased to confirm that Keith Froud has now succeeded Lee Ranson as the firm’s Global Co-CEO and International Chief Executive. Keith’s election in September 2024 was uncontested and he began his four-year term on the 1st of May 2025.
Congratulations to Claire Dutch on her appointment as Ashurst’s London Managing Partner!
Osborne Clarke promote 10 UK Partners
International legal practice Osborne Clarke announces that 10 lawyers will be made up to Partner and six promoted to Legal Director on 1st May 2025. This reflects the firm’s commitment to growth and development of talent. London Partners include Chloe Deng, Nicholas Grewal, Jamie Heatly, James Hunt, Roisin Marsh, Luke Maunder, and William Nicolson.
Simmons Appoints UK Head as New-Look Leadership Gets Underway
The firm’s new managing partner Emily Monastiriotis emphasized her desire to internationalize the business.
Technology & Innovation:
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell’s lawyers use AI for court filing, push to move defamation trial
Lawyers representing MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell have asked a judge to postpone the defamation trial against him after mistakenly filing a document made with artificial intelligence.
The State Bar of California has acknowledged for the first time that artificial intelligence was used to develop multiple-choice questions for the February 2025 bar exam, a revelation that has sparked backlash across the legal community and prompted calls for increased transparency and accountability.
Meta executive publicly apologizes to conservative influencer for AI responses
A top executive at tech giant Meta has issued a public apology to conservative influencer Robby Starbuck after Starbuck filed a lawsuit alleging that Meta’s artificial intelligence chatbot produced responses containing false and defamatory information about him.
How Troutman Pepper Locke Used Gen AI to Streamline Its Firm Merger Process
The firm utilized its in-house generative AI chatbot and agentic AI workflows to streamline the management of its recent merger with Locke Lord.
Market Commentary:
Supreme Court appears ready to bless the country’s first public religious charter school
The Supreme Court’s conservative justices signaled Wednesday they are open to allowing the Catholic Church to launch the country’s first publicly funded religious charter school, despite arguments from opponents who say the school would violate the Constitution’s ban on government-established religion.
Bird & Bird Poised to Secure License to Practice in Saudi Arabia’s Legal Market
Bird & Bird is preparing to join the surge of global law firms breaking into Saudi Arabia’s fast-opening legal market.