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Lawyers on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond were left shocked after news emerged on Wednesday that one of the most prestigious and profitable law firms in the world intended to wind down

Weil Gotshal & Manges has been a Wall Street staple for nearly a century. Last year it made more than $2 billion in revenue, and over a billion dollars in profit.

And yet, in what feels like the blink of an eye, the firm’s management committee decided to recommend that the firm shuts down, leaving more than 2000 people - including about 1,200 lawyers - without a job.

How did this happen? This emergency edition of The Lawyer Podcast breaks down the story.

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Freshfields created a storm last week when leaked emails revealed it was considering spinning off its AI venture potentially “worth billions”.

According to the Financial Times, managing partner Alan Mason thinks that Freshfields Lab could get external investment, or even IPO.

So on the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast, the team ask how such plans might work, what’s behind them, and why – as this year’s The Lawyer UK200 reports – they are part of a wider trend of law firms siphoning off non-law businesses.

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The Manchester City judgment is an enormous moment for both law and football.

114/115 charges were proven against the club in a case with ramifications far beyond sport.

So on the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast, we discuss the parts of the decision that may be of interest to lawyers, and its consequences, which might keep lawyers busy for years to come.

And we are also joined by special guest Amar Mehta, a former litigation reporter at The Lawyer and now a news editor at Sky Sports News, as he tells us what it’s been like at the heart of the action, and how a mainstream broadcaster reacts to a legal story like this.

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Losing big teams of senior lawyers has been something of a trend in 2026.

New York firm Weil Gotshal & Manges is the latest to suffer a series of top tier exits.

Mike Aiello, a member of the firm’s management committee and chair of its corporate group, is leaving with a team of partners for Cravath Swaine & Moore in New York.

A few days later, in London, Weil’s City co-head David Avery-Gee and fellow corporate partner Sarah Flaherty were confirmed to be joining Sullivan & Cromwell.

So on the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast, the teams asks: as Weil wobbles, will this be the end of the exits, or do the problems run deeper?

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The Lawyer Podcast is back from the summer break on its new Monday publication date.

2026 was a summer to remember, and not just because of Britain's heatwaves. Legal news was far from dry in July and August, so for its first episode back, The Lawyer Podcast brings you what you missed over the summer.

Football law news accounted for no fewer than eight different stories over the summer, emphasising sport’s growing importance to the legal sector.

The New York market entered a new phase when Gibson Dunn shocked law firms by hiring a team of six partners from the previously unshakeable Wachtell.

Private equity investment in law firms took a twist, with PE-backed Lawfront sued the partners from one of the firms it owns – is it a sign of things to come?

And The Lawyer did a deep dive into listed firm Gateley, in an attempt to understand why it is struggling.

Tune in to the new podcast, as the team discuss these stories and what they mean for the market.

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New York’s legal market is changing. For those long established firms, pressure is coming from multiple directions.

The city is now home to more than just the traditional New York headquartered firms or even the likes of Kirkland & Ellis and Latham & Watkins — global giants that are now considered Manhattan incumbents.

So as The Lawyer prepares to launch an office in New York later this year, we discuss the future of the legal market in the Big Apple, and why the home of capitalism is becoming more ruthless than ever.

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Just as the world of law was getting carried away with the excitement of AI, legal tech firm Legora has brought us all thudding back down to earth.

Legora has told its clients that it plans to move to consumption based pricing - a decision that could fundamentally change how law firms use AI, right as its role is being normalised.

So on this episode of the podcast, we return again to the question of legal AI as we are joined by our tech editor Ben Lucas - who broke the Legora story - and our tech reporter Clementine Doyle, to ask just how big of a deal this is, what it means for the market, and what it might mean for lawyers' day to day.

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It is an uncertain time for those wanting a career in the law.

Doom-mongers would have you think that AI is about to lead to a mass cull in junior lawyer roles around the world.

But at the same time, associate salaries keep going up – and some big firms are even increasing their junior hiring.

So what is the truth behind the future of junior talent?

The Lawyer Podcast tries to find out.

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In 2015, The Lawyer wrote: “eight candidates for two top roles at Allen & Overy, and not one woman. For a law firm committed to that 30 per cent target, it’s not a good look.”

Fast-forward to 2026 and, as The Lawyer wrote last week, just one female partner included on A&O Shearman’s refreshed board of six has left many “disappointed” with the outcome.

This is not a problem unique to A&O, with female representation low at a number of big firms.

And yet, a generation of female leaders are coming to the fore in many law firms.

So, on the latest episode of the podcast, we discuss why there is still such an issue at A&O Shearman, and across the law more generally, but also which firms and leaders are making a change.

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We’ve all been seeing a lot more of Jude Law lately.

Legal AI firm Legora’s effort to cement itself in our consciousness with expensive ads featuring the actor has certainly been refreshing 

In its latest funding round in March, the company hit a valuation of $5.5bn and now has contracts with law firms including White & Case, HSF Kramer, Dentons, and Pérez-Llorca.

Meanwhile, its competitor Harvey has grown its own valuation from $3bn early last year to $11bn in its latest funding round in March.

On its books are firms like A&O Shearman, CMS, Ashurst and, as of last week, Slaughter and May.

But despite their rapid rises, is there a risk that the two companies’ dominance is peaking?

Some lawyers are becoming concerned at the size of these legal AI vendors, while Freshfields recently turned its nose up at both of them, instead choosing to partner with AI giant Anthropic. It wants more freedom to tinker with the AI model itself.

So on this episode of the podcast, we ask what the future is for the two legal tech firms as bigger competitors enter the market, why lawyers like them – and why they don’t – and what’s with the bonkers valuations?

Check out The Lawyer’s brand new Innovation Map, exploring how law firms are using AI as the technology moves from experimentation to routine practice. 

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Ever since its big German mergers in 2000, the firm has been one of the major international players in Europe and is now the second largest law firm in Germany.

And yet… Freshfields has lost some top talent in the country recently, at the same time as making no bones about its intention to prioritise its US practice.

As many firms will be aware, the gap between American and German fees – and compensation – can create problems.

So what is going on with Freshfields and Germany, and is there really a future for the firm there as it shifts its focus to America?

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The Lawyer Podcast is on holiday this week, but with Taylor Wessing and Winston and Strawn aiming to complete their merger in three weeks’ time, we thought you might like to listen back to our episode from last year when news of the deal broke.

The 1st May target date for the merger to go live is not locked in – the two firms are still dotting I’s and crossing T’s. If it goes ahead then though, it will be the first of the three transatlantic tie-ups agreed late last year to complete.

On the episode recorded back in December, the team discusses the firms’ strategies, what it means for Germany and the rest of Europe, and whether it actually makes sense...

Hosts Catrin Griffiths and Christian Smith are joined by deputy insight editor Nikhil Raj Aggarwal and international editor Charlie Johnstone, along with special guest Aled Griffiths, the founder of German legal magazine Juve.

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In hindsight, Kirkland & Ellis’s rise to the top of BigLaw may now seem as predictable as death and taxes.

There was even a sense of inevitability when its latest financial results were released earlier this month, becoming the first firm to surpass $10bn with PEP at $11m.

But it was actually less than a decade ago, in 2017, when the firm first topped the global revenue charts.

So how did Kirkland get here, what makes it so successful, and is its place at the top of the tree actually secure?

Tune in to the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast to find out!

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Private equity investment in law firms is kicking off in England. But in Scotland, lawyers are at risk of falling behind as regulations restrict Scottish firms from doing the same – and that’s left lawyers there frustrated.

So on this episode of the podcast, the team is joined from Glasgow by Horizon editor Margaret Taylor and deputy editor (UK) Richard Simmons, as we unpack the challenges facing private equity investment in Scotland, dive into the dramatic changes in Scottish firms' leadership in recent years, and ask what the future has in store for the market. 

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The Silver Circle was a concept coined by The Lawyer more than 20 years ago. Rather than describing a set of “magic circle wannabes”, its purpose was to collate the firms’ strategies and models. Those in the Silver Circle have arguably changed over the years, with the likes of Macfarlanes and Travers Smith remaining constant.

But after two decades and enormous changes in the legal market, does the term still hold true, and who is actually in the Silver Circle now?

Tune in to the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast as we discuss what the future holds for the Silver Circle.

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Brad Karp became a household name - for Big Law at least - during his 17 year tenure at the helm of Paul Weiss.

But the long serving chair of the New York firm resigned from his leadership role last week over revelations in the latest batch of the Epstein files.

His exit makes him one of the first Americans to resign over the revelations.

So on this episode of The Lawyer Podcast, we take a look at why he quit, and what next for Paul Weiss under new chair, Scott Barshay.

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The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum at Davos usually revolves around talk of business, finance and investment. Indeed, law firms Baker McKenzie and DLA Piper are official partners of the forum.

But last week’s meeting was dominated by the unusual topic of Greenland: President Trump’s threat to take the island by force, the Danish government’s rebuff and the seeming fracturing of the NATO alliance.

While the issue may seem like a matter of geopolitics not immediately connected to lawyers and law firms, the ramifications of the crisis have big implications for the increasingly international and, perhaps more importantly, transatlantic nature of Big Law.

Not least of all for firms in Denmark, where the market was already flying through some (quite exciting) turbulence.

So on this episode of The Lawyer Podcast, we assess the wide ranging implications of the crisis for Danish and global lawyers, along with the rapid developments in the Danish legal market in recent years.

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The Lawyer Podcast is back for 2026 and it is picking up where we left off: with  transatlantic mergers.

Just before Christmas, Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader announced what will be, by value, the largest law firm merger ever agreed.

The headline figures look good, but all may not be as it seems…

So on the first podcast of the year, we assess what we really make of the tie-up and ask, is time running out for other firms to find a merger partner?

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As if 2025 needed just another little dollop of big legal news, Taylor Wessing and Winston & Strawn are set to become the fourth major transatlantic merger in two and a half years.

So The Lawyer Podcast is back for an unexpected bonus episode as they talk through the announcement.

The second transatlantic tie-up in a month, the team discusses what the firms are up to, what it means for Germany and the rest of Europe, and whether it is actually a good idea, or a bold mistake…

Hosts Catrin Griffiths and Christian Smith are joined by deputy insight editor Nikhil Raj Aggarwal and international editor Charlie Johnstone, along with very special guest Aled Griffiths, the founder of German legal magazine Juve.

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As 2025 draws to a close, it feels like 2025 has been an inflection point for the legal sector.

While firm financials largely look good, fundamental changes are underway on both sides of the Atlantic.

Technology, investment, mergers and even politics all shook the business of law this year.

So for the final episode of The Lawyer Podcast in 2025, we take a look back at what has changed for the sector this year, and what it means for 2026.

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Unlike A&O’s tie up with Shearman and Sterling, Ashurst’s announcement that it had agreed a merger did not come as a surprise.

The firm had been in the market for a US-merger for more than two decades, yet its new partner, Perkins Coie, did still come as a bit of a surprise.

The silver circle firm clearly needed to make its move, but was it the right one?

Tune in to the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast as hosts Catrin Griffiths and Christian Smith are joined by Matt Byrne and Nikhil Raj Aggarwal discuss what the move might mean for the two firms, the wider market, and those firms leftover who are still looking for their own merger partner.

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The Lawyer’s editor Catrin Griffiths and director of insight Matt Byrne are back from a fact-finding mission in New York, and merger mania is gripping the city’s lawyers.

As firms seek scale, reach and private capital clients, some of the oldest firms in the Big Apple are pondering how a tie up could help their bottom line.

And while private equity investment into firms is all the rage in the UK, in the US it is starting to gain traction as well.

So in the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast, Catrin and Matt recount what they learned on their adventure across New York last week…

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Tax rises for partnerships may be on the way in next month’s Budget – and potentially big ones at that.

Many lawyers were left shocked after the news broke last week that the Government is considering adding the equivalent of employer’s national insurance onto partnerships.

So on the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast, we ask what that might mean for a range of firms, whether it is a good idea (or just good politics), what firms might do about it, and what friend of the show and former Clifford Chance head of tax Dan Neidle thinks…

You can read The Lawyer’s piece on the idea from 2022 here:

https://www.thelawyer.com/the-treasury-could-tax-commercial-law-firms-an-extra-1bn-and-theyd-barely-notice/

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Private equity investment in law firms has accelerated in the past 12 months. Essentially every UK200 law firm in the country has been approached, and many have already accepted the opportunity. Now the question is whether firms at the top of the market might join in.

But is it actually a good idea? Can law firms offer the rapid turnaround that private equity demands? Or is it just a chance for equity partners to cash in and retire, leaving behind them a mess for their firms?

The Lawyer Podcast investigates.

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The Lawyer's UK200: Top 100 report, sponsored by Legora, is out and it contains 100 stories of firms forging ahead or falling behind. But which are the most interesting of all?

In this week's episode of The Lawyer Podcast we dive into the sea of data and analysis that is the UK200 report and come up clutching four firms that are particularly worthy of attention this year. Who are they? Why should you care about them? And who does director of insight Matt Byrne think is the sexiest firm in the top 100? You'll have to listen to find out.

And subscribers can read the full top 100 report right here:

https://www.thelawyer.com/mda/report/uk-200-top-100-2025/

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Gardening has transformed from an old-fashioned past-time to a popular trend in the past few years, and now, even law firms are getting in on the action.

Firms like Eversheds, Switalskis and CANDEY are leading the charge, but there is so much more that could be done. After all, who wants to look at a grey bit of concrete all day.

So as the Autumn weather sets in and as we all try to distract ourselves from the news, The Lawyer Podcast asks what difference gardens would make to law firms, which firms have the best gardens, and whether your firm needs to make more of an effort than a pot plant and a strip of manky grass.

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The kids are back in school, the clouds are rolling in, and offices across the land are filling up with lawyers returning from their holidays.

And just in time, The Lawyer Podcast is back after the summer break. But just like in Westminster, it was far from a quiet summer for the legal sector.

So on our first episode back, we bring you the stories you missed while you were on your holidays.

From Addleshaw Goddard’s salary debunching and bumps in the road for Pogust Goodhead and the mass claims market, to financial results and private equity’s obsession with law, this is what you need to know from the summer.

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There is a radical reconfiguration taking place in the world of BigLaw that may make terms like magic circle or white shoe firm obsolete.

The transatlantic, private capital corridor between New York and London is now the stamping ground for some of the world’s best and most profitable law firms - firms that The Lawyer are now calling the Global Elite.

The Lawyer’s brand new The Global Elite report sets out those firms making the grade as part of the transatlantic universe.

So tune in to this episode of The Lawyer Podcast as the team discusses who has made the grade, the decline of New York elite firms like Cravath and Cadwalader, the emerging battle between the Kirkland and Latham models, and why the Global Elite is really the new club many firms will want to join. Plus, which firms we think are the ones to watch going forward.

The Lawyer Podcast will be taking a break over August, but will be back in September with new and exciting content, so make sure you subscribe to get the latest episodes.

You can read The Global Elite report here:

https://www.thelawyer.com/mda/report/the-lawyer-global-elite/

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As the government launches a sweeping review into parental leave, The Lawyer Podcast takes a look at the challenges faced by parents and other carers working in the legal sector. Are firms pulling their weight? Are men? How far have we come and what more can be done?

SHOW NOTES

The Lawyer's Working Parents Report can be read here.

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Lewis Silkin and Freshfields are two very different law firms.

But they now have one thing in common – they won one of the two big awards at The Lawyer Awards 2025 last week.

Now, The Lawyer Podcast is not typically a podcast to gush and coo.

But with Lewis Silkin taking home UK firm of the year this year, and Freshfields winning Transatlantic firm of the year, on this episode, the team wanted to ask what these two firms are getting right. 

And the answer is something that The Lawyer always tries to avoid: the C-word. Culture.

The two firms’ cultures, although very different, are creating success, inflecting their strategies, and allowing them to set themselves apart.

Tune into this episode as Catrin and Christian are joined by Richard Simmons (deputy editor UK), Jessica Boak (regional editor), Matt Byrne (director of insight) and Rachel Moloney (deputy editor City) to discuss why Freshfields and Lewis Silkin are the firms of the moment.

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We have never seen such rapid investment in the London legal market like Paul Weiss’s recruitment spree since 2023.

Between 2023 and 2024 alone, the firm's London headcount tripled and its estimated turnover grew by more than 550 per cent.

But that was just the start of the story for US firms in London over the last financial year, as private capital doubled down on the London market.

So is it all rosy for American firms in London? Or could there be trouble on the horizon?

Tune in to the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast as Catrin Griffiths and Christian Smith are joined by The Lawyer's director of insight, Matt Byrne, and deputy editor (City), Rachel Moloney, as they discuss the US firms to watch, and what they should look out for.

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On the surface, litigation funding and class actions are booming in the UK. Over the past five years, dozens of class actions have been filed in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) and just at the start of this month, a new £5bn action was filed against Google. The 60 cases now in the CAT are said to be worth more than £160bn. And they are all backed by a litigation funder.

But with the judgment in Merricks v Mastercard this month seeing funder Innsworth lash out at the CAT over an “unfair” result, with class actions yet to bring any substantial returns, and with the result of the Civil Justice Council’s review into litigation funding not far away, litigation funders might be having an existential crisis.

So on this episode of The Lawyer Podcast, Catrin and Christian are joined by deputy litigation editor Annabel Tinson to explore whether funders are chasing a busted flush, and if the class action regime is proving a bit of a dud.

To listen to February’s episode about the Merricks v Mastercard case, click here.

To read The Lawyer’s recent coverage of the Merricks v Mastercard case, click here and here.

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News broke last week that the first ever AI law firm had been given the green light by the SRA. The rush by law firms to adopt Artificial Intelligence has been the standout feature of the past two years.

But amongst all the hype, the promises, the bizarre naming of internal chat bots (we’re looking at you, Mishcon de Reya), it’s difficult to get a handle on who is doing what – and if your firm is going to be left behind.

Here at The Lawyer though, we have been working hard to decipher all the tricky messaging to map out how law firms are responding to what is the biggest technological change to the profession since the internet.

So on this episode of the podcast, Catrin and Christian are joined by tech editor Lucie Cruz and director of insight Matt Byrne to discuss firms’ differing responses, what they should be doing, and whether everyone is replaceable.

If you want to read The Lawyer’s Innovation Map for the full analysis on what firms are up to, click here.

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Trump’s attacks on some of America’s most famous law firms has set in motion a chain of events that has thrown the world of BigLaw into chaos.

In episode three of The Lawyer Podcast's mini-series on Trump v BigLaw, Christian, Catrin and Richard assess what the crisis means for the junior members of the legal profession. The team speaks with Rachel Cohen, whose resignation on a point of principle from Skadden and subsequent advocacy has made her something of a leader among the associate community, as well as Georgetown student Caleb Frye, who gives the lowdown of the state of play on campus.

And they discuss what comes next and whether the saga has changed BigLaw forever…

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Trump’s attacks on some of America’s most famous law firms has set in motion a chain of events that has thrown the world of BigLaw into chaos.

On this second episode of our podcast mini-series, Catrin, Christian and Richard look at how firm managements are responding to Trump’s targeting.

The team speaks to former Ashurst senior partner Charlie Geffen and former Weight Watchers and Kenneth Cole General Counsel Michael Colosi for their views.

They also debate whether law firms like A&O Shearman and Paul Weiss were right to enter into deals with the administration, how other firms were ready to poach their lawyers, what it says about the state of the profession, and the response of UK firms in the US.

In our final episode later this week, The Lawyer Podcast explores the response of junior and future lawyers.

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Trump’s attacks on some of America’s most famous law firms has set in motion a chain of events that has thrown the world of BigLaw into chaos.

Across the course of three episodes, The Lawyer Podcast will be talking to figures across the political and legal spectrum on both sides of the Atlantic, from Trump supporters to liberal academics, senior partners to students, associates to judges, to understand the crisis facing BigLaw… and what comes next.

In this first episode, we will take a look at what is behind the moves, and why so many people have a problem with them.

The Lawyer Podcast team speak to former UK Supreme Court Justice Lord Sumption, Harvard law professor Jody Freeman, senior legal fellow at the Trump-sympathetic Heritage Foundation GianCarlo Canaparo, and Professor John Greil, a clinical professor of law in the Law and Religion Clinic at the University of Texas.

In our second episode, released early next week, we will dive into the view from partners and clients, before finishing the series by looking towards the next generation of lawyers, and what long-term effects the crisis might have.

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Law firm listings are out of fashion, but private equity interest in firms has never been higher. 

With more deals already struck this year, The Lawyer Podcast crew sets out the state of PE investment in firms, debates the benefits and challenges of PE involvement, explores the experience of DWF, and ponders what the future will bring.

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Dynamic. Modern. Exciting. From Revolut to Bloom & Wild, Darktrace to Fever, startups are increasingly the place to be in the UK - and that is the case for lawyers too.

So as the potential avenues for a career in law grow and grow, Catrin Griffiths and Christian Smith are joined on The Lawyer Podcast by Tech Editor Lucie Cruz – and some special guests –  to discuss what it takes to be a lawyer at a startup.

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Poland’s GDP per capita could surpass Japan’s next year and may exceed the UK’s by the end of the decade.

Such statistics help explain why the Eastern European nation is seeing an influx of international business - and legal work.

Addleshaw Goddard is to take over Linklaters’ office in Warsaw in April, Clyde & Co is keenly poaching from Dentons, while Wolf Theiss and Schoenherr are also on the hunt for talent.

So what is driving this change, why does Addleshaws want in while Linklaters wants out, and what could that signal for the rest of the magic circle?

Check out the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast with Catrin, Christian, Alex and Michal to find out.

You can read more about the Central and Eastern European legal market in The Lawyer’s new Central and Eastern Europe: Opportunities and challenges for growth report here.

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£20m is a number most recently associated with top private equity partners, but that’s the amount a team from Willkie Farr & Gallagher has been paid for its work on the iconic Merricks v Mastercard litigation.

Now as the case wraps up, Catrin and Christian are joined by deputy litigation editor Annabel Tinson to discuss the story behind the case and its controversial settlement, and ask: what will its legacy be?

Is the class action regime working fairly, or are the critics right and it’s just a scheme to enrich the lawyers and litigation funders? And who will make the Netflix series?

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As Donald Trump and his allies put corporate ESG on both sides of the Atlantic in their crosshairs, is now the time for law firms to stand up and prove that their sustainability programmes are not just all for lip service?

To mark the launch of The Lawyer’s Sustainability Hub, the podcast team discuss the future of law firm sustainability, which firms need to up their game, why the Slaughters’ partner dining room is progressive, and why Linklaters (or “Stinklaters”) actually deserves credit for what it is doing on the environment.

The Sustainability hub is here to help you discover how your law firm is reducing its impact, benchmark one firm’s progress against its peers, uncover what more is needed to drive meaningful change across the industry, and much more.

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Losing more than a dozen partners in a year isn’t good for any firm, but it’s particularly bad if you are a top of the market type practice like Latham & Watkins.

But after such a stumble in London and across Europe last year, which saw the firm recalibrate its partner remuneration and bonus structure to hold on to top talent, the time has come to ask: should Lathamites be worried, or is a little turbulence all part of life for a global elite firm?

Join Catrin Griffiths, Christian Smith, Matt Byrne and Rachel Moloney as they discuss Latham’s place in the emerging global elite market.

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The Lawyer Podcast is back with for 2025!

Every January for the past 15 years, The Lawyer has published its Top 20 Cases to look out for in the coming year. Each year’s list boasts of the skill and depth of the legal market, and the high drama of the English courts.

So what makes this year different, and what can it tell us about the current state of law, business and politics? Well to kick off the New Year, Catrin and Christian are joined by senior litigation reporter Annabel Tinson to discuss the lessons from this year’s top cases.

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It's less than a week until Christmas and across the country, fires are blazing, trees are twinkling and pigs in blankets are roasting. But in offices, lawyers still have their noses to the grindstone. 

For those who celebrate it, the Christmas break can be a time to put your feet up and relax. But many still need to work over the festive season, and many still find it difficult to stop. So for our final podcast of the year, The Lawyer looks at workaholism and why lawyers so susceptible to it. 

Joining hosts Catrin Griffiths and Christian Smith to highlight the growing awareness around workaholism in the legal profession are James Browning, an academic researcher into addiction, and psychotherapist counsellor Paul Arnold.

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Editors Catrin Griffiths, Christian Smith and Richard Simmons are back to reveal the five firms in the second hundred of the UK200 they are watching in the coming years – for good or for ill.

Tune in as we discuss firms from around the country: RBG, Lawrence Stephens, Enyo Law, FBC Manby Bowdler and Simpson Millar.

And please remember to like and subscribe on your favourite podcast platform.

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The announcement that Herbert Smith Freehills would merge with US firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel has got chins wagging across the transatlantic market.

But is this a new mega-firm in the vein of A&O Shearman, a shrewd building block for HSF to make advances in the US, or a bit of an anti-climax?

What is clear is that HSF will need to prove to markets on both sides of the Atlantic why the Kramer Levin deal makes sense.

Tune in to the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast as Catrin and Christian are joined by the team leading The Lawyer’s new “global elite” coverage, Matt Byrne and Nikhil Raj Aggarwal, to assess the numbers, drivers and rumours behind the latest transatlantic tie-up.

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It is a moment of change for the European legal market.

With firms like Kirkland and Paul Hastings making major recent moves in the EU, US firms are starting to seriously disrupt the European order.

This is most visible in Germany, France and the Nordics.

So on this episode of the The Lawyer Podcast, our international editor Alex Taylor joins us after a recent visit to Oslo to discuss how US firms are impacting their local rivals, and what UK firms need to do to avoid being forgotten.

Listen to our February episode on Europe here.

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In part two of our two-part podcast series, celebrating the 20th edition of The Lawyer's UK200, editors Catrin Griffiths, Christian Smith, Matt Byrne, Katy Dowell and Richard Simmons are back to reveal the five firms they are watching in the coming years – for good or for ill.

With a list of 200 law firms, it’s not difficult to find some which pique our interest…but why have they?

Tune in as we discuss Freshfields, Hill Dickinson, BDB Pitmans, Osborne Clarke and BCLP.

And please remember to like and subscribe on your favourite podcast platform.

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If this year's UK200 is anything to go by, the majority of UK law firms are in robust health. Indeed, they are finally fighting back against the growth of US competitors.

So why are so many upending their partnership models?

In part one of our two part podcast series celebrating the 20th edition of The Lawyer's UK200, editors Catrin Griffiths, Christian Smith, Matt Byrne, Katy Dowell and Richard Simmons sit down to discuss what this year's UK200 report tells us about the health of UK law firms and how a partnership evolution is changing the way law firms operate.

Come back in a fortnight for part two, when we reveal our picks for the five law firms to watch - for good or for ill.

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Last week, A&O Shearman set out post-merger plans to close its legacy Allen & Overy base in Johannesburg, reduce its partnership by 10 per cent by the end of the financial year, and sell its consultancy business Consulting by A&O Shearman.

So is this a sign of things already going wrong, or is this all par for the course for big mergers?

In this new episode of The Lawyer Podcast, hosts Catrin Griffiths and Christian Smith are joined by deputy editor (City) Rachel Moloney and Horizon editor Katy Dowell to discuss the aftermath of mega mergers.

Drawing on the notable transatlantic mergers of Hogan Lovells, BCLP and Eversheds, the team discuss partner losses and the importance of the first six months of a newly consolidated operation. What mergers should A&O Shearman model? And is this culling a sign of weakness or strength?