Why the UK’s biggest law firms are pulling away from the rest of the market

King & Spalding is in growth mode in London. The office increased revenue by 48% last year, has expanded its footprint at 8 Bishopsgate and recently hired a major international arbitration and litigation team from WilmerHale. London managing partner Tom Sprange explains why the office has become central to the US firm’s international strategy. It is now King & Spalding’s fourth-largest office, its biggest outside the US and a hub connecting the firm’s practices across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The ambition is not to become a conventional full-service firm. Sprange describes a more selective model built around elite disputes, finance, private capital, investigations and regulatory work. He also explains why collaboration matters more than individual books of business, and why King & Spalding looks for practice builders rather than lawyers who simply claim to bring clients with them. The conversation also explores the changing economics of international arbitration, the rise of the highly paid superstar partner and how firms can stop their best lawyers being poached. Sprange closes by setting out where King & Spalding could expand next and why the firm’s trainee pipeline remains important to its London plans. The Non-Billable Podcast is sponsored by Thomson Reuters. Request a demo of CoCounsel Legal, visit: https://legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.co.uk/en/products-services/cocounsel-legal-uk.html Chapters 00:01 Introduction 01:40 Why London matters to King & Spalding 03:33 Revenue growth and the London practice mix 09:48 Not going full-service 13:12 Fund finance and making major team hires work 19:53 The WilmerHale raid and the changing arbitration market 23:36 How international disputes lawyers win clients 27:44 Superstar partners, pay and retention 32:51 The modern partner, AI and what comes next About Non-Billable Non-Billable is the media company for modern legal professionals across private practice, in-house and legal tech. Visit our website: ⁠⁠https://www.nonbillable.co.uk

Walker Morris has nearly doubled in size over the past seven years while holding on to a model that looks increasingly distinctive: one office in Leeds and no international network of its own. Revenue reached a record £90.2m last year, leaving the firm within reach of its £100m Ambition 27 target. Managing partner Jeanette Burgess explains why she believes the single-site model still works. The bigger question is what happens beyond £100m. Burgess says Walker Morris can continue scaling from Leeds for now, although the firm is reviewing its options as it develops its post-2027 strategy. She also discusses why the firm is attracting lawyers looking for greater autonomy than they may find at larger City and national firms. In relation to AI, Burgess expects firms may need “fewer, better people” in some areas and anticipates a gradual move away from hourly rates for routine work. But she rejects private equity as an answer to the investment challenge, arguing that surrendering control would cut against Walker Morris’ partnership model. The Non-Billable Podcast is sponsored by Thomson Reuters. Request a demo of CoCounsel Legal, visit: https://legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.co.uk/en/products-services/cocounsel-legal-uk.html Chapters 00:01 Introduction 01:35 Record growth and Jeanette’s path to leadership 05:13 Evolution, innovation and leading the firm 07:33 Walker Morris’ position in the market 09:13 The advantages of a single office in Leeds 16:01 How far can the model scale? 18:51 AI, talent and the future law firm pyramid 28:13 Why private equity is not right for Walker Morris 33:02 What comes after Ambition 27? About Non-Billable Non-Billable is the media company for modern legal professionals across private practice, in-house and legal tech. Visit our website: ⁠⁠https://www.nonbillable.co.uk

Charles Russell Speechlys has expanded rapidly under managing partner Simon Ridpath, opening in Milan and Singapore before making a defining move into the US this year. The strategy is built around the firm’s ambition to become the world’s leading adviser to private capital – following wealthy individuals, families and entrepreneurs as their lives and investments become increasingly mobile globally. In this episode, Simon explains why the US had become an unavoidable gap in the firm’s network, what he learnt during two-and-a-half years studying the market and why CRS resisted the temptation to accelerate its launch simply by “opening a chequebook”. We also go inside the 2014 merger that created Charles Russell Speechlys. Simon reflects on the unusual challenge of combining two genuinely equal firms, why he prefers to talk about behaviours rather than culture and why mergers pursued principally for scale should make law firm leaders nervous. Finally, we explore one of the biggest questions facing the profession: how partnerships will fund international expansion, AI and the increasingly complicated business of running a law firm. Simon explains why private equity ownership remains difficult for Big Law, where external investment could work on a project basis and how technology may force firms to overhaul traditional pay and reward structures. Chapters 00:01 Introduction 00:55 Leading through constant disruption 03:08 From legal aid work to City law 04:59 Inside the Charles Russell Speechlys merger 09:18 Why Simon became managing partner 11:18 Building the firm around private capital 17:09 Why CRS finally entered the US 23:15 Following private capital into Milan and Singapore 26:23 Funding growth, private equity and the impact of AI About Non-Billable Non-Billable is the media company for modern legal professionals across private practice, in-house and legal tech. Visit our website: ⁠⁠https://www.nonbillable.co.uk

Christian Bartsch is the CEO of Bird & Bird, the international law firm built around technology, IP and regulation. He joined the firm in 2007, became CEO in 2022 and was recently re-elected for a second term. In this episode, Bartsch explains how he followed a leader who had run the firm for 26 years and why he involved the wider partnership in shaping Bird & Bird’s first five-year strategy. He discusses the firm’s target of reaching €1bn in revenue by 2029, its recent expansion into Tokyo, Riyadh and Lisbon, and why India remains a market he watches closely. He also addresses law firm consolidation, external capital and the circumstances in which Bird & Bird might consider a merger. The conversation then turns to AI, why Bartsch believes generic firms are vulnerable, how the traditional law firm pyramid may change and why training partners matters just as much as giving associates new tools. Chapters 00:01 Introduction 01:02 Christian’s journey from tech partner to CEO 02:51 Taking over after David Kerr’s 26-year tenure 04:59 Building a five-year strategy with the partnership 07:29 Bird & Bird’s sector focus and competitive edge 12:15 The €1bn revenue target and why growth isn’t the strategy 17:43 International expansion, Saudi Arabia and India 20:34 Big Law consolidation, US mergers and external capital 27:11 AI, the law firm pyramid and why generic firms could struggle About Non-Billable Non-Billable is the media company for modern legal professionals across private practice, in-house and legal tech. Visit our website: ⁠⁠https://www.nonbillable.co.uk

Jo Farmer, joint managing partner of Lewis Silkin, joins the podcast to discuss the firm’s rapid growth and the strategy behind it. She explains why Lewis Silkin has resisted chasing revenue for its own sake, instead focusing on organic growth, its core strengths and expanding into locations where it sees opportunities for both clients and talent. Jo also talks about her own route into law, from growing up without any lawyers in the family to building a career in IP and advertising and eventually becoming joint managing partner. She discusses why social mobility matters so much to her, and why she believes Lewis Silkin’s distinctive history continues to shape the culture of the firm today. We get into leadership too, including why Jo never originally planned to become managing partner, what she learned from studying leadership at Cambridge and Harvard, and why she is a big believer in sharing the top job with fellow joint managing partner Richard Miskella. Finally, Jo shares how Lewis Silkin is approaching AI, from its early adoption of Harvey to building its own employment product, Delphius. Chapters 00:01 Introduction 00:50 Jo’s journey to Lewis Silkin and managing partner 03:46 What makes Lewis Silkin different 08:06 Social mobility and opening up routes into law 10:02 Why Jo never planned to become managing partner 12:25 The case for joint managing partners 16:37 What Harvard taught Jo about leadership 22:47 The strategy behind Lewis Silkin’s rapid growth 30:34 AI, Harvey and the future of the law firm model About Non-Billable Non-Billable is the media company for modern legal professionals across private practice, in-house and legal tech. Visit our website: ⁠⁠https://www.nonbillable.co.uk