Our Thinking

Byfield Appoints Special Advisers 2000 1414 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Byfield Appoints Special Advisers

London, 18 September 2023: Leading legal PR agency Byfield Consultancy is enhancing its capabilities with the addition of three new special advisers. They join Simon Slater who has worked with Byfield for over four years, including as our non-exec Chairman. The special advisers are drawn from a range of backgrounds…

read more
Counsel Culture: Partner Moves, Gardening Leave Controversy and Job Cuts 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Partner Moves, Gardening Leave Controversy and Job Cuts

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week, Meg is joined by James Booth, Professional Services Reporter at Financial News. They discuss the Kirkland & Ellis departures to Paul Weiss in London, KPMG halving pay for its US partners on gardening leave and Goldman Sachs announcing job…

read more
Counsel Culture: In Case You Missed It and Looking Ahead 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: In Case You Missed It and Looking Ahead

The latest episode of Counsel Culture: The Business of Law Podcast has arrived! This week Meg is joined by Joint Managing Director Michael to discuss the recent departures from Kirkland & Ellis, ongoing developments at Axiom Ince and the news that Schillings is opening a PR arm. They also look…

read more
Image of Ben Girdlestone, Byfield Joint Managing Director
Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – August 23 1200 801 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – August 23

Welcome to the August edition of Byfield Bytes, your monthly update on the biggest stories and issues impacting the business of law. So much for the quiet month of August—there have been quite a few developments causing a stir in the legal world! The month started with Dentons announcing it…

read more
Counsel Culture: The New Regulatory Supercycle: AI, ESG and Billable Hours with Eric Staal of Lex Mundi 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: The New Regulatory Supercycle: AI, ESG and Billable Hours with Eric Staal of Lex Mundi

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now available to download and stream! In this week’s episode, Meg is joined by Eric Staal, Vice President, Global Markets at Lex Mundi, the world’s leading network of independent law firms. They discuss the consequences of AI adoption by in-house teams, the ESG…

read more
Counsel Culture: A Look Ahead to Autumn 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: A Look Ahead to Autumn

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! As our regular host Meg has taken a well-deserved break and with summer drawing to a close, we have taken a different approach to this week’s episode. Joint Managing Director Ben Girdlestone and Senior Account Executive Hattie Lunt have stepped in…

read more
Is it “About Damn Time” Lizzo practised what she preached? 1200 800 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Is it “About Damn Time” Lizzo practised what she preached?

It’s hard to avoid the ongoing news coverage around allegations of misconduct made against the high profile musician Lizzo. With the latest update being that legal teams are reviewing at least six new allegations against the singer, this case raises questions around the role of high profile celebrities as an…

read more
Counsel Culture: Separation, Firm Identity, and the Vilification of Lawyers 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Separation, Firm Identity, and the Vilification of Lawyers

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week, Byfield Joint-Managing Director Michael Evans and Meg discuss Dentons’ separation from Dacheng, the firm’s Chinese arm, as well as the latest clarifications from Freshfields on the decision not to release their financials. They also discuss the ongoing Government campaign…

read more
How Google Analytics Can Improve Your Business 1200 801 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

How Google Analytics Can Improve Your Business

Google Analytics is a platform that collects data from your website and apps to create reports that provide insights for your business. In the 17 years since its launch, the platform has become more and more popular with around 28.1 million websites (roughly 55.49% of all websites) using the programme,…

read more
Counsel Culture: Regulator Crackdowns, Workcations, and Private Financials 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Regulator Crackdowns, Workcations, and Private Financials

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week, Byfield Joint Managing Director Michael Evans joins Meg to discuss the SRA cracking down on anti-money laundering failures and on firms falsifying asylum and human rights claims. They also discuss the implication of the latest Supreme Court judgment on…

read more
Image of Ben Girdlestone, Byfield Joint Managing Director
Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – July 23 1200 801 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – July 23

Welcome to the July edition of Byfield Bytes, your monthly update on the biggest stories and issues impacting the business of law. It’s financial reporting season and firms have been releasing their latest profit and revenue figures for  Results have been mixed – while some have posted an increased revenue,…

read more
Counsel Culture: Financials, Social Mobility, Office Returns and Tattoos 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Financials, Social Mobility, Office Returns and Tattoos

Counsel Culture: The Business of Law Podcast is back, with the same in-depth analysis of the biggest news stories in the UK legal market but now with a mid-week release! Each episode will now hit the airwaves every Wednesday which will allow us to cover those important stories breaking over…

read more
Content Strategy #101 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Content Strategy #101

Every day at Byfield, we asks ourselves (and our clients): “how do we tell stories people will actually listen to?” That question is as old as the communications industry itself, and the absence of a eureka answer means client briefs haven’t changed much in as long as anyone can remember.…

read more
Counsel Culture: Financials, Appointments and Looking to the Future 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Financials, Appointments and Looking to the Future

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now available to download and stream! This week, Michael Evans is back to discuss the early days of financials season for UK firms, the new SFO appointment, law firms’ AI and cybersecurity woes, the awful story about Hong Kong putting a bounty on…

read more
Litigation PR – A Harsh Climate 1200 800 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Litigation PR – A Harsh Climate

It must be hard being the CEO of an oil company. You run an immensely complex organisation, where at any moment a tanker could run aground, a war break out near one of your fields, or activists tie themselves to various parts of your building. These PR nightmares have recently…

read more
Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – June 23 1200 801 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – June 23

Welcome to the June edition of Byfield Bytes, your monthly update on the biggest stories and issues impacting the business of law. The big story in the sector continues to be the A&O and Shearman & Sterling Merger. As people began to wind down for the summer, the management teams…

read more
Counsel Culture: The Importance of Disability Inclusion 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: The Importance of Disability Inclusion

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now available to download and stream! King & Spalding Associate Rosie Watterson joined Meg this week to discuss how law firms and the wider legal industry can better embrace their lawyers and staff with a disability, chronic and/or mental illness and why it…

read more
Counsel Culture: Access, Retention, Promotion 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Access, Retention, Promotion

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now available to download and stream! This week, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Partner and PRIME Executive Chair Elizabeth Robertson joins Meg to discuss social mobility in the legal industry. They discuss Elizabeth’s own journey into law, and best practice for firms…

read more
Counsel Culture: Investigative Journalism is Alive and Kicking 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Investigative Journalism is Alive and Kicking

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now available to download and stream! This week, Byfield Founder Gus Sellitto joins Meg to discuss the impact of investigative journalism on the reputation of companies following the FT’s latest expose into Odey Asset Management, the parallels between the latest partygate revelations and…

read more
Investigative journalism is alive and kicking, with wide-ranging reputation implications – Gus Sellitto writes for PR Week 771 771 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Investigative journalism is alive and kicking, with wide-ranging reputation implications – Gus Sellitto writes for PR Week

In 2021 a judge cleared Crispin Odey of indecent assault for an alleged workplace-related incident that took place 20 years earlier. The Judge told the eccentric hedge fund millionaire and founder of Odey Asset Management (OAM) that he could leave the courtroom with his “good character intact” and congratulated Odey…

read more
Counsel Culture: Masters of the Mergerverse 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Masters of the Mergerverse

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! Rose Walker, Editor at Bloomberg Tax, joins Meg to talk about successful strategies for a merger announcement, following the A&O Shearman news a few weeks ago. We talk about the importance of getting the choreography right for different stakeholders – as…

read more
Counsel Culture: Magic Mergers 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Magic Mergers

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! As our regular host Meg takes a well-deserved break, Account Director Liam McCafferty steps in to discuss the top legal stories of the week with Joint Managing Director Ben Girdlestone. They cover topics such as the A&O and Shearman merger, The…

read more
Image of Ben Girdlestone, Byfield Joint Managing Director
Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – May 23 1200 801 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – May 23

Welcome to the May edition of Byfield Bytes, your monthly update on the biggest stories and issues impacting the business of law. A busy month drew to an end with a massive story which broke last Sunday and took everyone by surprise: the proposed merger between Allen & Overy and…

read more
Counsel Culture: Walk for Access to Justice 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Walk for Access to Justice

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now live! This week, Bob Nightingale MBE, Founder of the London Legal Support Trust, joins Meg to discuss the Legal Walk 2023 taking place in June, access to justice, and the appointment of Alex Chalk as Lord Chancellor. If you wish to participate…

read more
The Student Group Claim – Capturing your audience and maintaining momentum in group claims 1200 900 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

The Student Group Claim – Capturing your audience and maintaining momentum in group claims

If you’re a student or recent graduate in the UK, you’ve almost certainly seen either targeted adverts to join the Student Group Claim (SGC) across social media, student newspapers sharing the story, or links to sign up to the claim repeatedly shared in group chats. Yesterday the SGC had its…

read more
Our thoughts on the A&O Shearman merger discussions 1200 800 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Our thoughts on the A&O Shearman merger discussions

The proposed merger between Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling is the biggest, and arguably most surprising story in the legal sector in recent years.  Joint Managing Director Ben Girdlestone and Account Manager Meg Tillay share their initial reactions to this week’s shock news. Ben “My instant reaction when…

read more
We must avoid televised court proceedings turning into Punch and Judy courtrooms 1200 800 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

We must avoid televised court proceedings turning into Punch and Judy courtrooms

There is almost a mystique in terms of the UK court system and that is because of a public mistrust of the legal system and the way it works. Judges can be seen as out of touch with modern Britain and an expansion of TV cameras in courtrooms will certainly…

read more
Counsel Culture: LIDW, Gen Z and Not-So-Green Credentials 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: LIDW, Gen Z and Not-So-Green Credentials

The latest episode of Counsel Culture is now available to download and stream! This week, CMS’ Head of International Arbitration and London International Disputes Week Co-Chair Richard Bamforth joins Meg and Michael to discuss what to expect at the LIDW starting next Monday, and how London as a disputes centre…

read more
Counsel Culture: Robots and Riches 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Robots and Riches

This week’s episode of Counsel Culture is now available to download and stream! In this week’s episode, Meg is joined by Harneys’ Global Managing Partner William Peake to discuss the inclusion of AI into lawyers’ day-to-day jobs, compliance experts warning junior lawyers who communicate with clients via Whatsapp and social…

read more
Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – April 23 780 780 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – April 23

Welcome to the April edition of Byfield Bytes, your monthly update on the latest news and trends in the legal industry. Following Ben’s stellar introduction last month, I am thrilled to take the wheel for this edition. I hope to recapture at least some of his vigour and verve. No…

read more
Counsel Culture: …And Justice for All 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: …And Justice for All

The latest episode of Counsel Culture: The Business of Law Podcast is now available to stream and download! In today’s episode Meg is joined by Justice Robin Knowles CBE, judge in the High Court and Chair of the National Pro Bono Centre, and Mary Dobson-Smith, Executive Lead for the National…

read more
Counsel Culture: Raabid Exit 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture: Raabid Exit

The latest episode of Counsel Culture: The Business of Law is now available to download and stream! This week, Meg and Byfield Joint-Managing Director Ben Girdlestone discuss the messaging and the implications of UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab’s resignation on UK regulators and their efforts in cracking down on bad…

read more
Counsel Culture Podcast- Events, dear boy, events 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture Podcast- Events, dear boy, events

The latest episode of Counsel Culture: The Business of Law is now available to download and stream! Byfield founder Gus Sellitto and Associate Director Beth Durkin join Meg this week to discuss some of the week’s biggest stories: Kirkland & Ellis’ latest financials, the future of law firm listings following…

read more
Counsel Culture Podcast- Enter the Matrix 2560 1707 Sean Cullen
  • Sean Cullen

Counsel Culture Podcast- Enter the Matrix

This week’s episode of Counsel Culture: The Business of Law is now live! This week, Joshua Bates, Associate at O’Connors, joins Meg to discuss law firms cancelling their PII covers, anti money-laundering compliance and cyber security challenges they are facing and how to respond to them, the lack of regulatory…

read more
Image of Ben Girdlestone, Byfield Joint Managing Director
Byfield Bytes: Your Monthly Digest of the biggest stories from the Business of Law – March 23 1200 801 Sean Cullen