Counsel Culture: The Business of Law Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this week’s episode, Linzi and Ben unpack McDermott Will & Schulte’s exploration of outside private equity investment, and the rowdy reception Paul Weiss chair Brad Karp received while discussing the Trump deal at a New York Bar Foundation event. They also dive into news that the Treasury’s proposed tax move on partnerships may be softer than originally feared, and more. 

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In this week’s episode, Michael and Eleanor discuss AI law firm Garfield taking on a trainee in Channel 4’s latest experiment, the rise of a New York-based law firm operating fully remotely without associates and powered by AI, new moves toward greater tax regulation transparency, the FCA’s decision to take on responsibility for anti-money laundering in the legal sector, the court transparency pilot, and more. 

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For our 100th episode of Counsel Culture, Olivia speaks with Melinda Wallman, Chair and Global Practice Leader at Macrae, about how the rise of private capital is transforming legal recruitment. They explore the contrasting dynamics between the US and UK markets, and delve into Melinda’s perspectives on why private capital has become such a sought-after area for hiring, what firms are prioritising, and how this shift is reshaping legal career paths.

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To kick off the New Year, we are once again joined once again by Simon Slater, former CEO and non-executive board member of Cripps LLP, as well as Board Adviser at Byfield, with his forecasts for 2023. We predict the hot topics for the year ahead, including why firms might have to call curtains on NQ pay rises, the dawn of data as a key management challenge, and why we should be cautiously optimistic about the legal market's fortunes in 2023. We also ask if, with mounting public and regulatory pressure, if this will be a crunch year for ESG commitments - with firm's expected to practice what they preach. 

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This week Meg is joined by special guest Luke Tucker Harrison, co-founder of insolvency and disputes specialists Keidan Harrison LLP, for your weekly digest and analysis of the top stories from the London legal market. We discuss rising cases of barrister misconduct, rising billing rates, social mobility in law firms, and Raab’s move against SLAPPs. Also, we can consider the death of the “all-nighter” – reports of which may (or may not) be greatly exaggerated. 

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This week, we take a hiatus from our usual weekly digests to look back at 2022 with Simon Slater, former CEO and non-executive board member of Cripps LLP, as well as Non-Executive Chair of Byfield Consultancy. We talk about how law firms adapted to the War in Ukraine, the ever-changeable fortunes of the Magic Circle, the rise and rise again of class actions, and dare to ask the question – the War for Talent, is this the beginning of the end?

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Meg Tillay is joined by Michael Evans and podcast first-timer Gus Sellitto to look at the top takeaways from the IBA Conference in Miami. Crockett and Tubbs talk us through the reputational impact of investigations, whether bad clients deserve good lawyers, and what it is really like to stay in a midsize town full of lawyers.

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They'll always hit you and hurt you, defend and attack! Ahead of the World Cup, Ben Girdlestone and Meg Tillay declare their footballing allegiances, and spend just a bit of time discussing this week’s top stories in the UK legal Market. We talk about deal activity, SRA fining powers and getting lawyers in the office. We also look at this week’s Budget and discover that, just like hips, markets don’t lie.

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For Pro Bono Week we are joined by Fred Banning, formerly of Pinsent Masons and the Founder of Fifth Day, a non-profit organisation founded to provide access to pro bono opportunities business professionals within law firms. We discuss the Fifth Day initiative, as well as Law.com’s annual pro bono survey. We also ask how law firms will respond to the M&A downturn and the SRA SLAPP down. 

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Former legal Journalist, Meg Tillay, is joined by Ben Girdlestone for your weekly digest of the top business of law stories from the London legal market. This week we talk about the travails of Magic Circle firms in the US, menopause policies and life for associates on the fast track. We also discover that for some law firms, size isn’t everything. 

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