1 December 2008
The Lawyer
‘Conduct unbefitting’ claim levelled as Beresfords tribunal is extended
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal hearing against Jim Beresford of Doncaster-based Beresfords Solicitors has been adjourned due to the case proving more technical than expected.
500 sue Collyer-Bristow in lit funding first
Collyer-Bristow is facing a £50m legal battle brought by more than 500 investors in schemes drafted by the firm’s former company commercial chief John Bailey.
A&L and Arthur Cox act on Ryanair's Aer Lingus bid
Irish firms A&L Goodbody and Arthur Cox have reprised their roles for Ryanair and Aer Lingus respectively as the former prepares to make another attempt to buy the latter.
A&O remains top adviser to HBOS
Allen & Overy (A&O) has cemented its relationship with HBOS, according to the latest Hemscott tables, which rank law firms by the number of FTSE100 clients on their books.
Accusations stall Lincolnshire hire
The appointment of a new legal chief for Lincolnshire County Council’s pioneering in-house practice has been thrown into doubt by allegations from a former colleague.
Addleshaws boosts India push with key hire
Addleshaw Goddard has brought in a former Wragge & Co partner to help develop a network of Indian relationship firms.
Ashurst moves staff into energy and transport team
Ashurst has redeployed three corporate and three finance junior associates to its energy, transport and infrastructure (ETI) team as the transactional side of its business has slowed down.
Bakers acts on launch of green private equity fund
Baker & McKenzie has won a mandate to help set up a $5bn (£3.4bn) eco-friendly private equity fund run by former Man Group chief executive Stanley Fink.
Bird & Bird seals Singapore association
Bird & Bird has entered into an association with Singapore firm Alban Tay Mahtani & de Silva (ATMD), due to take effect from 1 January 2009.
Bryan Cave launches first French office
Bryan Cave has officially launched its Paris branch, following a three-partner raid on Dechert in July.
Central Europe Special Report: Close courters
As international firms turn their attention to Asia and the Middle East, their Viennese counterparts have increased their efforts in Central and Eastern Europe. By Chris Crowe
Central Europe Special Report: Czechered careering
Czech Republic government work may not be as thick on the ground nowadays, but with increased entrepreneurialism and a rise in PPPs, there’s still plenty of deals to chase.
Central Europe Special Report: Hungary for success
Hungary’s domestic law firms are seizing the chance to attract the best clients locally in the wake of their larger international counterparts’ exodus. By Nicola Laver
Christie's GC to create formal legal panel
Christie's general counsel Nick Deeming has begun constructing the auction house's first legal panel and has written to a number of firms inviting them to tender.
Class action is one big headache, says Which?
The only consumer body able to bring class actions in the UK has slammed the system for being costly, time-consuming and offering little reward.
Cleary, Dewey, Milbank cut associate bonuses
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Dewey & LeBoeuf and Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy have matched the new market rate for year-end associate bonuses.
Clifford Chance loses fourth US litigator this week
Clifford Chance has suffered its fourth litigation defection in New York in days.
Clifford Chance US hit by triple partner departure
Clifford Chance US hit by triple partner departure" /Clifford Chance's US litigation practice has been hit by the defection of three partners just weeks after losing a partner duo to Bingham McCutchen.
CMS alliance trio join forces in Moscow
CMS Cameron McKenna has signed an agreement with two other members of the CMS alliance to merge their operations in Moscow.
Conyers Dill forges ahead with global expansion plans as Brazil office opens
Offshore firm Conyers Dill & Pearman is launching in Brazil following an upsurge in investment flowing in and out of the country.
Davis Polk cuts associate bonuses
Davis Polk & Wardwell has followed the lead of US rivals Cravath Swaine & Moore and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett by halving its bonus payouts for 2008.
Death of former Freshfields MD was suicide
Former Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer managing director Kirk Stephenson committed suicide by jumping in front of a train, an inquest has concluded.
DLA Piper partner quits equity
DLA Piper partner quits equity" /DLA Piper private equity partner Andrew Holt is leaving the firm’s equity to become a consultant in its Manchester office.
DLA to shed 40 jobs across UK offices
DLA Piper has launched a redundancy consultation that could lead to up to 40 job losses across its UK offices.
FFW in jobs consultation with 175 support staff
Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW) has launched the largest redundancy consultation of the UK legal market so far, after starting talks with 175 support staff in London.
Fourth partner quits Cadwalader since summer cuts
Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft has suffered its fourth partner defection since it was forced to lay off 96 lawyers during the summer.
Goldman restructuring head rejoins Kirkland
Goldman Sachs restructuring supremo James Sprayregen has shocked the New York legal market with a return to his former law firm, Kirkland & Ellis.
Guardian legal chief jumps ship to Ofcom
The Guardian newspaper has lost its head of legal Nuala Cosgrove to media regulator Ofcom.
Herbert Smith's German ally shuts in Central Europe
Herbert Smith ally Gleiss Lutz has pulled out of the Czech Republic and Poland, with Austrian firm Schoenherr taking over its offices.
Herbies faces taxing times
What a difference a month can make.
India’s FoxMandal opens two new India bases
Indian firm FoxMandal Little (FML) has continued its expansion, opening two new Indian offices.
In-housers at E.ON retrain as mediators
Energy company E.ON is rolling out an in-house mediation service to resolve disputes between its hundreds of subsidiaries as well as external businesses.
Judge slams ‘dopey’ McGrigors in Reid case
Mr Justice Mann has accused Scottish firm McGrigors of “dopiness” in the advice it gave to Reid Minty founder Andrew Reid in a High Court dispute with former employees.
Knowing your outplace
As redundancy packages go, that offered by Nabarro to the 22 staff currently in consultation is on the good side of average.
Latham entrusts Dubai to London partner
Latham & Watkins has shaken up its Middle East management structure – replacing its regional partner Rindala Beydoun in favour of London partner Bryant Edwards.
Lloyd-Jones keeps top job at Blake Lapthorn
Blake Lapthorn has re-elected its senior partner Jonathan Lloyd-Jones for a further three-year term.
Mayer Brown, Wachtell lead in Chevy Chase sale
Latham & Watkins, Mayer Brown and Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz have snared key roles advising on US bank Capital One’s acquisition of Chevy Chase Bank.
Mishcon kicks off redundancy review
Mishcon de Reya has become the latest firm to launch redundancy talks with staff.
Moves Roundup: 1 December 2008
Simon Pritchard, senior director of mergers at the Office of Fair Trading, will move to Allen & Overy at the beginning of next year, becoming a partner in the antitrust practice.
Number of High Court IP cases rockets 83 per cent
Intellectual property (IP) disputes in the High Court have shot up by 83 per cent in the past year as businesses move to protect their IP rights in the downturn.
O2 slashes panel to two firms as GC quits
Mobile phone company O2 has completed a radical overhaul of its legal function that has seen general counsel Justine Campbell leave the company and Clifford Chance and Herbert Smith appointed as sole advisers in Europe.
Opinion: Insurers and third-party funders should work together
It may be thought that there is an uneasy relationship between after-the-event insurance and third-party funding, but my experiences have shown this is not the case.
Osborne Clarke makes nine redundant
Osborne Clarke is to make eight fee earners and one member of support staff redundant.
Outer Temple pushes ahead with Middle East strategy
Outer Temple Chambers has recruited a Saudi-qualified lawyer to practise as a barrister in the UK.
Partner deed lies at heart of Hammonds profits dispute
When is a former partner still a partner? This is the key question that Mr Justice Warren has the hard task of answering.
Profit dip forces Herbies into £50m tax U-turn
Firm tears up tax year deferral plan in response to bleak predictions for the year ahead.
Property Special Report: Blind rates
The Government’s taxing of buildings left empty is not having the desired effect of filling the premises and has instead created more dangerous buildings, a loss of jobs and a disincentive on the part of developers. By Lee Nuttall
Property Special Report: Eco down
The Government’s attempts to fast-track its so-called eco-town planning procedures have hit an impasse. Simon Ricketts reports
Proskauer Rose makes 60 redundancies
Proskauer Rose has become the latest US firm to announce layoffs, shedding 35 associates and 25 support staff.
Rawlinson Butler
Rawlison Butler is not a firm that likes to splash its cash.
Reed Smith to shed 11 City associate jobs
Reed Smith to shed 11 City associate jobs" /Reed Smith has launched a redundancy consultation in the UK with 11 associate jobs under threat.
Right Russian: Pavel Klimov, Unisys
When Pavel Klimov embarked on his career in communist Russia he had few options open to him. Now he is a globetrotting lawyer in charge of Unisys’ Emea legal team.
RJW: Hiring?
It is refreshing to learn that while many firms are wielding the big redundancy axe, there are still firms that are trying to buck the trend and anticipate measured growth during the recession.
Seisler quits Europe job after Lovells poll defeat
Lovells Continental Europe head Harald Seisler has stepped down from the role after running an unsuccessful campaign to become firmwide managing partner.
SFO faces £10m legal bill on collapsed pharma investigation
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) could face a £10m legal bill following the collapse of its £25m, six-year investigation into alleged price fixing by drug manufacturers.
Shearman & Sterling beefs up Abu Dhabi by 10
Shearman & Sterling has embarked on a major expansion of its Middle Eastern practice, transferring three partners and seven associates to its Abu Dhabi office.
Short-term switches, long-term damage?
Over the last two months a raft of firms have used their resources flexibly to save on recruitment fees and prevent redundancies.
Simpson Thacher promotes two in London
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has made up two corporate finance lawyers in London in its latest round of partnership promotions.
Slaughters, SJ Berwin advise in BA-Qantas merger
Slaughter and May and SJ Berwin have profited from their longstanding ties with British Airways (BA) and Qantas, advising the two respective airlines on their proposed merger.
Special report: Central Europe
Still a hotbed of financial activity, Central European law firms are placed in and around an emerging market that has much to offer lawyers.
Special report: Getting real about property
Dr Johnson famously said that the prospect of hanging concentrates a man’s mind wonderfully. It can equally be said that the prospect of an economic recession concentrates the legal adviser’s mind wonderfully. Or at least it should do. So how should property lawyers approach their work in the current climate?
Special report: Property
Real estate is one of the sectors worst affected by the economic downturn. But the difficulties of the market have inevitably brought new opportunities and challenges for real estate lawyers as they stick by their clients.
Stephenson Harwood lawyer killed in Mumbai
Stephenson Harwood lawyer killed in Mumbai" /Stephenson Harwood is grieving for colleague Lo Hwei Yen, a lawyer at the firm's Singapore office who lost her life in the Mumbai terror attacks.
Switzerland Special Report: Crisis? What crisis?
As some European lawyers fret about where their next instruction is coming from, their Swiss colleagues are busy burning the midnight oil.
Tough climate prompts generational shift among top private equity lawyers
Firms experience a changing of the guard as key partners move on or into management.
Transatlantic litigation: In hot dispute
UK litigators at US firms are overwhelmed with credit crunch-related disputes, but do any of them have a truly transatlantic practice?
Travers cuts jobs in real estate and corporate
Travers Smith has become the latest firm to make redundancies, shedding four associates across its real estate and corporate groups.
Tulkinghorn: A bum note, no Cannes do and too latte for regrets
Tulkinghorn’s lip curtains are twitching. It must be the end of Movember, the month in which his scribes grew moustaches to raise money for prostate cancer. It’s been a long, arduous slog but the results speak for themselves. Tulkinghorn doffs his cap in the direction of those who supported his moustache-growing freaks.
UK and US firms win Singapore licences
Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Herbert Smith, Latham & Watkins, Norton Rose, and White & Case win right to practise local law in SIngapore.
White & Case unveils new management structure
White & Case unveils new management structure" /White & Case has revamped its management structure for the second time in two years, electing new practice and regional group heads.
Wolseley slims down panel to two firms
Building materials supplier Wolseley has revamped its UK legal panel, retaining only Addleshaw Goddard and Eversheds for all its legal needs.
Work Life Quiz: Julian James Clark, Holman Fenwick Willan
Holman Fenwick Willan" class="inline_image inline_image_left" src="/pictures/web/images/15119_P15_cv.jpg" /What was your first-ever job?Playing keyboards in a five-piece cabaret band on the North of England club circuit.
