Lawyer Work Life Balance

From Slaughters to critically acclaimed author

By Legal Week | July 16, 2009

Ex-Slaughter and May solicitor Jennie Rooney on how she wrote her first novel, 'Inside the Whale', during her training contract. Lots of people talk about doing things, but never actually do them, says Rooney. There's plenty of that at a law firm...

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The life of O'Brien

By Legal Week | July 15, 2009

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer veteran dealmaker Barry O'Brien does a good line in 1980s war stories. All-nighters rounded off by pints of Guinness at Smithfield market pubs feature heavily. As do hostile takeover bids, many of them initiated by highly personal full-page newspaper ads

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No canteen, no gym…and I don't read about what I'm doing in the FT

By Legal Week | July 13, 2009

Reactions among my magic circle colleagues ranged considerably when I announced that I was qualifying into a niche private client firm. On the one hand, the hearty and genuine congratulations for having 'escaped', on the other, the frankly bemused.

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Success stories

By Legal Week | July 2, 2009

With their weakness for long-winded sentences, concern with preserving reputation and grinding 24/7 workloads, lawyers aren't the sort of people you'd immediately associate with creative writing. But the link between law and literature has always been strong. And where Charles Dickens, Henry Cecil Leon and John Mortimer once walked, now come the next generation of lawyer-novelists.

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International Edition

Berlin: Where old meets new

By Legal Week | June 25, 2009

Germany's capital may not double as its business centre, but it is certainly one of country's major cultural hubs. Whether you want to spend your time wandering around one of the city's impressive art collections or the castles in the region, or sample some of the famous nightlife and excellent local beers, Berlin has something to offer everyone. In spite of its scarred past – or perhaps because of it – Berlin holds claim as one of the most diverse European cities.

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Berlin: Where old meets new

By Legal Week | June 25, 2009

Germany's capital may not double as its business centre, but it is certainly one of country's major cultural hubs. Whether you want to spend your time wandering around one of the city's impressive art collections or the castles in the region, or sample some of the famous nightlife and excellent local beers, Berlin has something to offer everyone. In spite of its scarred past – or perhaps because of it – Berlin holds claim as one of the most diverse European cities.

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First of the summer wine

By Legal Week | June 18, 2009

When Paul Beveridge, a partner at Heller Ehrman, took a buyout from the firm in autumn 2007, there was no doubt where he would invest the proceeds. Beveridge is a Washington State winemaker who, until that time, bought fruit from vineyards across the state. The buyout helped him fulfil the dream of owning a place to grow his own grapes.

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True blue

By Legal Week | June 10, 2009

Currently, in the legal world, I am a corporate partner at City law firm SJ Berwin. In the political world, I am a shadow minister for the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), and also shadow Solicitor General.

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Clash of the titans

By Mark Goddard | June 4, 2009

Can Apple's much-hyped iPhone impact on BlackBerry's position as the legal profession's gadget of choice? Alan Cohen assesses if Apple's consumer hit can make a breakthrough in the business market

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The end of sisterhood

By Mark Goddard | May 27, 2009

The sisterhood of lawyers has never been more potent. In conference rooms and swanky restaurants, women across the ranks - senior partners and associates, general counsel and staff attorneys - are brainstorming about what it takes for women to succeed in a profession that is still predominantly male. Over sushi, cosmos, and the occasional mani/pedi treatment, they are bonding, united in the mission for gender equality. The message is clear: women are united, and they want their sisters to succeed.

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