Burford Capital, the widely recognized litigation finance firm, has announced the launch of phase three of its Equity Project, committing an additional $150 million to the initiative. This new allocation will specifically support commercial matters that feature women or “racially diverse” lawyers in leading roles. This follows the previous phase, which dedicated $50 million to cases led by female lawyers.
The move is part of a broader industry trend to promote diversity and inclusion within the legal profession. Burford’s enhanced financial commitment aims to address systemic inequalities and support underrepresented groups in leadership positions within legal disputes. For more details, you can read the official press release from Burford Capital.
Additionally, in other notable legal news, Gibson Dunn is downsizing its partnerships in Singapore, reducing the number of partners from nine to five. This restructuring will affect four partners who are scheduled to depart in the upcoming months. More on this development can be found at Law.com.
General counsel compensation at the 500 largest US companies by revenue has seen a significant increase, rising nearly 25% since 2019. The median total compensation for general counsel reached $3.3 million in 2023, up from $2.6 million in 2019. For a detailed analysis, see the report from Equilar.
The legal industry continues to see a series of noteworthy lateral moves and hires across various firms:
- Kristen Mathews joins Cooley as a partner in its cyber, data, and privacy group, leaving Morrison & Foerster.
- April Kim moves to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld as a projects and energy transition partner from Greenberg Traurig.
- Zach Hutton joins Sheppard Mullin’s labor and employment practice group from Paul Hastings.
- Kal Dargan becomes a partner in Husch Blackwell’s national tax practice.
- Ed Ivey joins Haynes and Boone’s finance group in Charlotte, N.C., from Moore & Van Allen.
- Tamara Carmichael joins Saul Ewing’s intellectual property group in New York.
- Adriana Ochoa becomes a partner in Snell & Wilmer’s special litigation and compliance practice group in San Diego.
- Diane Wozniak joins Holland & Hart’s private client team in Denver.
- Keith Enright, former Google chief privacy officer, joins Gibson Dunn as a partner in its artificial intelligence practice group.
For a full overview of today’s legal news, including details on these lateral moves, visit Bloomberg Law.