The Firm Analyst

In our final episode of this season I invited Yusuf Serang, an incoming trainee solicitor at Fieldfisher, to the podcast to discuss all things trade. Recently, the UK announced two major trade deals with the US and India while other countries headed to the negotiating tables. Yusuf and I asked ourselves: what does this mean for the markets at large and commercial law firms? Tune in to find out. Link to access on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/thefirmanalyst

Welcome back to The Firm Analyst everyone! In this episode, we looked at cyberattacks, macroeconomic shifts and the complex world of property development. Covering key stories and concepts along the way, we delved even deeper into the world of business through the lens of a commercial lawyer.I hope you enjoy this episode! Link to access: https://linktr.ee/thefirmanalyst

To say these last few weeks have been volatile is a gross understatement. Donald Trump recently unleashed a wave of tariffs which have sent the global markets into flux. In this episode, we try to unpack the unfolding mayhem and assess how the markets are reacting by looking at US/UK government bond yields, the S&P 500, the FTSE100, the US Dollar index and the price of gold in the last two weeks. We round off the episode by looking the micro effects of this global trade war and investigate how deal uncertainty has led to the deployment of force majeure clauses and resulted in abortive transactions. We also take a look at how lawyers will be assisting clients with their liability management via hedging while covering the main risks keeping investors up at night during this crisis.I hope you enjoy the episode. Feel free to share it across all your platforms!

Hi everyone! We are officially back from our season break and we welcome you to Season 13 of The Firm Analyst. In this episode, we discussed: (1) the recent shutdown at Heathrow Airport and some of the potential legal consequences arising as a result; (2) Barclays' "Caterpillar" strategy and how UK banks use derivatives to protect income while weathering fluctuations in interest rates; and (3) the challenges that sustainable finance and investment continue to face and what lies ahead for this sector.

Welcome back to The Firm Analyst as we dive into a range of stories in this early release episode! Today we discussed: (1) Skype's unfortunate demise and what role lawyers play in reorganising businesses; (2) how UK small cap companies have been perceived by international investors in light of the UK's dampened growth; and (3) how changes to the SDLT thresholds in April are convincing home buyers to move their purchases forward.

Thanks for tuning into this episode of The Firm Analyst. Today we'll be discussing a range of stories affecting the market and how they impact the wider practice of commercial law. I hope you find benefit in the stories discussed and feel free to reach out for more information or a general discussion!

$600bn...that's the estimated value NVIDIA is said to have lost as markets struggled to comprehend a new company's arrival onto the AI scene. Here at The Firm Analyst, we discuss how DeepSeek's AI model is set to affect the wider data infrastructure and legal markets (2:15). In this week's episode, we also discussed how the US' recently introduced tariffs are set to cause challenges for multinational corporations and investigate how lawyers can help their clients navigate a new era of international trade environment (16:20). To wrap up, we looked into the recently announced AAM and Dowlais plc merger and its wider implications for transatlantic M&A dealmaking (29:25). I hope you enjoy this episode! Link to access on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/thefirmanalyst

Welcome back to The Firm Analyst everyone! Super glad to be kicking this year off to a start with a discussion on what 2025 holds for the UK economy (2:30) and the world at large as the political climate grows ever more uncertain (20:00) . Listen in as we also break down how the TikTok ban illustrates what sorts of challenges multinational corporations and clients will be expected to face this year after an unprecedented number of leadership changes worldwide following the 50+ elections that took place in 2024 (27:15). Happy listening! Link to access on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/thefirmanalyst

Welcome back to The Firm Analyst everyone! In this episode, we reviewed market reactions to one of the most significant events of this year: the US election. With the dollar rising in strength, the possibility of tariffs looming on the horizon and rate cuts in the US and the UK, there was lots to unpack this episode. Listen in to hear how this will impact global markets and the world of commercial law as a whole. Link to access: https://linktr.ee/thefirmanalyst

Welcome back to the Firm Analyst! We have a range of stories to cover this week, including: the Labour government's autumn budget and what this means for SMEs, the PE industry and the economy at large; Zilch's use of a securitisation facility to fund its Buy Now Pay Later operations and why this funding technique remains popular in the financial markets; and what BlackRock's approach to HPS - an alternative lending giant - tells us about the growing importance of private credit in the global economy. I hope you enjoy the episode! Link to access on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/thefirmanalyst

Welcome back everyone! Today, we discussed the following topics in what was a more reflective episode: a new UK Export Finance programme aiming to grant finance to companies importing minerals into the UK for manufacturing amidst a global trade war for rare earth minerals; Shroders being the first asset manager to setup a Long Term Asset Fund in the UK. We also embarked on a whistle-stop tour of the investment funds world and how law firms play a role in its daily activities; and how employees at Monzo may soon achieve millionaire status due to share incentive schemes setup by the company. This segment also focused on how startups incentivise both employees and investors to buy into their vision. I hope you enjoyed the episode!

Welcome back to The Firm Analyst! I'm very excited to be kicking off season 11 with a discussion on the following topics: firstly, we unpacked the Labour budget, looking specifically at how a change in tax law can impact several sectors and how law firms may be called on to assist their clients; for our second story, we looked at the Viadux phase 2 project in Manchester as a joint venture case study and examined how law firms get involved in putting these structures together; lastly, we reflected on how Space X's recent achievement of 'catching' the upper stage of its Starship rocket marks a key point in commercial space history and discussed what this means for the space law sector.

Hi everyone! Welcome to the final episode of this season of The Firm Analyst. Today we discussed: the importance of being curious as well as reflective. I shared a recent personal story about how I was able to connect simple markings on an electricity meter to a learning point about a law firm's practice; using books to learn about the history and strategy of certain law firms. In particular, we made mention of books such as Too Big to Fail, Barbarians at the Gate and more; and we wrapped up the podcast by learning about how public information disclosed by the government can reveal which law firms are working with them on a range of matters. I hope you enjoy the episode! We will be taking our usual season break next week, so hope to see you the week after. Link to access the podcast:https://linktr.ee/thefirmanalyst

Welcome back to The Firm Analyst! In this episode we discussed: how REA Group's £6.2bn offer for Righmove could result in a hostile takeover of the company and how lawyers assist clients in such circumstances; why law firms seek to rebrand, while taking a closer look at how Freshfields, Foot Anstey, A&O Shearman and BDB Pitmans have considered branding more recently; and Standard Chartered's dispute with investors regarding the proposed rate switch from LIBOR to SOFR on preference shares issued by the bank in 2006. I hope you enjoy the episode! Link to access on all platforms: https://linktr.ee

Welcome back to The Firm Analyst! In today's episode we discussed a range of stories affecting the markets including: HSBC dealing with a number of defaults across its HongKong real estate loan portfolio and how finance lawyers mitigate risk for their clients in these scenarios; the importance of trade associations for different business sectors and why the formation of the Platforms Association for direct-to-investor companies may be of interest to law firms; and the recent Employment Tribunal decision in an equal pay case relating to Next's employee pay structure and how this may affect businesses and law firms alike. I hope you enjoy the episode! Link to access: https://linktr.ee/thefirmanalyst

Welcome back to The Firm Analyst! In the first episode of Season 10, we dive into a range of key stories hitting the papers this week. (2:00) First off, we look at the CMA's provisional conclusion that the Vodafone x Three merger will result in a substantial lessening of competition and examine the legal impact that this will have on the deal; (16:15) we also discussed private wealth as a practice area/sector in law firms using the recent purchase of a residential property in Notting Hill for £21m as a case study; and (30:50) lastly, we did a general macroeconomic temperature check by reflecting on the ECB's recent decision to cut rates, talks of the Federal Reserve following suit and the UK's October budget. Link to access on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/thefirmanalyst

Hi everyone, after a brief hiatus due to exams and a city move, we are back with the final episode of The Firm Analyst this season! In this episode, we discussed unique tools that you can use to research law firms and the work that they do. This episode specifically focussed on how to find out what law firms are up to in the debt finance, M&A and PE spaces.

Welcome back to this week's episode of The Firm Analyst! In today's episode, we discussed the following: (2:05) the sharp stock sell off that occurred last week in the global equities markets as a result of fears of a US recession and the unwinding of several Japanese Yen carry trades; (17:30) how a range of law firms including Macfarlanes, Linklaters, Latham & Watkins and others advised parties connected to a £5.4bn acquisition bid for the direct to consumer investment platform Hargreaves Landsdown; and (35:35) Saudi Arabia's new investment law that will make it easier for foreign investors to operate in the country and what this means for law firms expanding into the jurisdiction. I hope that you enjoy the episode! Link to access: http://linktr.ee/thefirmanalyst

Welcome back to this episode of The Firm Analyst! Today we discussed: (02:00) Elliot Management's letter to investors, which suggests that an economic bubble is forming around the artificial intelligence sector; (17:15) HSBC, Barclays and Shell announcing billions of pounds worth of buybacks after performing better than expected this quarter; and (32:30) the fiscal conundrum being faced by the Labour government which may force a rise in the capital gains tax rate. I hope that you enjoy this episode and I look forward to seeing you all next week! Link to access: https://linktr.ee/thefirmanalyst

Welcome back to The Firm Analyst! In today's episode, the first of season 9, we discussed: the recently elected Labour government's plans to create a multibillion pound national wealth fund to bankroll UK industry and infrastructure projects and what this means for the legal market; Revolut, with the help of Linklaters, emerging victorious in its uphill battle to obtain authorisation to operate as a bank in the UK; and BDB Pitmans' plans to create an international law firm network named 'Broadfield' alongside Alvarez & Marsal Legal Services. I hope that you enjoy the episode and I look forward to bringing you another one next week!

Hi everyone! It has been a very eventful few weeks and I am glad to be bringing this final episode of this season to you today where we discussed: how the FCA's proposed changes to the Main Market's listing regime will, according to some, revive the IPO market in the UK; Carpetright's decision to file a notice to appoint administrators as it slips into insolvency and how solicitors deal with such situations; and Metro Bank's attempt to shore up its capital by selling a chunk of its mortgage book and how law firms assist in the securitisation process. I hope that you find this episode useful.

Hi network! I hope you enjoy this special edition of The Firm Analyst. We have seen a lot about Paul Weiss in the papers recently and many aspiring solicitors still trying to navigate the legal market might be wondering what the coverage is all about. This podcast serves as a brief introduction to recent events surrounding the firm's formal expansion into London through an English law offering. I hope that those still trying to assess what firms they want to apply to will find this episode useful.

Welcome back to this episode of The Firm Analyst! In this episode, we discussed: $20m partner pay packages and what they tell us about the direction the UK's commercial law sector is taking in terms of pay; how a deal drought in the City of London's £100m+ property market may affect real estate behemoths of the legal sector; and a 14% increase in deal volume in PE across the globe as central banks begin to hint towards rate cuts. Thanks for tuning in once again and I hope you enjoy the episode!

I am super excited to be back with this new episode of The Firm Analyst and I hope that you are all ready to engage with some of the topics we will be discussing today. These include: the PRA ordering a review of Barclay's leveraged finance business and what the PRA's findings may mean for the market; a review how elections have impacted currency, debt and equity capital markets in the last few months; an in depth review of how the election year will affect the derivatives, project finance and tax sectors for law firms. I hope you will all enjoy the episode!

Welcome back everyone to The Firm Analyst! I was really excited to release this episode, where we will be discussing how international law applies to restructuring & insolvency contexts. In particular, we looked at how the UK has become a popular restructuring hub and the topic of "forum shopping". We also take a brief look at Ch.11 proceedings in the US and EU insolvency proceedings as well as the application of the UNCITRAL Model Law to larger global restructurings.

Welcome back to The Firm Analyst! This is probably one of the most detailed podcasts I've done, so I hope you all enjoy it. We discussed the following topics: (2:33) the FCA releasing Finalised Guidance discussing financial promotions in the context of social media; (19:26) Santander's appointment of A&O and a range of firms to its legal panel, including a segment on how panels work; and (38:30) Trowers & Hamlins' decision to open an office in Singapore, including a discussion of how law firms operate internationally. Link to access on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/thefirmanalyst

Welcome back everyone to this episode of The Firm Analyst! In this episode, we discussed: Thames Water's financial struggles and its parent company's recent default on its debt; Why gold is a systemically important asset and why it was able to reach a new high last week; and The 'Great Maturity Wall' and how firms like Aston Martin likely avoided an existential debt crisis through one of the debt capital markets' most relied on tools: the 'roll over'. I hope you enjoy this episode and I look forward to seeing you all next week God willing!

In this episode, I tackled the following question as part of my submission for Slaughter and May's Innovation Competition: What are the cultural challenges with integrating generative AI into a law firm? What are the best ways for Slaughter and May to approach these challenges to maximise the successful integration of generative AI across the firm?

In this episode, we looked briefly at some of the main stories and deals happening this week, including Nationwide's bid for Virgin Money. Following this, we took a deep dive into the world of banking and finance by dissecting a standard facility agreement and looking at its terms. This is a great opportunity to see whether finance law is for you. I hope you enjoy this episode! Link to access on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/thefirmanalyst

This was a really analytical episode and I hope that you are as excited to listen as I am excited to publish this episode. We covered the following stories: Marks & Spencer, instructing Dentons, comes out victorious in a High Court appeal against a decision from the Secretary of State rejecting the retailer's planning application to redevelop a key store in Oxford Street. The Berkley Research Group released its fifth annual M&A Disputes Report, which revealed that market participants expect disputes in this area to increase in number. We take a look at how this could impact the legal sector. Mischon has been working with NVIDIA in assisting tech startups level up. The $2 trillion computing giant is working closely with Mischon to deliver its 'Inception' programme, which is designed to connect tech startups with tech resource, funding and legal support. I hope you enjoy the podcast!

In this episode, we were graced with the presence of Aziz Deen: an Islamic finance and commercial property solicitor at Foot Anstey LLP. After recounting some of the main stories of the week, I spoke to Aziz about his journey, the lifecycle of a deal and how he uses commercial awareness on a daily basis. If you're pressed for time, feel free to skip to the 10-minute mark where the interview with Aziz officially begins. I hope you enjoy this episode. Please be sure to share it with your friends! Link to access on all platforms: https://linktr.ee/thefirmanalyst

Welcome back everyone! It seems unreal saying it but we have successfully reached our sixth season of The Firm Analyst. Thank you so much for your support thus far. In this episode, we discussed: Currys PLC rejecting a takeover bid from activist hedge fund Elliot Investment Management and what this means for the company. The UK officially falling into a recession and how this will affect the property, M&A and legal markets. The motivations behind and implications of TUI's vote to delist itself from the LSE. I hope you enjoy the podcast and the new intro!

Welcome everyone to this deep dive episode of The Firm Analyst! In this episode, alongside taking stock of major stories to do with Meta's earnings, Tesla shareholder disputes and central bank ambivalence on interest rates, we took a closer look at syndicated lending. As these are one of the most systemically important markets in the world, we decided to look at the history of syndicated loans as a whole and how they are structured today. I hope you find this episode useful! All the best with your ACs and other applications.

Hello everyone! Welcome back to The Firm Analyst. This week, we bring you in-depth analysis on a range of important stories including: the CMA opening a formal investigation into the Three x Vodafone merger, the fourth 'mega transaction' it has put under the microscope recently; BlackRock bets on the infrastructure sector by purchasing Global Infrastructure Partners in the hopes of a boom in government projects; and UK-Canada post-Brexit trade talks stall as Canada presses for UK-access for its hormone-treated beef and pork. Probably some of the most fun I've had recording a podcast in a while so I hope you enjoy it!

Welcome back to this week's episode, I hope all of your applications are going well! Today we discussed: Labour's plans to take the UK's business offering to a new level as the elections approach; the government's intention to reverse the effects of the recent Supreme Court judgment in the case of PACCAR, which rendered many litigation funding agreements unenforceable; and how consumer spending declines are bound to affect different sectors of the UK economy.

It's already been a very busy start to the year across the globe and The Firm Analyst is no exception. This week we delved into the following topics: Linklaters' raid on Shearman &. Sterling's M&A team in New York, including the lateral hire of one of their Global Heads; how the Post Office's computation of compensation paid to wrongfully accused postmasters may lead to tax challenges; and how businesses allocate contractual risk amidst events such as the Russia-Ukraine war, COVID-19 and more. I hope you find this podcast useful and all the best with your applications and assessment centres!

This episode aimed to address some of the main shifts we have seen in the legal market over the course of the year. Some of the biggest stories covered included: the A&O Shearman merger; major US firm Paul Weiss' entry into the UK market; and how firms have coped with the recent transactional downturn. This marks the last episode of this year! I hope that you have found all of our episodes useful and I look forward to seeing you in the next few weeks God willing.

2023 was indeed a mixed bag for ESG. Some reports indicated a reduced return on ESG investments while there have also been significant strides in integrating ESG within a regulatory framework. This was the main focus of this podcast, where we discussed: incoming FCA regulations targeting greenwashing and CMA action regarding the same; COP28 and the UAE setting up a specialised $30 billion ESG fund ; and how this increased interest in ESG is affecting the lateral hire market. I hope you enjoy this penultimate episode of the year.

This year has seen some of the most significant M&A transactions, from the merger between Vodafone and Three, to the massive combination of Microsoft and Activision. In that light, we decided to discuss a range of stories spanning across competition, M&A and PE, including: how PE funds are coping with a higher interest rate environment; the CMA investigations into the Microsoft x Activision and Adobe x Figma mergers; and the CMA raising questions about Microsoft's increasingly close relationship with OpenAI. Enjoy the podcast!

As crazy as it sounds, this is the final episode of The Firm Analyst this year. I was joined by Waheed Kalungi, a contracts paralegal at UserTesting Inc. and aspiring Trainee Solicitor. Together, we discussed a range of business stories and how they featured throughout the year. As a lot has happened in 2023, we decided to split this massive two-hour long episode into a few parts, releasing one every few days. In this part, we discussed some of the biggest banking & finance stories of the year, which included: the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and other major regional US banks; UBS' merger with Credit Suisse; and the rise of the mysterious 'private credit' sector. I hope you enjoy the podcast and have a good winter break!

Welcome to the second last episode of this year! I hope you've enjoyed the podcast this far and thank you immensely for helping us reach more than 1,000 views across all episodes. In this episode, we discussed: how a possible listing of Boots and SHEIN on the LSE could revive hopes in the UK stock markets; the London Metal Exchange facing off with major hedge funds in the Court of Appeal in relation to the $3.9 billion in trades it cancelled during a surge in Nickel prices that took place on the exchange last year; and how a potential increase in capital requirements for US banks may pose a threat to green finance. I hope you enjoy the episode, see you next week!

In this episode of The Firm Analyst, we will be covering a range of exciting new stories including: discussions of a possible merger between KPMG's UK and Swiss arms; the CMA asking market participants to comment on the increasingly close partnership between Open AI and Microsoft; and the Bank of England raising concerns about the vulnerability of the private credit market to an economic downturn. Be sure to share this episode and I hope that you enjoy it.

Welcome back to The Firm Analyst! In this episode, we switched things up. We brought on Kevin Poulter, a partner in Freeths' employment team to discuss a range of things, including: Training Contract application and career tips; the recent Supreme Court judgment in IWUGB v CAC where the employment status of Deliveroo riders was discussed; and Sam Altman's termination and reinstatement as Open AI's CEO. I hope you enjoy this episode! Thanks once again for your support throughout this year.

Hello everyone! Welcome to this episode of The Firm Analyst where we do a deep dive into what the development of AI means for law firms today, what risks and opportunities it poses and how firms can approach this sector as a whole. In particular, we looked at how law firms manage the risk of AI giving incorrect outputs and the regulatory, insurance and business development considerations that must be taken into account when introducing a new AI product to a firm.

Welcome to the latest episode of The Firm Analyst after a brief pause due to me falling ill. Today we discussed: Kirkland & Ellis making a range of lateral hires in order to rebuild its debt finance team after the departure of a range of partners and associates to Paul Weiss recently; rumours that Britishvolt, the UK battery startup, may be trading while insolvent again; and plans by the FCA to introduce new regulations on greenwashing. I hope you enjoy this episode!

Hello network! Welcome to this episode where we discussed:   How an economic slowdown has caused mass redundancies across the Big Four accountancy firms and a range of UK law firms;   PIF's inaugural Islamic bond issuance and why Islamic finance is becoming increasingly important in the international capital markets; and   M&G (a major global asset manager) closing its £585m UK retail property fund. 

Welcome back everyone! I'm excited to kick off this season of The Firm Analyst. In this episode, we discussed: Travers and K&E losing top ESG partners to Freshfields and Paul Hastings respectively and how ESG talent is becoming increasingly sought after in the legal market; the FCA bringing Cryptocurrencies within the financial promotions regulatory framework and warning against 146 firms within the first 24 hours of the regulation coming into force for alleged breaches; and Apollo making a firm offer for Wagamama's parent company The Restaurant Group PLC, valuing its shares at £506 mn. I hope you enjoy this episode!

Welcome back to the podcast! In the last episode of this season we look deeper into the business of law firms in today's markets. Here are some of the main questions we delved into during the podcast: Why do law firms decide to list their shares on a stock market? What are the benefits and challenges associated with a public listing? What firms are currently listed and how have they performed?

Good evening listeners! Welcome back to The Firm Analyst. In this week's episode we discussed: DWF's appointment to Tesco's real estate legal panel, challenging BCLP's ten-year-long run as Tesco's sole provider; how PE firms are using Net Asset Value loans to breathe life into their portfolios given the current economic conditions; and Chelsea's reasons behind raising $500 mn from alternative asset manager Ares Management. I would highly recommend this podcast for those applying to BCLP, DWF, K&E, Davis Polk, Latham and Northridge as many of these stories and other themes link to them specifically.

Hi listeners! I hope you're excited for the newest episode of The Firm Analyst. In today's episode we discussed: how banks are responding to the rise of private credit; the recent hike in oil prices and how this has sparked fears of further interest rate rises; and the UK government's offshore wind programme failing to attract bidders in its most recent auction. Feel free to share the podcast and I hope that you will enjoy this episode!

Hi everyone I hope you all enjoyed our very first season of The Firm Analyst and that you are excited for Season 2. Today we will be discussing how interest rates have impacted both the real estate and M&A sectors and how US-China tensions are affecting investors across the globe, including the UK. Thanks for tuning in and see you again next week God willing!