Morning Briefing: Publicly listed law firm says it makes hiring easier

Publicly listed law firm says it makes hiring easier
A law firm that made headlines this year when it became the first in the UK to become a publicly-listed company did so partly to make hiring young lawyers easier. The 350-lawyer firm Gateley became a public company in June and while the financial benefits of the listing were a key factor in the decision, moving from a partnership to a public company is also more attractive to young lawyers. Gateley’s head of corporate Nick Smith says that it can be hard to find talent because law seems to be the chosen career of fewer young people. He told Bloomberg that the structure allowed new lawyers to own a piece of the firm from day one which was a benefit to hiring.
 
Two GC’s of global brands step down
The general counsel of Deutsche Bank is retiring from his role at the end of the year at his own request. Richard Walker has faced some tough times at the lender recently as regulatory matters have landed it with the largest legal bill in Europe. He will be succeeded by his deputies, Simon Dodds and Christof von Dryander. Meanwhile it’s understood that the GC of music streaming service Spotify is leaving his role to join the Huffington Post as chief executive.
 
American Bar Association appoints first black president
Paulette Brown has made history by becoming the first black president of the American Bar Association. Brown was interested in law as a teenager but was steered towards legal work for the poor or public defender roles by career counsellors. Brown was determined to join the corporate world though and joined law firms and in-house legal teams before her current role as partner at Edwards Wildman Palmer. Her appointment as ABA president will no doubt see more of her determination, especially to drive equality in the legal profession and justice system.
 
Divorce lawyers see decline in NZ as house prices rise
Married couples are opting for resolutions to their disputes that do not end in divorce for the sake of… the house. New Zealand divorce lawyers say that couples are delaying ending their marriages as house prices increase and future settlements promise more. Stuff.co.nz reports that with house prices up 10 per cent in the last year couples are demanding multiple valuations to ensure they are accurate when the divorce is finalised. It reports that Statistics NZ shows last year’s divorce rate at a record low and divorce lawyer Jeremy Sutton said couples were putting more emphasis that on the children.