1 June 2009
The Lawyer
BMI chairman flies in Linklaters to force Lufthansa’s hand
BMI BRITISH Midland chairman Sir Michael Bishop has drafted in Linklaters to try to force rival airline Lufthansa to complete its planned takeover of the company.
Camerons gets flexi green light
CMS CAMERON McKenna has persuaded more than 90 per cent of its staff to sign up to its flexible working scheme, despite internal opposition to the plan.
Carmelite duo hit by MP expenses scandal
Two of the MPs embroiled in the expenses scandal are barristers practising with the same chambers.
Clough & Willis
No offence, but if someone mentions ‘Bury-based law firm’, you tend to think of a high-street solicitor.
Davenport comes good for Private Eye in Irwin Mitchell privacy battle
DAVENPORT Lyons has won a Court of Appeal victory for satirical magazine Private Eye against Irwin Mitchell that could result in complaints made against law firms being made available to the public.
Dentons makes partner cash call as it eyes tie-up
DENTON Wilde Sapte has called on partners to inject up to £90,000 of capital into the firm with a £1,000 per equity point cash call.
DLA Piper extends Gulf sway with Bahrain base
DLA Piper is to launch in Bahrain, making it one of the few international firms with offices in every single Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) jurisdiction.
DLA Piper raids CC in insurance push
DLA Piper has hired Clifford Chance insurance litigation partner John Curran in a bid to expand its insurance litigation practice in London.
DocGenix snares lawyer from parent A&O
US derivatives IT company DocGenix, which is majority owned by Allen & Overy (A&O), has turned to the firm for the hire of its first UK-based in-house lawyer.
DWS trainees take £10,000 deferral bait
Denton Wilde Sapte has received 13 volunteers for its trainee deferral programme, which offered £10,000 to students to start a year later than originally planned. Initially the firm had contacted all future London trainees (who were due to start in September 2009, March 2010, March 2011 or September 2011) in April, asking them to defer. But after enough trainees came forward from the firm’s September 2009 and March 2010 intakes, the firm’s 2011 cohort has not been asked to defer as ...
Employment Special Report: Bonus of contention
Executive remuneration and the cash bonus have become one of the hot topics of this recession.
Eversheds puts equity on pedestal
EVERSHEDS has introduced more stringent appraisal measures for fixed-share partners who have aspirations of entering the firm’s equity.
Ex-Latham Middle East chief returns to Vinson
LATHAM & Watkins partner Rindala Beydoun has moved back to the Dubai office of her former firm Vinson & Elkins after less than a year, having been stripped of the Latham Middle East managing partner role.
Focus: The Lawyer Awards - The chosen few
The Lawyer Awards is on the horizon and fast approaching. Here are some of the ones to watch
Freshfields secures South African media merger role
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has been instructed by South African company MTN Group to advise on its merger with mobile operator Bharti Airtel.
Hammonds takes Direct action in lease wrangle
Hammonds Direct committee denies lease liability in face of pre-action letter
Herbert Smith staff accept redundancy deal
Herbert Smith has concluded its redundancy consultation with all those due to leave the firm opting for voluntary redundancy. The firm revealed plans to cut 84 positions in April, while also freezing salaries at 2008-09 levels. It said sufficient number of staff had opted to accept the redundancy programme, so it would not have to make compulsory redundancies. New positions would be created for those seeking alternative working arrangements.
Indian reforms are good news for UK lawyers
The recent election result in India is an encouraging sign for legal services in the country.
Jones Day goes for broke
Jones Day hires magnificent seven to cement pole position in restructuring.
Justice of the lease
What is it with Hammonds and convoluted partner disputes?
K&L Gates hires ex-Ashurst Dubai head as international expansion gathers pace
K&L Gates has hired the former head of Ashurst’s Dubai office as it prepares to open its first office in the Middle East.
Linklaters partner departs to start boutique
Linklaters disputes partner Mark Humphries is to leave the firm to launch his own litigation boutique in Bristol. The niche firm, which will be known as Mark Humphries, will also offer advocacy services. Humphries, who is acting for energy giant Centrica on its £182m claim against consultancy group Accenture, resigned from Linklaters in 2008 but has remained at the firm to complete ongoing work. The ...
Links on Slaughters’ tail in FTSE race
LINKLATERS has closed the gap on Slaughter and May at the top of the FTSE100 adviser rankings.
Lovells reaps rewards of poor pound as rivals toil
The first financial results from firms in the top 10 have started trickling out, with the massive impact of sterling’s decline against the euro and the dollar helping bolster Lovells’ 2008-09 revenue figure.
Mayer Brown finalises board restructure
Mayer Brown has completed the restructure of its management team after electing the final five partners to its 12-member partnership board. Last month TheLawyer.com reported that the firm was conducting a second round of elections for positions on the board after a first wave failed to see a clear consensus. At that point seven of the 12 positions were filled. The firm has now elected New York partner ...
Napier steps down from LSB after probe
Irwin Mitchell senior partner Michael Napier has resigned from the Legal Services Board (LSB) after the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) reopened an investigation into him and the firm. Irwin Mitchell had failed in its attempts to prevent satirical magazine Private Eye from publishing details of the complaint. The Ministry of Justice said last Thursday (28 May) that Napier would resign from ...
New signing prompts Atkins name change
?Libel and privacy lawyer Mark Thomson is to join West End boutique Atkins Solicitors from media firm Carter Ruck. Thomson will join the firm as a named partner and Atkins will rebrand as Atkins Thomson. The media partner has been instructed in several high-profile cases and has acted for celebrities such as Naomi Campbell, Keira Knightley and Hugh Laurie. He specialises in media law with a particular emphasis on privacy issues. Atkins was established in 2006 by Graham Atkins.
Olympic village is torch bearer for East London regeneration dream
Law firms will play a pivotal role in delivering Olympic village success.
People Moves
Bond Pearce has hired insolvency partner Nick Keitley from Blake Lapthorn where he headed the firm’s insolvency practice.
Quadrant expansion sees chief exec hire
Quadrant Chambers has appointed its first chief executive to drive through the expansion of the set.
Reed Smith HK helps forge $1.3bn China IPO listing
THE HONG Kong arm of Reed Smith has advised on one of the largest Asian IPOs this year, winning an instruction from China Zhongwang Holdings on its $1.3bn (£800m) listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Russia Special Report: Cold front
Western companies operating in Russia have been beset by legal problems in recent years, with courts consistently ruling against them despite seemingly watertight cases.
Russia Special Report: Russian convolution
The vexed question of extradition between the UK and Russia (which has increasingly arisen in cases involving commercial and corporate issues) continues to engage the courts in this country and to stir controversy and debate.
Santander merges legal teams at high street banks
SPANISH bank Santander has merged the legal teams of Abbey and Alliance & Leicester (A&L) after announcing plans to ditch the two historic high street brands next year.
Scottish Equity Partners brings in Maclay associate as first GC
Venture capital house Scottish Equity Partners (SEP) has appointed its first-ever general counsel, after hiring Maclay Murray & Spens associate Andrew Buchan.
Shoosmiths: brand on the run as Stothard makes hasty exit
The news that Shoosmiths chief executive Paul Stothard is stepping down one year into his third three-year term sparked a flurry of debate on TheLawyer.com, with the majority of posters seeing a direct link between the firm’s handling of trainee deferrals and his departure.
Times turns to Finers for litigation head
TIMES Newspapers has hired Finers Stephens Innocent senior associate Pia Sarma as its head of litigation to replace Gillian Phillips, who left for The Guardian earlier this year.
Travers’ new managing partner pledges to ride out recession
TRAVERS Smith’s incoming managing partner Andrew Lilley has pledged to continue the corporate firm’s policy of riding out the recession.
Tulkinghorn: Get wiggy with it
Since the beginning of 2008, solicitor-advocates have enjoyed similar wig-wearing status as their barrister counterparts.
Ward of court: Kate Moore, Monitor
Kate Moore, head of the in-house legal team at NHS watchdog Monitor, speaks to Corinne McPartland about being a guardian of patient care at a time when it has never been more under the microscope
Watson Burton risks rebellion with elite equity level
WATSON Burton is overhauling its equity partnership less than a year after it restructured its remuneration system.
White & Case cull silence is sapping partner morale
Mystery surrounds the White & Case partnership cull. Earlier this year the US firm announced it would be shedding 15-20 per cent of its global partnership, as well as 200 associates and 200 from its support staff workforce (TheLawyer.com, 10 March).
Work Life Quiz: Marc Hanson, Berwin Leighton Paisner
What was your first-ever job?After leaving school I worked as an intern with the Ordnance Survey. I spent my time helping prepare coroners’ plans of fatal motoring accidents on the North Circular.
