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Click here to post your comments (anonymously) and help build an insider's profile of this magic circle firm, using the categories listed below as a guideline, or email community@legalweek.com with any information you think should be added to this page.
Overview
In a rare honour for the Legal Week Wiki, the first Linklaters contributor was none other than legendary outgoing managing partner Tony Angel (seriously), who stated plainly that the firm is "aiming to be the best global law firm on the planet".
By most yardsticks, Linklaters is already well on the way. The firm is the most financially successful of London's global big four while also having a widely-spread and effective international network. In 2007-08, average partner profits rose by 11% to hit £1.441m and global turnover jumped by just over 15% to reach £1.293bn.
Indeed, many would say that Linklaters has been the most outstanding performer among London's top firms over the last five years, having recovered from a painful period between 2002 and 2004 when its international expansion had stalled and profits stagnated. The firm responded with a controversial but ultimately successful drive that begun in 2002 to reshape the practice and exit under-performers. With the firm established as London's second-largest law firm by revenue, Linklaters has in many ways stolen the position of Clifford Chance (CC) as the pace-setter from which rivals pilfer strategy.
In 2009 the firm underlined that status after finally seizing CC's crown as the world's largest law firm in revenue terms. While partner profits dipped 9% to an average of £1.302m, most observers will have viewed that as a highly creditable performance given the global recession.
There have been setbacks along the way, of course, notably an ill-fated attempt to bolt on a private equity team, several rebuffed foreign merger attempts and a continued struggle to bring its German practice up to scratch, but the wins easily outweigh the losses. In addition, the current executive team of Simon Davies, who assumed the role of managing partner in 2008, and senior partner David Cheyne appears to be delivering for the firm.
"The quality of people is very good, even by City standards," says one optimist. "It's also true that the partners are not as stand-offish as the firm's general reputation."
True, the firm's unabashed focus on performance and drive to concentrate on the top end of the global legal services market has at times provoked controversy. Notably in early 2009 the firm attracted some criticism for its handling of a major programme of job losses, which claimed around 250 jobs in the UK alone. Nevertheless, the firm's claim to global leader status has never looked more compelling.
History
Linklaters & Paines was regarded, alongside Slaughter and May and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, as one of the City's true legal institutions, having stood for decades as a top bluechip adviser.
The firm's direction took a striking shift in the late 1990s, when it begun to commit to international expansion in earnest, notably with its ground-breaking grouping of leading international firms under the Linklaters & Alliance brand. The 'Grand Alliance' of five European firms launched in 1998 and was to lead to three mergers, including Linklaters' prolonged and bloody takeover (and subsequent restructuring) of German practice Oppenhoff & Raedler. The firm also secured full mergers with its Swedish and Belgian allies, Lagerloef & Leman and DeBandt van Hecke Lagae & Loesch respectively.
But it soon became apparent that managing the logistics and egos of so many proud institutions was easier said than done and two of the allies, Dutch heavyweight De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek and Italy's Gianni Origoni Grippo & Partners, walked out of the grouping. The two firms, arguably the most respected of the alliance members, both balked at reshaping their practice to fit in with Linklaters' hopes for a London-led merger.
From 2001 onwards Linklaters shifted gears as it began to struggle with its enlarged practice and the sharp slowdown in deal activity. First to go was the grand alliance itself, with Linklaters resuming sole control of its destiny. Further changes in style came as understated new senior partner Anthony Cann took over from the charismatic Charles Allen-Jones. This left managing partner Tony Angel, who was first appointed in 1998, more space to usher in detailed performance measurement to an extent unprecedented at a major law firm.
In a related move, Angel also helped to drive through a painful restructuring of its business, beginning in 2002, which led to a number of departures at all levels of the business. The move that year saw Linklaters concede that it was taking steps to raise its staff attrition from 10%-15% to around 20% annually, a stance that led to the exits of dozens of London lawyers.
The tough focus on performance was divisive but ultimately proved effective and Linklaters' early-mover advantage was to go on to help drive profits and revenue growth strongly. Firmwide revenue now stands at £1.293bn, putting the firm only narrowly behind CC as the world's biggest law firm, with average full equity partner profits of a whopping £1.441m.
Still, even if the last three years have seemed to go very much Linklaters' way, the firm has still had the odd reverse, notably in 2006 with the fractious departure of the bulk of its City private equity team to the London arm of Kirkland & Ellis. The announcement in 2007 that the firm was to shut its 25-partner Cologne office (ironically the head office of the legacy Oppenhoff) to launch a new practice in nearby Duesseldorf was a reminder that its Germany practice still needs work.
Nevertheless, the firm must be feeling confident as new managing partner Simon Davies takes up his role in early 2008. The polished Davies (pictured below right), who secured the job in an election against several higher-profile contenders, has big shoes to fill in the shape of Angel, who has probably done more to sell the concept of law firm management than any individual. Also of interest will be seeing how Davies works with David Cheyne, Linklaters' outstanding M&A heavyweight, who became senior partner in 2006. However, the early signs are that, outwardly at least, the pair has formed an effective team.
In early 2008, Links was rated as the law firm with the strongest brand in the annual Superbrands survey, ahead of its magic circle rivals and firms such as Eversheds, Herbert Smith and Lovells.
In May 2008, the firm split from its offices in Budapest, Bucharest, Bratislava and Prague, a move which was met with surprise from rival firms. The firm launched a new practice to service emerging markets in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (EEMENA), to be led by capital markets partner Nick Eastwell (though Eastwell was to announce his retirement the following year).
Click here to see a tribute to Tony Angel, (including a star turn from A&O's Guy Beringer). And click here to read an interview with David Cheyne.
The firm won both Cross-border M&A team of the year and Banking and restructuring team of the year at the 2008 British Legal Awards, but early 2009 saw the firm take drastic measures in response to the economic slowdown, with news emerging that the firm was to restructure its partnership - a move expected to see the departure of up to 120 lawyers and 150 business support from the firm's London base and 35-40 cuts from the firmwide partnership.
However, Linklaters managed an above-average financial performance in 2008-09, as most law firms were struggling with the worldwide recession, with the firm roughly maintaining its fee income at £1.298bn. The performance was enough to make the firm the largest legal practice in the world in revenue terms. Linklaters' profitability, likewise, remains at the top reaches of the global market, with average profits per equity partner of £1.302m.
Culture
"Not as stiff as reputation, especially in banking," says one contributor. That's still pretty stiff though - except for the pranksters in finance, of course. However, the firm's unashamed focus on performance comes at a cost, according to one contributor. "The profitability of the firm is undoubtedly impressive but anyone who works there will tell you that it has taken its toll on morale," argues the poster. "Even some of the millionaire partners are pretty down in the dumps - I get the impression that many are still waiting for the knock at the door when 'their turn' comes."
He adds: "[The firm is] profitable but brutal and for all the platitudes about there not being a "Linklaters type", there most certainly is - it is very hierarchical and the partners like to promote in their own (white, male, middle class, workaholic) image."
While there is no question that the firm's sweeping restructuring reinforced its hard-nosed reputation, the firm does usually receive a clear thumbs-up from the competitive associates that make the grade. Legal Week Intelligence's 2009 Employee Satisfaction Report found that Linklaters was the highest-ranked UK law firm according to its own associates' satisfaction a redundancy programme that was unpopular internally.
Key departments
Corporate is still very much the heart of the firm, even if the firm is viewed as having been a little less visible in its European heartlands of late. Within corporate, the firm still has one of the top equity capital markets teams. And as you would expected from a serious M&A firm, Linklaters has a serious competition practice. But "finance has grown a lot and done pretty well," says one Links-watcher. Indeed, the rise and rise of Linklaters' finance practice, bolstered by a decade-long recruitment push, has been a hallmark of its recent development, making it arguably the only London firm to get near building top-tier teams in both finance and corporate. While the practice is well represented across the board, capital markets, leveraged finance and structured products are its strongest teams. However, one contributor is more sceptical of the firm's progress in this area. "Pre-eminent in corporate, second rate (at best) in finance." Alongside CC, Linklaters is also a rarity as a top London firm to pack a real punch in real estate, where the firm has an enviable high-end practice. The firm's full service credentials are underlined by quality teams in restructuring, projects, tax and pensions.
Click here to read an analysis of David Cheyne's leadership of Linklaters' corporate practice.
National/international coverage
Broad, with a string of foreign offices across Europe and Asia. That said, the firm does have weak patches, notably in Italy and the Netherlands, where the legacy of splits with former alliance partners has left Links playing catch-up. More importantly, the firm knows that it could do better in key markets such as Germany and the US. Asia and several other emerging markets have seen the firm thrive more. The hallmark of the firm is a well-put together network rather than individually-outstanding offices.
In October 2007 the firm announced it was opening a new office in Duesseldorf - at the same time as Links confirmed it was axing its sizeable Cologne arm, which it inherited from the merger with Oppenhoff & Raedler. Indeed, Cologne - which numbered around 110 lawyers when news emerged of its imminent closure - was actually the head office of the legacy Oppenhoff. With the two cities just 40 miles apart, the switch was seen by some as a slightly odd move.
More recently the firm has been in expansion mode in the US, despite the current slowdown, making a string of senior appointments in New York.
Key clients
Vodafone is still probably the firm's most active corporate client. Others include Scottish & Newcastle, Intercontinental Hotels and BAe. Plenty of banks too: RBS, Merrill Lynch, UBS and CSFB.
Leading partners
Take your pick. In the City, David Cheyne is still seen as a cut above pretty much everyone else. But there are plenty of other respected partners like Matthew Middleditch, Jeremy Parr and Charlie Jacobs and Olivia McKendrick (pictured). High hopes are also riding on its recruitment in 2007 of CC private equity partner Ian Bagshaw, though it will be interesting to see the extent to which Linklaters' buyout push survives the credit squeeze.
Acquisition finance has energetic performers like Nick Syson and Adam Freeman. Finance can also call on securities specialists Keith Thomson and Carson Welsh, derivatives lawyer Simon Firth and Jim Rice in securitisation. Additionally, the firm in 2007 recruited senior Freshfields finance partner David Ereira in a very rare move between the two arch rivals. In competition, respected names include Gavin Robert, Diana Good and Alec Burnside. Property has an abundance of established partners, among them James Knox, Martin Elliott and Patrick Plant.
Linklaters also recently made a splash in Germany with the hire of Clifford Chance partner Kolja von Bismarck, one of the country's top insolvency lawyers.
Career prospects
On one level, excellent, since the firm has been one of the most prolific promoters of new partners at a major City firm in recent years - providing you can make the grade.
Linklaters made up almost 100 new partners internally between 2004 and 2007, including 38 in its 2007 round, which compared very favourably with its peer group. Unsurprisingly given its practice profile, the most opportunities were in corporate and banking. This year the firm made up a more modest 28 partners, just seven of whom are based in the City.
Salaries
In common with most major UK law firms, Linklaters in 2009 cut its salary bands for junior lawyers, lowering its salary for newly-qualified lawyers to £61,500 from 1 May - compared with last year's figure of £66,600. A lawyer moving from NQ to one year PQE now earns £68,000, compared with £70,400 in 2008, while the rate for a lawyer with two years' experience dropped by 11.6% from £82,600 to £73,000. First seat trainee salaries remained static at £37,400. Click here to see how Linklaters compares to its magic circle peers. Despite the reduction, Linklaters is viewed as one of the most generous UK law firms and it remains firm policy to pay at the top of the market.
The firm also pays what is widely regarded to be one of the most generous bonus schemes for top performers, worth up to 40% of salary.
As one contributor says: "Working as I do at a magic circle firm, I have to admit that Linklaters has got the best salary structure (I don't work there incidentally!). Compared to most other quoted bonus schemes, where only a handful of people actually achieve what is stated, theirs, from what I know, is genuine. I know a number of people there and they are all getting hefty bonuses. Two are 4.5 years PQE and both now on six figures and got over 30% bonuses. Another is 1.5 PQE and got a 35% bonus. The 1.5 PQE did an astonishing number of chargeable hours, admittedly, (about 2,700) but one of the 4.5 PQEs got a 32% bonus off the back of just over 2,000 hours. They do seem to value the contribution overall and the quality of the individual not just the number of hours. Their lockstep salary also doesn't plateau noticeably (many other firms start to flatten out at around 5-6 PQE as this tends to be just above the publicised rates). Links publish all their salaries internally through to 10 years PQE and have no banding at any level."
Perks are good too. "You get gym membership and a decent canteen," is the ringing endorsement from one well-toned reader.
For more discussion of the firm's generosity (or lack of), see the Comment section below.
Recruitment
(How gruelling is the interview process? Is it light-in-your-eyes, good cop, bad cop stuff or a friendly chat over a Pimm's with the graduate partner? Did it give you a taste of life at the firm or were you too busy counting the zeros on the pay scale to ask your own questions? - Wiki Ed.)
Click here for more career information.
Work-life balance
Even by City standards this is a hard-working firm. Legal Week Intelligence's 2009 Employee Satisfaction Report found the firm's assistants were somewhat unhappy with its work/life balance, though its satisfaction ratings for billable hour expectations were only slightly below the average.
"The annual billing target is 1,700," begins one contributor, but the reality is that people will often go above that. "The firm has made a bit more effort very recently with schemes aimed to make benefits a bit more flexible, including a 'time bank' scheme that lets assistants accumulate leave for hitting utilisation targets."
The incoming managing partner has promised that the firm will put in a bit more effort in this area.
Diversity
Click here to post your comments on the firm, or alternatively email community@legalweek.com with any information you think should be added to this page.
COMMENTS (TOTAL 35 COMMENTS)
The profitability of the firm is undoubtedly impressive but anyone who works there will tell you that it has taken its toll on morale. Even some of the millionaire partners are pretty down in the dumps - I get the impression that many are still waiting for the knock at the door when "their turn" comes. Profitable but brutal, and for all the platitudes about there not being a "Linklaters type", there most certainly is - it is very hierarchical and the partners like to promote in their own (white, male, middle class, workaholic) image.
Anonymous -10 Mar 2007 | 14:33
What reason is there for partners being down in the dumps, as one commentator has written? I gather that of all the lawyers in the country earning over a million a year, a third of them are at Linklaters. That, coupled with Linklaters sitting comfortably with Freshfields at the forefront of the magic circle firms, has got to do something for someones morale!?
magic circle -18 Mar 2007 | 19:47
Pre-eminent in corporate, second rate (at best) in Finance.
Anonymous -20 Mar 2007 | 12:12
Working as I do at a magic circle firm, I have to admit that Linklaters have got the best salary structure (I don't work there incidentally!). Compared to most other quoted bonus schemes, where only a handful of people actually achieve what is stated, theirs, from what I know, is genuine. I know a number of people there and they are all getting hefty bonuses. Of the people I know, two are 4.5 years PQE and both now on 6 figures and got over 30% bonuses. Another is 1.5 PQE and got 35% bonus. The 1.5 PQE did an astonishing number of chargeable hours admittedly (about 2,700) but one of the 4.5 PQEs got a 32% bonus off the back of just over 2,000 hours. They do seem to value the contribution overall and the quality of the individual not just the number of hours. Their lockstep salary also doesn't plateau noticeably (many other firms start to flatten out at around 5-6 PQE as this tends to be just above the publicised rates). Links publish all their salaries internally through to 10 years PQE and have no banding at any level.
Magic circle -14 Jun 2007 | 16:41
In all fairness Linklaters is a very nice firm to work with. The culture is nice and so are most partners whom I work with. Although we are in direct competition with the Wall Street rivals, Linklaters continues to have the nice British feel about it. But I must acknowledge that the 40% bonus needs to be qualified with a big fat 'upto'. I am sure that some of us have received a decent bonus but definitely not 40%. It remains a mystery as to who has indeed received the 40%.
Anonymous -24 Oct 2007 | 14:26
Agree with previous poster re bonuses - the prior poster has been misinformed, I suspect. Bonuses tend (in my experience) to be much smaller than at other MC and (according to friends) US firms - it is a bonus in the traditional sense of a few extra quid to cheer you up and take a holiday with rather than a significant component of your compensation package.
Anonymous -25 Oct 2007 | 18:43
You guys clearly don't work at linklaters. If you're in any corporate or finance deparment you'll be getting at least 30%. If you hit the hours you get it, and at the moment everyone should.
linklaters -28 Oct 2007 | 05:50
In response to the previous poster - I do work at Linklaters, I am with the mainstream corporate team and I did meet my target as well as got a pat on my shoulders at appraisals. Yet I did not see anything close to 30%. And that statement was quite rude.
Links Assoicate -09 Nov 2007 | 16:04
I am in the finance practice at Linklaters and I have to agree with posters who are promoting the bonuses. I do not believe the earlier poster is at all misinformed. I am 4 years PQE, did 2,100 hours last year and got just over 30% bonus which went up to about 34% when you include the separate firmwide "token" bonus. We had a considerable number of people on 20%+ bonuses in the group and a good number above 30% (including someone junior to me on 35%, which meant about 40% when you add the firmwide bonus).
Links finance associate -09 Jan 2008 | 14:09
To Links Finance Associate - this is just a guess, but are you a white ex-public schoolboy who wears stripey shirts and likes to "work hard, play hard"?
Anonymous -08 Feb 2008 | 16:47
Well I am white and, as it happens, I did go to public school. I guess I work hard although I can't really claim to "play hard" - I'm definitely a go home to the wife and kids type - not much of beerhound. Thankfully, despite the long hours, the nature of my work means I can do a lot of it from home so I'm rarely in the office beyond 7pm unless I am in the midst of a deal closing. It's unusual for me not to have dinner with my family in the evenings and I then carry on working, if necessary, after the kids have gone to bed. I also have a strict "no stripey shirts" policy....
Links finance associate -19 Feb 2008 | 14:32
To Links finance associate - thanks for putting my mind at rest re your personal stripe ban. Will word of the demise of the stripe (or indeed braces) ever get to Nick Eastwell, I wonder.
Anonymous -10 Mar 2008 | 09:53
Linklaters sitting comfortable with Freshfields
Monty -08 May 2008 | 15:23
Simply the Best! Linklaters has shown year on year that it is leads the other magic circle firms by a country mile - not only in profitability but also in terms of lawyer quality, where other firms sometimes compromise. We need to really keep our focus and continue to believe in ourselves and the sky is the limit.
Anonymous -05 Jun 2008 | 20:37
In the previous downturn Linklaters got the reputation of being ruthless - at least it was not demoralising its associates then! Sadly a few associates have been asked to sign a 'document' confirming that their 'performance was not comparable with their peers' and that Linklaters has the right to initiate disciplinary proceedings if the lawyer does not buck up. Recently 'a certain partner' is touring the rooms of fee earners (including those who have not been fired or the process of being fired) to tell them how useless they are and that their utilisation is bad. Apologies, but have I got this wrong - is it not the partners who need to bring in work and increase utilisation of the associates?
Links Associate -28 Jun 2008 | 01:35
Associates are always saying that they want to be treated like partners. Unfortunately if you are at Links that has come to mean periodic purges to increase profitability (e.g. cutting back the projects group partners, cutting adrift the Eastern European offices, shrinking real estate). There is a small difference, though. The partners put up with this because they get to take home £1.5m a year. The associates don't make a tenth of that. With people management like this I can't help feeling that the firm is going to encounter problems soon. A law firm is a people business.
Anonymous -02 Jul 2008 | 15:00
Good firm, but they SERIOUSLY need to renovate their offices, they are falling apart and for such a high performance firm they really should spend some of their gigantic profits on making the working environment better.
Anonymous -11 Sep 2008 | 22:04
Possibly the most uncool firm in the City.
Anonymous -24 Sep 2008 | 17:49
Uncool? How amusing. What kind of puerile tag is that to apply to a global law firm? What constitutes a "cool" law firm? I'm guessing this comment comes from a child.
M, Linklaters -14 Nov 2008 | 07:11
Regarding Linklaters in Germany, in particular the Cologne/Duesseldorf issue - from my point of view this move was a strategic masterpiece, taking the best young Cologne corporate partners out of this office, combine them with Freshfields star Wollburg, and dispose of an office incuding some partners who had been subject to management talks and forced retirement anyway - the way Linklaters did all this is probably not the best way one could think of, but the result was clearly a genuine coup for Linklaters. Linklaters Germany today is clearly top notch and highly profitable. What else do you want?
HC -15 Jan 2009 | 14:30
I have just gone through the recruitment process with Linklaters for their summer vacation scheme. I'm sure I'm biased as I was offered a place, but I have to say my whole experience with them has been very positive. Their application form is straightforward, without pedantic word limits. I was asked to come for interview within a couple of weeks of applying, and had a wide choice of times. I was posted a copy of the verbal reasoning test they give you as part of your assessment, so I had ample chance to practice before the actual thing.The interview day itself was very well organised. Myself and two others were met at the reception desk, then taken from place to place. We had two interviews, one with a member of the graduate recruitment team, and one with a partner. Both of my interviews felt quite casual, and there was a real emphasis on discovering my motivations and opinions. I was expecting a grilling from the partner who interviewed me, but in fact he was very laid back, and the interview felt much more like a friendly, if in-depth, conversation. He was very frank and open when I asked him questions, and he even walked me out of the offices at the end.The whole atmosphere was friendly and down to earth, with partners having a joke with the receptionists, and everyone had their doors open. There was a sense of hard work, but no-one looked miserable about it.I was also given a tour of the office with a trainee, which meant a good chance to ask the daft questions you're too afraid to mention to anyone else. I was phoned the day after the interview to be told they would like to offer me a place, with an email following shortly after that with some more information.The only problem was the Linklaters building itself - it's a complete maze, and I'm very glad I was never left on my own!
Student, Cambridge University -19 Jan 2009 | 15:24
Linklaters partners have shown themselves to be the greediest in the City with this latest redundancy plan. Who came up with the "Linklaters New World" label? Is this firm run by Albert Speer???
Anonymous -29 Jan 2009 | 15:00
The place is a joke - the partners are so within themselves it is not true, and the morale is so low among associates, it isn't true.
assoc.... -31 Jan 2009 | 22:30
If these are the figures for the numbers to be culled in the formal redundancy process, what will the full number be? And these figures are just for the London office. What will the global headcount reduction be?
Anonymous -02 Feb 2009 | 13:36
Cambridge student - ever heard the phrase appearances can be deceptive?!! Why oh why would they show any other side to you during their recruitment campaign?
Anonymous -10 Feb 2009 | 17:12
Bad morale
The place is still rock bottom in terms of morale... 22% of associates have gone in corporate. In any event, the place is frankly a boring place to work - no one encourages you to build NEW clients, they just want to SERVICE old ones. The level of arrogance is considerable ... People don't lie about their love of the firm, they have simply been brainwashed... If I could find another job in this market I would go, but the market realises that I am institutionalised and only capable of SERVICING existing clients rather than ever bringing new ones, a perfect Linklaters lawyer...
jim -13 Jun 2009 | 10:49
Good firm but horrid locations and offices - word for any Links people out there, get a change of office or look forward to more and more people going to better places to work for.
grad -02 Jul 2009 | 17:29
Oh dear Jim - suggest you find yourself another job asap. I, on the other hand, work for Linklaters and love it. Morale in my department (which is one of the finance groups) is actually very good and the work and people are great. Most of my colleagues and I simply laugh off some of the jealous headlines and comments from people like Jim - if you don't like it, we will all be very happy for you to go somewhere else....
Anon -07 Jul 2009 | 07:22
Jim - why do you need "encouraging" to bring in new clients? If, as you suggest, you are capable of bringing in new work, are you suggesting that Linklaters don't want it?! Sounds to me like they just don't see you as partner material and are therefore not going to hand you a business case. Why not stop whinging about it and just get on with proving them wrong? Or are you happy to simply fall by the wayside without demonstrating your potential?
Anonymous -07 Jul 2009 | 07:26
Anonymous, I think that Jim is probably right - I used to work at Links and they definitely don't encourage bringing in new clients. I introduced a few clients who instructed the firm for the first time and people just moaned about it as they were then conflicted from acting for other parties. Although this was galling I have to acknowledge that it is a legitimate point. This is often the case with the biggest firms who have for the past few years focused on reducing, not increasing, the number of clients they act for. This is precisely Links' strategy. I hated the firm and the smugness of its lawyers (see finance lawyer's response to Jim above) but this strategy has without doubt served them well in the last few years given their increases in fee income and profitability.
If Jim wants to be valued for bringing in new clients he needs to move to a smaller firm where that fits with the business plan.
Anonymous -08 Jul 2009 | 09:29
In response to the sceptical comment about the my positive recruitment experience - fair enough, and I understand your point, but many firms fail to hide their negative side when you go for an interview. This aside, I've now completed my vacation scheme with Linklaters, and my opinion of them hasn't changed - I've just come to like it more. Yes, I'm well aware that they are still likely to be trying to only show the best bits of the firm, but it would be an amazing feat to not allow us an insight into the negative aspects of the firm for four weeks. Yes, there are downsides here, and it isn't perfect, but where is?
Student, Cambridge University -19 Aug 2009 | 15:03
Hey Jim - hope that you are feeling better about life. Now that the clouds are clearing perhaps you will be able to get out.
Anonymous -11 Sep 2009 | 14:49
still the same old nonesense
i feel just fine about life - it is the drone of existance that my employer provides that is disappointing, but that doesn't define me, unlike most of the people here. The fact of the matter is, the firm IS reducing client lists not increasing them. that IS the strategy of the firm and it kills any fighting spirit that any of us have - the funny thing is that is exactly what they look for in new recruits, spirit and enthusiasim - why bother?
jim -12 Sep 2009 | 00:36
Freshfields' Turn?
The ups and downs of the magic circle over the past decade have been fascinating to watch, with CC's dip in performance followed by an impressive recovery in the early to mid 90s to become the No.1 global law firm, with Linklaters being relegated to an "also ran" slot with seriously un-magic circle profitability. Links then got their house in order with a series of purges and five-year plans under Comrade Angel to take the lead both in turnover and (S&M aside) profitability. Freshfields now seem to have beaten Links at their own game after cleaning house, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Freshfields pull away in the next three years or so. I have a suspicion that, with no more trimming to be done, Linklaters will struggle to grow their revenue and profit above levels which currently flatter.
Anonymous -05 Aug 2010 | 08:25
I have been working at Linklaters for six years. It is an excellent place to work. The partners I work with are impressive lawyers and very approachable. Also, the firm will bend over backwards to accommodate requests for international placements and is extremely generous when it comes to expat packages, even for junior associates. It is very hard work, but I don't think anyone would join a firm like this and expect otherwise.
Linklaters Associate -21 Aug 2010 | 18:15
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