UK-Headquartered Linklaters Exudes Confidence in US Market - Implications for Paul, Weiss and More

It's the US' 250th anniversary of its founding as a nation. But the bad guys it had broken away from - the British - are gaining an upper hand in the prestigious lucrative legal sector. 

The latest on what might be called The British Invasion is this: UK-headquartered Linklaters generated in the US market for fiscal 2026 a 39% surge in profit. That compares with only a 7% boost in its home market, the UK. Also, as many remember, it poached from Paul, Weiss two FIFA partners Chris Boehning and Daniel Levi. Some read this as a sign that Paul, Weiss remains vulnerable to losing partners,

Bloomberg Law reports on Linklaters's strategy:

"Crossborder deals work is key for the firm as it continues to ramp up in the US market. 'We are building a brand in the US rather than having a brand in the US,' said [managing partner Paul] Lewis. 'And as things currently stand, we know that it’s building on trajectory.'”

On Bloomberg Law's M&A index Linklaters ranks 16th. This means that it is directly taking on Paul, Weiss. Under its new chair Scott Barshay Paul, Weiss is evolving into a dealmaking firm, shifting its historic identity from a litigation one. Even invincible US-headquartered Kirkland & Ellis could wind up a target. 

One thing about Linklaters is that it is quite self-assured in the US market. Lewis boasts that with its strategy and how it's implementing it, it doesn't need to merge.

In my coaching I hammer the critical importance of confidence. In "The Power Game" DC journalist Hedrick Smith classifies it as a primary source of power. In "Confidence" former Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Kanter documents how it's the source of upward professional trajectories and the lack of it of downward ones.

Tragically, layoffs, collapse of sectors and aging tend to erase confidence. To get it back - and most clients don't want to hear this - I advise grabbing work, any kind. In addition, the old adage is on the money: Work gets you better work. Post-9/11, after my industry tanked, I took a contract position as a security guard in a big box. Eighteen months later I had founded a digital-marketing boutique. 

Career Paths? So Over. It’s about Earning a Good Living. No matter what.

Complimentary consultation. No Pressure. Street-smart Guidance. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

Career Paths? So Over. It’s about Earning a Good Living. No matter what.

Complimentary consultation. No Pressure. Street-smart Guidance. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

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