Linklaters
A guide to the law firm Linklaters: what it’s best known for, recent work highlights, what it pays, and its revenue and profitability.
Last updated:
January 6, 2025
A guide to the law firm Linklaters: what it’s best known for, recent work highlights, what it pays, and its revenue and profitability.
Linklaters is one of the world’s leading law firms. The firm is a member of the Magic Circle, the group of the UK’s biggest and most prestigious law firms, and is renowned across the world.
Linklaters boasts a rich history that traces back to 1838 in London when the firm was founded by John Linklater. In the late 1990s, the firm partnered with many of Europe’s leading law firms, some of which eventually merged with Linklaters, and after significant expansion the firm shortened its name to Linklaters in 1999.
With a strong banking, finance and capital markets practice, Linklaters took full advantage of the boom years of the 2000s and in 2008 it became the biggest law firm in the world with revenue of $2.4bn.
In 2012, Linklaters formed a strategic alliance with Australian law firm Allens. The partnership allows both firms to maintain their independence and separate identities while working together to provide an integrated service to clients, particularly in Asia. The alliance focuses on sectors like energy, resources, and infrastructure.
With more than 540 partners and 2,500 lawyers, Linklaters is a global leader in banking, capital markets, and corporate M&A.
The firm has a large international presence with 31 offices across 20 countries throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas. Linklaters also has an Africa practice which it leads from its Paris office.
As with most of its Magic Circle rivals, Linklaters has recently made significant moves to strengthen its presence in the lucrative US market.
In January 2024, the firm hired a six-lawyer M&A team from Shearman & Sterling (pre-merger with Allen & Overy), led by rainmaker George Casey which it hailed as a “transformational step” for its US strategy.
Then, in October 2024, the firm raided newly-merged A&O Shearman for a four-partner finance team that included David Lucking, global co-head of A&O’s financial markets practice.
Its revenues in the US climbed by an impressive 24% in the 2023/24 financial year.
Linklaters makes our ranking of the UK's most prestigious law firms.
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Here are three examples of recent transactions and matters Linklaters has advised on:
Rio Tinto's Acquisition of Arcadium Lithium: In October 2024, Linklaters advised mining giant Rio Tinto on its $6.7bn all-cash acquisition of Arcadium Lithium. The deal was significant for Linklaters as it marked one of the first big-ticket deals led by the firm's new New York rainmaker George Casey who was poached by Linklaters from Shearman & Sterling in January 2024 (see more below).
Barratt Redrow £2.5bn Merger: Linklaters advised FTSE 100 client Barratt on its £2.5bn all-share takeover of listed housebuilder Redrow plc. The merger will create the UK’s largest house building company.
National Grid's Sale of UK Gas Transmission Business: Linklaters advised National Grid on the sale of a 60% stake in its UK gas transmission and metering business for £4.2bn. The transaction was noteworthy as the largest UK carve-out (sale of a subsidiary or other business division) of 2022.
In-house AI Chatbot: Linklaters has fully embraced the productivity gains of legal AI. The firm has an in-house AI chatbot called 'Laila' which lawyers can use to create first drafts of things like emails, documents and presentations. In December 2024, Linklaters said Laila was handling over 60,000 prompts a week across the firm.
Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme: Linklaters continues to open doors for aspiring solicitors through its Solicitor Apprenticeship Programme. The program offers an alternative pathway to becoming a solicitor in the UK, aimed at widening access to the legal profession.
Linklaters is a full service corporate law firm advising corporations, financial institutions and governments across a broad range of practice areas. Linklaters is particularly known for its work in the following practice areas:
Corporate/M&A: Linklaters is a powerhouse in corporate law and mergers and acquisitions (M&A). It's ranked in Band 1 by Chambers for 'Corporate/M&A: £800m+' deals. The firm handles complex, high-value transactions for clients across the globe, including multinational corporations, financial institutions, and private equity firms.
Banking and Finance: The firm is highly regarded for its banking and finance practice, advising across a broad spectrum of financing transactions. This includes acquisition and leveraged finance, syndicated loans and real estate finance. Linklaters has a Band 1 ranking for its advice to both borrowers and lenders on 'Banking & Finance: Big-Ticket' deals by Chambers.
Capital Markets: Linklaters has a standout reputation in the capital markets space, advising clients on debt and equity transactions, including initial public offerings (IPOs), bond issuances, and securitisations. The firm also has a leading derivatives practice. Linklaters has been chief legal adviser to ISDA, the International Swaps & Derivatives Association, since 2016 when it won the mandate from Allen & Overy. Linklaters is ranked in Band 1 for 'Capital Markets: Derivatives' by Chambers.
Competition/Antitrust: Linklaters is known for its strong UK and EU competition practice, advising on competition law, merger control, state aid, and compliance. It has a Band 1 ranking by Chambers for 'Competition Law'.
Energy and Infrastructure: The firm has a world-leading energy and infrastructure practice, advising on the development, financing, and acquisition of large-scale projects worldwide. Linklaters has a Band 1 ranking by Chambers across energy sectors, including Mining, Oil & Gas and Power.
We use Chambers rankings to demonstrate a firm's strengths. Chambers is the most highly-regarded provider of law firm rankings in the legal industry. Law firms are ranked in bands from 1 (highest) to 6 (lowest) across a range of practice areas.
It's important to note that being ranked in any band at all is still considered a significant achievement.
Linklaters competes directly with the rest of the Magic Circle for the biggest mandates. Globally, the firm competes with the largest US firms considered part of the 'global elite', including the likes of Kirkland & Ellis, Skadden and Latham & Watkins.
Here’s what Linklaters pays its trainees and newly qualified (NQ) lawyers:
Trainee First Year: £56,000
Trainee Second Year: £61,000
Newly Qualified (NQ): £150,000
We have a list of salaries paid by all of the UK’s top law firms here.
Linklaters is the 5th biggest law firm in the UK by revenue. In 2023, its revenue was £1.9 billion.
In 2023, its profit per equity partner (PEP) was £1,779,000.
In 2023, Linklaters' average profit per equity partner (PEP) was £1,779,000.
This is the total amount of profit available for distribution among equity partners, divided by the number of equity partners at the firm.
This represents the average amount that equity partners are entitled to. Some will receive significantly more, some less. It depends on the firm’s profit-sharing formula and each partner’s seniority.
Linklaters takes on around 100 trainees each year.
Trainees complete four seats in different departments, each lasting six months.
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