The Lawyer Podcast

• Freshfields, Lewis Silkin and the C-word

  Send us a textLewis 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.67cf803c0ecd65984faca29daf342d94206f717e

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• Paul Weiss’s growth is just the tip of the iceberg

  Send us a textWe 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.67cf803c0ecd65984faca29daf342d94206f717e

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• Have litigation funders been chasing a busted flush?

  Send us a textOn 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.67cf803c0ecd65984faca29daf342d94206f717e

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• What law firms aren’t telling you about AI

  Send us a textNews 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.67cf803c0ecd65984faca29daf342d94206f717e

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• Trump v BigLaw, part three: Where's your line in the sand?

  Send us a textTrump’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… 67cf803c0ecd65984faca29daf342d94206f717e

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