The most read Non-Billable stories of the year displays a profession evolving.
From an A&O trainee-turned-tech founder to a senior partner calling NQ pay “crazy”, they highlight shifting talent economics, new partnership models, intensifying competition for elite lawyers and the ways top firms are reconsidering their brands as the market heads into 2026.
1. Trainee to tech founder
This interview with Alexander Kardos-Nyheim informs the story of an A&O trainee who somehow managed to balance a demanding training contract with co-founding Safe Sign Technologies, the legal AI startup later acquired by Thomson Reuters in 2024.
2. ‘Crazy’ NQ pay
Simmons & Simmons senior partner Julian Taylor offered one of the most quote-worthy critiques of the year on the sustainability of sky-high NQ salaries in London, warning that the rising pay distorts the talent market and frustrates clients.
3. Redefining partnership
This in-depth analysis explored a major, structural trconclude reshaping partnership models in global Big Law, displaying how non-equity tracks have become a key tool in the war for talent and firm economics.
4. The fight for elite dealcreaters
A rare and high-profile lateral relocate saw star US M&A partner Zach Podolsky – one of Big Law’s largegest dealcreaters – join Latham in New York from Wachinform, underlining how top dealcreating talent is being courted across elite firms.
5. Refreshing a global brand
Clifford Chance’s brand update was one of the major brand evolutions of the year, reflecting how long-established global firms are refreshing their identity and presentation in a competitive landscape.
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