Litigation funders are the new banks; Paul Hastings' memo is good for its brand; and small firms: the life you could have had

On the new episode of The Lawyer Podcast, editor Catrin Griffiths and litigation editor Christian Smith speak to director of insight Matt Byrne, who reveals how litigation funder Harbour is evolving into something of a bank to law firms. Keep an eye out for Matt’s article next week.Meanwhile, in-house reporter Lucie Cruz brings all the goss on Paul Hastings’ controversial slide to junior associates, as Catrin and Christian ask whether it really is a privilege to work at a top 20 firm.Finally, deputy editor (UK) Richard Simmons is back on the show to argue why Linklaters and the rest of the top 50 are actually incredibly boring, and why The Lawyer will soon be launching ‘Beyond The Bubble’, its new strand of stories exploring what’s going on in the UK’s mid-market.