No question, the most extraordinary legal story of the year was the Axiom Ince car crash.

In a more sober world, Allen & Overy announcing it was merging with Shearman & Sterling might have been the top story. DWF delisting and re-enriching its top people was a sensible narrative, too. 

Wombles was undeniably a newsy firm in 2023. BDB Pitmans decided not to get together with it, then it sparked joy with its public grilling in the Horizon Post Office scandal, as Herbies maintained its innocence and Burges Salmon dived in.

And there were other contenders for The Most Interesting Private Practice 2023. Listed firm Knights was a star. It sacked its HR Managers, told a lawyer she was a client when she resigned and gave her a bill, and prompted an owner to beg forgiveness for selling his firm to it/ Plus, sports cars.

And, ultimately, larger forces moved bigger pieces across the board than any one firm. The WFH shift created a migraine of covid-sized proportions for businesses, slicing sentiment within workforces in unexpected, complicated ways. 2024 saw law firms taking up the challenge. Gateley arranged time in the office by PQE, Pinsents offered a carrot and a stick to juice attendence, Osborne Clarke made bonuses contingent on being visible, and US firms like Skadden, Ropes & Gray and Sidley all laid down a four-days-in law.

NQ pay continued getting pumped, rising to £125k at Slaughters following Allen & Overy and Linklaters, £120k at Mayer Brown, £115k at Ashurst and at Macfarlanes, £110k at Travers, £105k at BCLP, and £100k at DLA Piper. Although the funniest salary news was the fake pay rise announcement sent to its staff by Knights (such a headline hog, that firm).

And redundancies crept in towards the year end, too, most strikingly at Trowers, while others such as Kingsley Napley tightened their belts.

Withers issued thoughts and prayers for its doomed submarine client, Nigel Farage fulminated against Travers, Dentons dropped China, Paul Hastings handed down its Associate Beasting Manifesto, while Clydes and BCLP took steps toward improving parental leave.

But this is Pragnesh Modhwadia’s world, and you’re just each contributing a yet-to-be-determined sum to it. He swooped into the flaming wreckage of Ince Gordon Dadds and Plexus, pulling out staff to party like there was no tomorrow, except for Axiom Ince there actually was no tomorrow.

Suspensions of directors and Prags followed, along with admissions of wild spending, swooping coppers, fleeing directors, dawn raids by the SFO, arrests, and a lawsuit which confirmed £66m was missing from client account, apparently by Modhwadia’s hand.

The house of Prags collapsed into amazing recriminations, hilarious details of his attempt to cover up his scheme, and a possible bill for every solicitor as the SRA defended itself while dislcosing the whole sorry mess was likely to leave a bit of a shortfall in its compensation fund. We’ll always have the champagne parties, though. Or the videos, at least.

Firms entertained us in other ways, too, not just by punishing everyone when they imploded.

Brabners entertained when it published a completely incorrect case analysis, a firm aptly named Discreet Law which loved Russian warlord cash went into hiding (and last week closed down), and the Wombles saved a Vagina Museum, while Mishcon hosted Matt Hancock.

Firms were prevailed upon not to abandon the SQE, which was afflicted with exam hall issues and a savage testimonial, then aced by AI.

In feminist news, CMS told its landlord to break down a Botox stand on International Women’s Day, while a Brabners partner marked the day by silencing herself.

As the evenings drew in, Allen & Overy was held to ransom by cybercriminals - and paid up, presumably, as its name disappeared from the hackers’ list (let us know if you know more).

So who had the most fun in 2023? This firm, which shot its new hire into the stratosphere, definitely enjoyed itself. Also this firm, and this guy, and these friendly pirate lawyers. And ROF, which got to award prizes for the most amusing/disgraceful comments in the 2023 survey. if you didn’t get one, try again this year.