The days of law firms quietly brushing unsavoury partner behaviour under the carpet appear to be over. In the last month alone, two Big Law partners have been shown the door by their firms; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe ousted Africa practice head Pascal Agboyibor from its Paris office following reports of inappropriate behaviour, while in Chicago, Mayer Brown ‘terminated’ Zac Barnett, head of the firm’s global fund
finance practice, after ‘inappropriate personal conduct with a subordinate’.
These are just the latest lawyers to be dismissed in the #MeToo era and a sign that the world’s largest firms are at last taking seriously allegations of inappropriate behaviour – including that committed by their top producers. No doubt there will be more dismissals in the months ahead as firms continue to clean house. In recognition of its global impact, and following our own team’s very recent experience of inappropriate behaviour (see issue 02), April’s fivehundred has a special #MeTooLaw focus.
Christina Detsch looks at the impact the movement has had on the US workplace environment (page 60); Seth Singh Jennings talks to Lauren Casazza and Kim Nemirow about why they established Kirkland & Ellis’s ‘crisis response practice’; in light of changes to the regulatory environment, partnership expert Clare Murray explains how UK firms have reacted to sexual harassment claims ; and PR guru Gus Sellitto says firms need to consider how they respond to #MeToo allegations if their reputations are to be preserved.
Among our regular features, Umar Kankiya explains why BAME students struggle to get into law; Three New Square’s Nicholas Hill reflects on his time as chair of the Institute of Barristers’ Clerks, and the work still to be done; Vavrovsky Heine Marth’s Anne-Karin Grill says law is a people’s business, and legal tech won’t change that; and Propero Partners’ Jonathan Phillips explores what changing client behaviour means for law firms of the future.
Elsewhere, Caribbean editor Amy Ulliott talks to BVI-based firms affected by Hurricane Irma and the lessons they learned following the devastating storm; Andrea de Palatis analyses the latest New Zealand rankings; Will Tolcher reports on the latest private equity trends in Latin America; and I talk to leading Indian lawyers about an amendment to their nation’s arbitration laws which falls short of lofty, long-term goals.
And in this month’s big interviews, we talk to Terence Tung, Asia senior partner at Mayer Brown; Fernando Vives, executive chairman of Garrigues; Gavin MacLaren, CEO of Corrs Chambers Westgarth ; McCormick’s founder Peter McCormick; and Vanessa King, managing partner of O’Neal Webster); while our practice area spotlight focuses on employee incentives.
I hope you enjoy this April issue and look forward to seeing you again next month with more exclusive content.
John van der Luit-Drummond
Hall of fame: Paul Friedland
Partner Paul Friedland discusses how White & Case LLP is adapting to changing client needs.
What has been your greatest achievement, in a professional and personal capability? Earning and keeping the respect of colleagues, whether junior or senior, and of peers inside or outside my firm. What do you do differently from your peers in the industry? I don’t presume to be different or better than peers. I hold myself …
The client side
The certainties and confidence that law firms once had that their sector would not be challenged have
proven unfounded, writes Propero Partners
CEO Jonathan Phillips
One thing is certain, there will always be a need for legal services. Less certain, however, is the way these services will be bought and sold moving into the future. As recently as the last decade, the weakening of the traditional partnership model combined with the advent of legal technology has given rise to a …
Continue reading “Breaking down barriers: client behaviour in the
digital age”
The big issue
Law firms must take prompt and effective steps to ensure
institutional change and eradicate sexual harassment at work, says Clare Murray, managing partner of CM Murray
It is a year since Paul Philip, chief executive of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), appeared before the Women & Equalities Select Committee to account for the legal sector’s record on addressing sexual harassment at work. That somewhat testing experience for Mr Philip at the hands of MPs, led to an immediate sharpening of the …
The big issue
US editor Seth Singh Jennings talks to Kirkland & Ellis partners about advising corporate clients about reputational risk in the era of #MeToo.
An issue for businesses that has skyrocketed in importance in recent years is sexual abuse in the workplace, which of course is largely due to the success of the #MeToo movement. The origins of ‘Me Too’ in the context of sexual harassment and assault stretches back to 2006, but the movement, as we now understand …
Continue reading “Remediating, mitigating, and managing a crisis”
The big issue
Christina Detsch takes a closer look at the omnipresent trend that is #MeToo and the impact it has had on the US workplace environment.
Speaking to employment law specialists in Sweden during the 2019 EMEA research, one thing struck me as particularly interesting: all noted a ‘wave’ or ‘explosion’ of discrimination and harassment lawsuits, as well as numerous large internal investigations, at the beginning of 2018 just as the #MeToo movement was getting into its stride. However, by the …
The big issue
Working cultures will need to adapt and evolve if reputations are to be preserved, writes Gus Sellitto, managing director of Byfield Consultancy.
In its first year, the #MeToo movement has had a profound impact on almost every industry, including the legal sector, shining a much-needed light on how we deal with sexual harassment in the workplace and in wider society. The days of quietly brushing sexual harassment under the carpet are gone and the media continues to …
Continue reading “#MeToo and law firm reputation – the PR response”
Technology
Lawyers are ‘totally safe’ from the threat of being replaced by robots, argues Anne-Karin Grill of Vavrovsky Heine Marth
Legal tech is probably the most eminent buzz word in the legal community these days. It has become a recurring conference topic and, in some areas of the legal advisory industry, tech tools have indeed long been integrated in the process. In essence, they are relied upon to increase efficiency, most notably where large volumes …
Interview with: Vanessa King
O’Neal Webster’s managing partner talks talent retention, EU blacklisting, launching a New York office, and the difficulties of having an open door policy
How do you define your firm’s culture and how important is that culture to you? We have a very collaborative, supportive, family-based culture in the firm. I am not saying this because I am the managing partner, but it has been described as such by outsiders who have observed us and it is a culture …
Interview with: Terence Tung
Mayer Brown’s senior partner in Asia talks about avoiding silos, a commitment to pro bono, and working as a collective.
How would you describe your firm’s culture and how important is it to you? Is it different in Asia from the home base in Chicago? Mayer Brown has a strong one-firm culture that enables us to be seamless in serving our clients. This is possible because we operate as a global partnership, rather than in …
Continue reading “Talent retention is critical and unity is strength”
Interview with: Peter McCormick OBE
McCormicks Solicitors’ senior partner on the pressures of acting for high-profile clients, why young lawyers can’t be nervous groupies, and why all lawyers need to be
better at collecting their fees.
How would you describe your practice? A wide-ranging and extensive sports practice covering football, rugby union, rugby league, cricket, horseracing, cycling, boxing, and athletics. Football is the best known and most extensive. We cover the full range of football entities from the Premier League, Leeds United, Harrogate Town in the National League to the Bostik …