All change at A&OS, Whence Dentons? Legal LinkedInfluencers and more...

Changing the guardians

Wanted: two proven leaders with the ability to run a $3.5bn law firm that’s newly merged and recently lost/about to lose its experienced leadership. Frightening as this prospect may be for many of us, A&O Shearman has seen eight partners already enter the race to become the behemoth’s new Managing and Senior Partners.

None of the candidates hails from legacy Shearman, which looks a little troubling and increasingly speaks to the fact that this was an acquisition, not a merger.

Also disappointing: all three senior partner candidates are male. If the firm votes, once again, to have an all-male senior management team, then it will remain alongside Clifford Chance as the only Magic Circle firm in that position. Freshfields, Linklaters and Slaughters are all led by women in one of the two main roles.

Check out the full story by The Lawyer's Rachel Moloney here , or Charlie Johnstone 's piece in Law.com International here .

He’s built it, but will they come?

This week saw CEO Elliott Portnoy announce his departure from the erstwhile world’s largest firm, Dentons. And, unlike in years gone by at many firms, it’s being done in a rather orderly fashion, with Portnoy set to leave the business in around 12 months’ time.

Under his leadership, the firm has grown to 13,000 people with 160 offices in 80 countries. Exceptional work. But it’s also probably fair to say that there’s work still to be done on integration, brand and differentiation. Building the world’s largest law firm has been an incredible achievement, but making it front of mind for some key industries and issues is a work in progress.

What remains unclear is this: Portnoy was elected into the role, whereas using a headhunter may result in the appointment of either an external or an internal candidate. So presumably, not subject to the prior partnership vote. A change in governance? Maybe.

If you’re up for a genuinely interesting global challenge, maybe Catrin Griffiths 's piece will give you something to think about over Christmas.

Portnoy is probably looking forward to enjoying a well-earned rest. Well, from Christmas 2024, that is.

The wrapping

We couldn’t help ourselves and have leapt on the Spotify Wrapping bandwagon, presenting the top results for the leading 500 UK law firm voices on LinkedIn this year.

Check out the results in this post:

The other side of the law:

I walked past a Banksy on the way back from the panto the other day: Well Hung Lover.? It’s had paint thrown at it and been subjected to all manner of interventions. And yet it remains on public display.?

Its artist, of course, famously remains an enigma, variously rumoured to be Massive Attack’s Robert del Naja, privately educated artist Robin Gunningham, or a female-led collective. One thing’s for sure: even in 2023, Banksy is working hard to preserve the veil of mystery surrounding their real identity, going so far as to allegedly rely on the Berne Convention to do so, in a case highlighted in The Times this week.

As The Times notes: “Enrico Bonadio, a reader in intellectual property law, said that while the Berne Convention focused on copyright law, it could be interpreted as giving legal backing to anonymity for artists in a range of civil proceedings.” So we’re unlikely to see Banksy posting on LinkedIn any time soon, I’m afraid.

Happy to take a stroll down to his famous work with anyone who swings by my office, of course. Anonymously, or otherwise.

In other news

...a quick-fire roundup of the week’s other interesting tidbits:

• A Partner at top law firm has been struck off after he secretly took videos of female trainee under a desk

• An immensely worrying Four in 10 barristers report bullying or harassment

• 2023 has been another huge year for the UK legal sector, with revenues ?up 5.6%? to ￡43.7bn

Dates for your diary

• 23 January – SRA Transparency Rules and the advantages of being open about pricing – Learn more about how your firm can attract and retain clients. With the SRA continuing with checks on firms, this event will look at some of the advantages of being open about pricing, how legal services onboarding and retention of clients should be front and centre of any firm website and why firms should embrace and work more with comparison and review sites. Online event.
• 24 January – Big trends to watch out for in commercial dispute resolution in 2024 – The speakers at this event will discuss the trends and new challenges faced by commercial litigators in the English courts, including ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) and compulsory mediation for small claims, the evolution of the litigation funding market and collective actions. Online event.
• 31 january – The road to judicial inclusivity: a panel discussion – 'Representation inspires change': The words of the immediate Law Society past president at the swearing in of the new Lady Chief Justice. A moment to consider not only how far we’ve come - but how much more there is to do. Join an all-Judge panel from diverse backgrounds as they share their views on the extent to which the modern judiciary is ‘representative’, and the barriers and challenges to change in our system, particularly for black and minority ethnic aspiring judges. In-person event at the Law Society’s Hall, 113 Chancery Lane, London.

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Si

(The Monty Hall problem is this one)