City Guide to life in London

Overview of London

 

London, alongside New York and Tokyo, is one of the centres of the global financial market. The capital of England, London is famous for its mix of old and modern buildings, rich history and fantastic culture.

The London Legal Scene

 

It’s prominence in the global financial market means that many of the worlds top law firms have a presence in London. 75% of Fortune 500 companies have offices in London, more than 50% of FTSE 100 companies and over 20% of Europe’s 500 largest companies.

Many of the London law firms generate most of their revenue from international finance and banking. London has more overseas banks than any other city in the world including some of the biggest such as HSBC, Citi and Lloyds TSB, all of which require legal representation. The city is also home to the Bank of England and the London Stock Exchange.

The global financial crisis of 2008-9 has led to many London law firms changing their practices with a lot of business coming from restructurings and insolvencies.

Notable London Law Firms

 

As said previously, some of the largest legal law firms in the world have a significant footprint in London.

Allen & Overy LLP – One of the premier international law firms with over 5000 employees and 490 partners. They have offices in 31 cities, across 22 countries. Their main areas of operation are in international finance, specifically banking litigation, structured finance, corporate insolvency and restructuring, acquisitions, takeovers and mergers and financial services.

Clifford Chance LLP – The firm focuses on the core areas of commercial activity: capital markets; corporate and M&A; finance and banking; real estate; tax, pensions and employment; and litigation and dispute resolution. The company has offices in all the major cities around the world and there are 223 partners in the UK.

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP - Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP has top-level experience across key practice areas, these are antitrust, competition and trade; corporate; dispute resolution, including environment, planning and regulatory; employment, pensions and benefits; finance; IP/IT; real estate; and tax. The company was formed in 2000 with the merger of three of the major law firms from the UK and Germany to form a major international law practice.

Slaughter and May LLP – Slaughter and May is a leading international law firm with a worldwide corporate, commercial and financing practice comprising approximately 590 partners and associates. The main areas are corporate and financing, financial regulation, technology, media and telecoms and corporate tax. Slaughter and May LLP have offices in Paris, Brussels, Hong Kong and Beijing.

 

Herbert Smith LLP – Herbert Smith LLP have significant experience in Transport, Energy (renewable, electrical and oil & Gas), insurance litigation, corporate and regulatory insurance and commercial litigation. Herbert Smith LLP is rated as a first tier firm in all of these sectors.

Living in London

London is a fantastic mix of old and new building. Modern apartments on the Thames and the Docklands sit alongside Victorian and Georgian architecture. Property prices in central London are among the highest in the country.

London has a population of roughly 7.5 million people and is one of the most cosmopolitan and multicultural cities in the world. The varied nature of London means that there is something for everyone and extensive bus and underground network mean that everywhere is readily accessible.

 

Things to do in London

London is full of things to do and it would be very hard to get bored in the city. There are literally thousands of pubs, bars and clubs including some of the best in the world such as The Ministry of Sound and Fabric. London is home to some of the best restaurants in the world, owned by some of the best chefs in the world.

 

Oxford Street is the most famous shopping street in London but there are lots of other places to shop. Camden market is famous for its stalls and independent shops, and music scene whilst London is also one of the fashion capitals of world alongside New York, Paris and Milan.

For those that are interested the arts and culture, The West End is famous for its theatres and shows and is held in the same regard as Broadway in New York. London has some of the best art galleries in the world housing some of the most famous artworks. The Tate Britain is home to the Turner prize and some exceptional exhibitions. The Tate Modern, located near the London Eye is famous for modern artworks and has featured pieces by famous names such as Damien Hirst.

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