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American dream

A transatlantic adventure, by Geoffrey Bindman

In 1959, as I approached the end of my three years as an articled clerk, I had to decide what to do next. The future was an obvious one for most of us: to become an assistant solicitor in the same firm or another firm, with the expectation in a few years of becoming a partner.

Jobs were not hard to find in an expanding market but the prospect of following the conventional path did not thrill me. The lifestyle of the partners seemed mind-numbing: nice car, house and family, but little else.

 

FELLOWSHIPS

A college friend of mine had been called to the Bar and then spent a year with a fellowship at an American law school. He liked it so much that, as soon as he was able to renew his visa, he returned to take up a post at Yale. A glittering future awaited him and I was envious.

I realised I could apply

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
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From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
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