Top London lawyers try to ease Brexit fears

London

AS the reality of Britain's exit from the European Union set in on Friday, London's top lawyers worked to reassure anxious clients that everything was going to be fine, even if they couldn't offer firm predictions about what happens next.

More than 1,000 people signed up for a client conference call with Allen & Overy on Friday afternoon. Demand was so great that the firm, which advised on about US$1 trillion worth of deals globally last year, considered adding extra phone lines.

"The overriding message is 'don't panic,'" banking partner David Campbell told participants. "The 'Leave' vote will have no immediate effect on the vast majority of existing deals, and life continues today much as it did …