And Linklaters' corporate team certainly caught the imagination. The corporate department as a whole is full of exceptionally bright, albeit not the most charismatic partners, and has a number of thrusting young assistants coming up through the ranks. For a firm so reliant on institutional relationships, Linklaters has nevertheless been remarkably entrepreneurial, most notably in e-commerce and new technology. Blue Flag, the firm's own compliance product, was spun off this year. Linklaters has also been highly successful in marketing itself on the raft of new technology IPOs in the past 18 months.
Real estate is another matter, though.
Linklaters' property practice is one of the strongest in the City, boasting such luminaries as Robert Finch. But in the past two years, it has taken a battering, with the restructuring of the group and a number of departures. The institutional client list is as strong as ever, but the real estate group is considerably less visible than it was. Other City firms clearly see the potential in property, but Linklaters seems to be downgrading its importance within the overall strategy. Given the likes of Clifford Chance and Lovells beefing up, Linklaters should look to its laurels.