Latest News
SJ Berwin loses finance director to FFW
Mike Giles, who has been finance director at SJ Berwin since 1999, is leaving the firm to join Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW).
Speechlys pledges third European office opening after Withers talks collapse
Speechly Bircham has set out plans for “significant team hire” following the end of its merger talks with Withers.
Withers and Speechly vote against merger
Withers and Speechly Bircham have called off merger talks following votes at both firms.
Sullivan boosts finance and restructuring with Linklaters' Howard
Linklaters banking and restructuring partner Chris Howard is leaving the magic circle firm to join Sullivan & Cromwell’s London office.
Top firms increasingly target vac schemers
More leading firms want to recruit trainees solely from vacation schemes, it has emerged.
Clydes makes eight redundant following consultation
Clyde & Co has made eight support staff redundant following a consultation in the wake of 2011 merger with legacy Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG).
Royal Dutch Shell unveils new look panel
Baker & McKenzie, CMS Cameron McKenna and Debevoise & Plimpton are amongst the new firms appointed to Royal Dutch Shell’s revamped legal panel, which consists of more than 150 firms.
Bevan Brittan becomes latest firm to announce redundancies
Bevan Brittan has launched a redundancy consultation process with three lawyers and six support staff, the firm announced yesterday.
Media set 5RB takes biggest bite in 'Boris lovechild' case
Media set 5RB picked up roles on both sides of a Court of Appeal (CoA) battle over whether it was a matter if public interest that Boris Johnson MP, Mayor of London, had a daughter with a former mistress.
Editor's Picks
End of the affair
So it was not to be. Withers and Speechly Bircham have decided not to press ahead with their mooted £170m merger. Despite rampant market consolidation, not every deal is going to reach conclusion. See below for some high-profile examples.
The Lawyer Interview
Risk taker and breaker
Global GC Adam Rosman’s role at insurance broker Willis demands that he not only defends the business against current risk but that he spies any potential on the horizon
Notebook
Good housekeeping at Herbies
Cash call is simply to stabilise the partner distribution cycle, apparently
Market Analysis
Market force
Russia is an attractive proposition for institutional investors at the moment, with a boom in bond issuances
Magic realism
International firms are jostling for position with local players in a packed legal market, but the UK magic circle still dominates
Abroad-minded
UK associates may have to move out if they want to move up, as firms look to add strength in growing economies
When the numbers don’t add up anymore
Redundancies are sweeping the legal industry as firms of all sizes adjust to a world of permanent price pressure - and partners are no longer secure in ivory towers
Opinion
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A waste of time and money
Putting up third-rate witnesses could see lawyers hit with wasted costs orders in the Jackson era
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Untangling the great contract net
Judgment sheds light on enforceability of net contribution clauses in consumer contracts, but what of business ones?
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Blackburn FC's defence exposed
Barrister acting for football club over dismissal claim must have known he was onto a loser
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Increasing costs sealed with LIPs
The Big Bang may have proffered the public greater choice, but there is a high price to pay
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Why paying for pupillages is bad for the bar
Auctioning work experience places to the highest bidder is an inherently unfair system
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Women in the law
Nicky Richmond says more needs to be done to keep women in the law, following the prospect of Government targets in the FTSE100.
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Cash alone does not tempt associates
Last year we launched our inaugural City associate attitudes survey. The findings surprised anyone who assumed that junior and mid-level lawyers were obsessed with money; the firms they consistently ranked top were not the stony Wall Street practices but genial internationalists like Baker & McKenzie.
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Learns the lessons of disasters
With global profits should come global corporate responsibility
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Snags in the great legal sell-off
If Whitehall lawyers are to be part of a civil service spin-out, there are state and EU legalities to consider
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Talk is not so cheap for employers
A CoA decision against Commerzbank is a warning that common law contractual rules are alive and kicking
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Avoid DPAs American-style
Before DPAs become law, we should scope out the pitfalls in the US system and learn from them quickly
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A personal 'thank you' to the Boss
Manchester United’s biggest legal fan, Mark Rawlinson, pays tribute to his footballing hero
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Sand bank city: a free enterprise
Abu Dhabi financial free zone means opportunities for common law-qualified lawyers
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Joining the dots of the dotted line
Contracting parties that don’t take advice on which law governs their agreement are asking for trouble
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Can new Act clean up libel law?
New Defamation Act’s demand that claimants prove serious damage first could end the gravy train of McLibels
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When the lovers’ knot unravels
France is to allow gay marriage, but unlike England, its courts are not prepared if the union ends in divorce
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A shortlist of the highest calibre ever
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A revolution in French employment law?
French employment law is set to change, but the proposals have caused dissent and strikes.
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Tough questions to face on trainees
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A touch of steel in the boardroom
Australian boards should put foreign bids under the microscope to avoid a repeat of the Sundance saga
In-House Interviews
Risk taker and breaker
Global GC Adam Rosman’s role at insurance broker Willis demands that he not only defends the business against current risk but that he spies any potential on the horizon
Outside track
Taking a radical approach to outsourcing helped Chris Vaughan, GC at infrastructure giant Balfour Beatty, build a legal function fit for a complicated world
Phone ranger
Leading a tiny team at the raging heart of the great 21st century patent war is… tremendous fun, says Nokia litigation boss Richard Vary
The Lawyer Global
Slaughters' Italian ally restructures in generational shift
Bonelli Erede Pappalardo, Slaughter and May’s Italian best friend, has overhauled its governance and structure and elected two new managing partners in a bid to ensure its future.
The Lawyer Euro 100 unveiled: Garrigues retains top spot
Iberian firm Garrigues has retained the top spot in The Lawyer’s European 100 2013, but firms from Germany and Norway have produced the strongest financial results in an increasingly divided European market.
SJ Berwin name poised to vanish as King & Wood merger vote looms
SJ Berwin is gearing up for a vote on a global merger with Asia-Pacific firm King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) that would see the UK outfit’s name disappear.
