Scott Gibson
Director
London Private Practice & In-House
Scott originally practised as a Barrister at Goldsmith Chambers in London, having been called to the Bar in 1997. Prior to founding Edwards Gibson, he was a Director and operation head of the London office of a major international legal recruitment consultancy. His extensive experience of recruiting senior level candidates extends to both private practice and in-house and includes equity partner and team moves, domestic and international law firm mergers and global heads of legal in investment banks and financial services organisations.
Scott has contributed to legal text books on the business of law, written published articles and authored reports on both law firm and in-house recruitment matters which have been referenced in the national press including: the Financial Times, The Times and The Telegraph as well as official Law Society documents. Scott is frequently asked to present at Law Society sanctioned continuing professional development (CPD) symposiums and is a regularly invited speaker at industry events.
Email: scott.gibson@edwardsgibson.com
Recent Speaking Engagements
- HR in Law, hosted by Macfarlanes LLP 'An Invitation to the Market Renaissance” (October 2014);
- C&I Group, hosted by K&L Gates 'Managing an In-House Legal Department' (June 2013);
- LexisNexis Legal Practice Management webinar: 'How to Manage Partners Moving Firms' (May 2013);
- Law firm HR seminar, hosted by Edwards Gibson, 'How high headline salaries and inflexible compensation structures are harming London law firm competitiveness and costing City lawyers jobs' (March 2013)
- C&I Group, hosted by Herbert Smith Freehills 'Cost Effective Managing of In-House Legal Departments' (April 2012)
- Edwards Gibson law firm HR breakfast briefing 2012 — 'City and US Law firm fundamentals, their impact on the recruitment market and why real assistant level compensation should not rise' (April 2012)
- Law firm HR seminar, hosted by Edwards Gibson (June 2011) — 'The Associate Recruitment Conundrum' (June 2011)
- C&I Group, hosted by Herbert Smith — 'Managing an In-House Legal Department in a Cost Effective Way' (April 2011)
Recent Publications
- 'Dissent: Why the in-house triumph over law firms may prove short-lived' (Legal Business, 1 September 2013);
- 'City and US Law firm fundamentals, their impact on the recruitment market and why 'real' assistant level compensation should not rise in 2012' (Legal Week Law, June 2012);
- 'The rise and fall of the elite investment bank lawyer' (Legal Week, 20 January 2012);
- 'Attracting and Retaining Top Talent' [chapter in Corporate Law Department Management 2011 - A Practical Guide] (Corporate Counsel Research September 2011);
- 'How legal directories can affect lawyers' career prospects' (Law Society Gazette, 11 November 2010);
- 'A guide for General Counsel looking to recruit and retain lawyers' (Corporate Counsel, 4 November 2010);
- 'Recruiting in-house lawyers — a guide for HR professionals' (Legal Week, 29 October 2010);
- 'Contacts and compensation - how to quantify your client following' (Legal Week Law 11, October 2010);
- 'The path to partnership - how to make partner at your firm (or another)' (Legal Week Law,7 October 2010);
- 'A guide for general counsel: recruitment and retention of lawyers' (Legal Week Law, 5 October 2010);
- 'Akzo case will preserve in-house pay gap' (Legal Week, 28 September 2010).
Articles by Scott Gibson
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Paul Weiss - The invasive species that upset the London Big Law ecosystem
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Paul Weiss - Happy Birthday to BigLaw's Apex Predator
9th September 2024 Written by Scott Gibson and Sloane Poulton -
Paul Weiss - Blackjack!
17th June 2024 Written by Scott Gibson and Sloane Poulton -
Breaking The Circle - the real significance of Freshfields pay bonanza is far more profound than just another Big Law salary arms race.
A couple of weeks back, the UK Magic Circle law firm Freshfields dramatically hiked the base compensation for its newly qualified lawyers (NQs) in London by 20%; from £125,000 to £150,000. Historically, when a Magic Circle firm has shifted compensation, it has always (eventually, and however reluctantly) evoked an approximately equal response from its peers – indeed, that £125,000 became the standard NQ rate for all five Magic Circle firms is due entirely to the rest of the coterie being forced to match Freshfields following its similarly dramatic hike back in 2022. From a compensation perspective, the importance of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’ move is not that it may have renewed a salary arms race in the London market, but that a UK headquartered law firm is paying its English qualified London associates proportionally more, by far, than at any time in history when measured against full New York Rates. Moreover, in contrast to previous law firm salary wars, this time there appears no prospect of a corresponding economic boom to generate windfall revenues to defray these sharply increased costs. Freshfields move is likely a very deliberate statement to the market. For some time it has been actively eschewing the term “Magic Circle”, seeing it as too British, and preferring instead the moniker “global elite”. Although not the most profitable UK Big Law firm (Slaughter and May and Macfarlanes outcompete it on that metric), Freshfields has been the most successful in the most important market of all - the US - where, through strategic and successful lateral hires, it has become a genuine contender. Viewed in this context, Freshfields latest salary offensive in a tepid market may, in part at least, be an additional tool to help distance itself in its home market from its erstwhile peers. Of course, if so, this will only work if the UK elite do not follow, or at least take their time to do so. On the last occasion Freshfields hiked associate compensation, there was a marked reluctance from most of the Magic Circle to follow- indeed only Clifford Chance reacted with the usual knee jerk speed, leaving Allen & Overy and Linklaters to trail by a year, and Slaughter and May even longer. For this reason, there is no absolute certainty that they will all follow this time, at least not as quickly nor as fully. If so, that will be good news for the UK mid-tier. However, the move also carries considerable risk for Freshfields – (see our full article below which also delves into the possible knock-on for the UK mid-tier, and the likely reaction from US law firms in London). -
A lawyer's progress to partnership... and the closing window of opportunity
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Linklaters – Welcome to the “Hotel California” of Big Law; “You can check out anytime you like but you can never leave”
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The Pecking Order at MIPIM; believe it or not Real Estate Lawyers are not at the bottom!
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Parallels in Peril, two midsize law firms – Axiom Ince and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan – collapse in the same month
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And you thought $20 million was a lot for a lawyer…
Written by Scott Gibson & Sloane Poulton on 30.10.23 -
Legal Upheaval: Kirkland & Ellis and Paul Weiss Exchange Blows
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So, it’s A&O Shearman!
22 May 2023 Written by Scott Gibson & Sloane Poulton -
Real Estate lawyers - beware the £1,000 fish, and the true meaning of MIPIM … (literally)
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Previous Issues of Partner Moves
Previous editions of our bi-monthly Partner Moves publication. -
Edwards Gibson Methodology for Compiling Partner Moves
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Quantifying your following and writing an effective law firm business plan
Including a sample law firm business plan. -
Sample law firm business plan
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The Partnership Track and Moving for Immediate Partnership
A guide for senior associates. -
Legal directory rankings and their effect on lawyer recruitment
The benefits for both law firms and individual lawyers.