Follow RoF

For all the breaking news, follow RoF on Twitter and Facebook

          
   

Asia-Pacific

Check out this week's top Asia-Pacific news on the Asia Pacific Headline page.

Law Firm News Stories

The Times Law 100 lists the most influential lawyers in the land
16 March 2012
Rate it
0

The Times has published its countdown of the most influential lawyers in the country, for the first time including a rundown of the top ten City lawyers.

The Times Law 100 (££ unless you can leap Murdoch's paywall) is billed as revealing the 100 most influential movers and shakers in the legal world. "Carefully honed through hours of debate over several months" and judged by a panel of 12, the list of legal luminaries includes judges, charity executives, human rights lawyers, general counsel and even the hard man of legal education, Nigel Savage (who pays for The Times' Legal Christmas Drinks at the Reform Club every year; hmm).

A pair of Magic Circle lawyers also make the top 100. Freshfield's Ted Burke and A&O's David Morley, with Morley being the first ever City lawyer to make it into the overall top ten. But the difficulties inherent in judging anonymous City lawyers, huddled in glass-walled corner offices making millions for corporates, against campaigning lawyers engaging in a impassioned ding dongs with Paxman on Newsnight, has persuaded the Times time to draw up a separate sub-list of the top 10 City lawyers.


  The most influential City lawyers yesterday

Perhaps bored with the endless ranking, the selection does not appear hugely inspired, and the panel seem to have simply plumped for the most recognisable lawyer at each of the Magic Circle firms. Although the inclusion of Simon Davies, Managing Partner of Linklaters, may raise a few eyebrows. After all this is the chap who presided over the cull of 39 partners in 2009 and the swathes currently being kicked out, and the same man who pulled off the impressive feat of losing an election in which he stood unopposed. But the Times points out that average partner pay at Linklaters has increased, so everything's OK after all.

The list is rather male-dominated: of the 100 most influential lawyers, just 14 are women. And the Times' panel could not think of a single woman worthy of inclusion in its City lawyer top ten.
< Previous Story   Next Story

Comments

Feel free to enter your comments on the news story below, subject to our terms and conditions. Please note that comments are subject to moderation and so will not appear immediately.

Please keep it nice. Thanks.
Order By:
anonymous user
16/03/2012 12:16
Rate it
1
Report as offensive
The Times has become a complete irrelevance since it went completely behind a paywall.
anonymous user
16/03/2012 12:24
Rate it
0
Report as offensive
Well, no use relying on that list, then. Who would ROF Towers pick as the women who should have been on the list of top 10 City lawyers?
anonymous user
16/03/2012 16:22
Rate it
0
Report as offensive
Re the City lawyers, in what way are they 'influential'?
anonymous user
16/03/2012 21:40
Rate it
0
Report as offensive
Those who made it into the list must be kicking themselves because no one I have spoken to knows a single person who pays for The Times!
anonymous user
20/03/2012 21:22
Rate it
0
Report as offensive
Plesae could you make it a little less obvious that this site is written and edited by bored, confused Russell Group 2.1 lower to middle glass girls who can't believe they're being paid proper money to highlight, giggle and buy handbags? Thanks.
anonymous user
23/03/2012 13:21
Rate it
0
Report as offensive
These list are a load of balloney, esp Chambers & Partners, and Who's Who. I worked with a partner at Walkers who was let go after persistantly screwing up files and after some very big cleints complaining about his incompetence and he is still listed as providing" excellent and accurate client services.". Pulheesee! Never mind how you get in, once you are in you are in - no matter that teh Empiror is not wearing any clothes.