Simon Levine DLA’s co-chief executive (pictured) said: ‘Together, the Nordic countries rank as a G20 economic entity and the region is home to some major international corporates. Many of our existing clients do business in the Nordics and by extending our presence in Denmark, we will now be able to offer them an unparalleled capability in the region and access to legal services which can meet their needs domestically, regionally and globally.’

In June last year DLA confirmed a merger with Swedish law firm Grönberg Advokatbyrå, adding 21 lawyers and seven support staff. DLA signalled the merger would strengthen the firm’s offering in its key sectors: financial services, technology, energy, real estate and infrastructure and construction.

And in February 2016 the firm agreed a combination with 30-lawyer Finnish law firm Peltonen LMR. Peltonen has strong local practices in banking, corporate, dispute resolution and IP. The firm counts Finland’s export credit agency Finnvera, the City of Helsinki and Nordea Bank as clients.

Despite its Nordic expansion, just last week DLA closed two offices in Berlin and Georgia. The firm’s sole partner in Berlin moved, alongside an of counsel to launch DWF’s offering in the German capital. Meanwhile, DLA has also shut down its Georgia operations with all fee earners, including two partners, departing for Dentons.

A DLA spokesperson said: ‘The firm has had a successful presence in Tbilisi since merging with a local Georgian law firm in 2005. However, we have since concluded that our respective interests and strategies can be better delivered separately in future.’

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This article first appeared on the website of Lex’s sister publication Legal Business.

The LLB by distance learning will cover key areas of law such as Criminal Law, Tort Law and Equity and Trusts. Students will also be able to choose from a variety of optional units including media law and human rights.

Classes will be delivered online and students will be able to communicate with their peers and with law school tutors on the virtual learning environment.

Julie Adshead, Principal Lecturer at Manchester Law School said:

“I am delighted to announce a brand new online programme for our LLB network that responds to the changing expectations of our student base and allows us to offer a complementary programme that allows both domestic and international students another pathway into the legal profession. The online delivery means that we are now able to offer a flexible law degree for students who may not be able to physically come to Manchester and study with us face-to-face. I look forward to virtually welcoming students onto the programme this September.”

Applications are now open for September 2017. For more information, and to apply, click here.

At Kennedys, you will gain early responsibility and client contact developing you into an excellent solicitor, capable of running your own caseload once qualified.

Throughout your two year traineeship, you will be supported by senior solicitors and partners to develop you into a competent, confident and commercially driven lawyer.

Requirements

To be considered for a traineeship with Kennedys in Scotland, you will need:

To have achieved a 2:1 law degree or higher

To have passed the Diploma in Legal Practice (PEAT1)

Our trainees come from a wide variety of backgrounds regardless of gender, race and disability.

About us

Kennedys is an international law firm with specialist expertise in litigation/dispute resolution and advisory services. Our growing network of offices delivers straightforward legal solutions to the insurance, corporate and public sectors.

From our offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow, we advise clients based in Scotland and beyond. We work closely with other UK and Ireland teams to deliver multi-jurisdictional legal solutions to the insurance, corporate and public sectors.

Our clients include insurers and reinsurers, large corporates and retail and restaurant businesses. Additionally, we also work with solicitors, insurance brokers, engineers, architects and trustees.

Our values

We take our culture and values seriously. They are at the core of who we are and what make us a great firm to work with and for.

At Kennedys we make a difference. We do this by being approachable, straightforward, supportive and distinctive in every aspect of our work. Find out more about our Kennedys culture and values.

Benefits

We are offering the following salary to our Scottish trainees:

First year: £18,000 

Second year: £21,500

In addition, we offer the following:

25 days annual leave
Pension scheme
Private medical insurance
Permanent health insurance
Life assurance
Season ticket loan (public transport)
Gym membership subsidy
Childcare voucher scheme
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Trainee retention

Kennedys are proud to have outstanding trainee retention rates, which demonstrates we recruit to retain. Within the last six years, our trainee retention rates across the UK have been between 83% – 93%. We ensure we provide our trainees excellent opportunities to learn and develop, in order to become skilful lawyers upon qualification.

The application process

To apply, please complete an online application form here.

Those that submit a successful application will be asked to complete a video interview. This will be followed by an online critical thinking test, and shortlisted candidates will attend an interview with our Partners.

Closing date for applications: 14 April 2017.

Successful candidates will need to have obtained a minimum of ABB at A-level and will work alongside the firm’s Transaction Services Team in the Leeds and Manchester offices. The Lex 100 understands that the apprentices will undertake paralegal level work alongside completing their LLB at BPP Law School and will qualify as a solicitor within six years. The first intake of apprentices will start in September 2017, with applications for the scheme due to open later this month.

Addleshaw Goddard is joining the likes of Mayer Brown and Burges Salmon and Eversheds Sutherland who have launched similar programmes.

The move comes ahead of the new apprenticeship levy which will be launched by the government next month. The levy requires all employers operating in the UK, with a pay bill of over £3 million each year, to invest in apprenticeships. For more information on the apprenticeship levy, click here.

The week will offer LPC students knowledge and practical experience of the latest legal technology, as well as offering an insight into how technology can be pivotal in enhancing their legal careers. Students will be able to enjoy and learn from keynote speakers, demonstrations, interactive workshops and networking events with top legal technology experts. To top off the week, a ‘Legal Tech Hackathon’ will take place in which groups of students will work collaboratively to create an innovative legal solution to a real-life legal problem.

Jane Houston, Director of LPC programmes at BPP said: 

“Innovation is at the top of the strategic agenda for most law firms today and technology is a key driver of innovation. Many firms are investing heavily in technology and there is an expectation that young lawyers joining the profession will be at the forefront of technical innovation to help navigate their law firm through digital disruption.”

Professor Peter Crisp, Dean and CEO of BPP added:

“The traditional image of the legal profesion as conservative and behind the curve on technology is way out-of-date. So much of what the legal profession does today now engages with technology that students need exposure to from their very first days of law school. Our legal themed ‘Employability Week’ gives our students experience of how technology is transforming the profession they are about to enter and prepares them to be technologically competent in a demanding career.”

Employability week is running from 6 – 10 March. For more information on BPP law school, click here.

31 of the firm’s 38 spring cohort will stay on as newly qualified solicitors. 36 qualifying trainees applied for the coveted positions.

See how Allen & Overy compares to its rivals in our spring 2017 trainee retention comparison table.

Initial public offering (IPO) documents stated the firm’s partners and associates own, through the firm’s investment vehicle GC&H Investments, 239,800 shares of Class A stock in the tech company and 239,800 Class B stock.

After Snap’s float gave a closing price of $24 a share, Cooley’s stock is valued at $11.5m. The float of 200 million shares on Thursday gave SNAP an overall valuation of $28bn.

Tech-focused firms in the Silicon Valley market like Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Cooley have been known for taking equity in deference of fees in fast growth start-ups.

Snap was founded in 2011 by chief executive Evan Spiegel, who developed the picture messaging app Snapchat.

Cooley advised Snap on the IPO, while Boston firm Goodwin Procter won the mandate to advise the underwriters.

Cooley corporate and securities partner Eric Jensen led the advice for Snap. Cooley global co-head of capital markets David Peinsipp and partner Seth Gottlieb also advised on the deal.

Goodwin’s team was led by partners Richard Kline, An-Yen Hu and Anthony McCusker.

Snap’s San Francisco in-house team was led by general counsel Chris Handman and associate general counsel Atul Porwal. Handman, who was previously a litigation partner at Hogan Lovells until 2014, was revealed to receive $475,000 as his 2016 base salary in the IPO documents.

Snap also uses US law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson for legal advice, where Evan Spiegel’s father, John Spiegel, is a partner, although not the company’s legal adviser. The tech company paid Munger $305,000 in 2014, $50,000 in 2015 and $294,000 in 2016 respectively.

The float represents the biggest tech IPO since Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba, which raised $25bn in 2014. While legal fees have not yet been revealed for Snap, Alibaba’s IPO netted advisers Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Sullivan & Cromwell $15.8m.

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This article first appeared on The Lex 100‘s sister publication Legal Business.

Macfarlanes has announced it will be keeping 100% of its qualifiers with all six of the qualifying trainees staying on at the firm.

Hogan Lovells posted a 79% retention rate with 23 of its 29 qualifiers accepting offers to stay on at the firm as newly qualified solicitors.

Meanwhile, Herbert Smith Freehills will retain 77% of its spring qualifiers with 27 out of 35 trainees opting to stay with the firm.

See our spring 2017 trainee retention table to see how these firms compare.

Candidates for the in-house training contracts will need to be LPC graduates, making it ideal for those who are able to start immediately.

Trainees are likely to sit in Intellectual Property, Commercial Rights and Business Affairs and BBC Worldwide, as well as completing a contentious secondment at a private practice law firm.

First year trainees can expect to take home £28,000 rising to £32,000 in their second year.

The new training contracts will operate in addition to the trailblazer apprenticeship scheme currently offered by the BBC to school leavers in which they can expect to qualify as a solicitor within 6 years.