11 July 2011
The Lawyer
Australian linkup propels Norton Rose up UK table; magic circle revenue static
Norton Rose is the standout performer among the UK’s top 20 largest firms by revenue for the 2010-11 financial year.
Bevan Brittan picks up healthy slice of NHS work
Beachcroft, Bevan Brittan, Hempsons and Mills & Reeve have emerged as winners of the NHS Commercial Alliance legal panel review, with each firm scoring multiple spots on the framework’s eight panels.
Big Brother maker plans first roster
Endemol, the company behind Big Brother, is mulling its first external panel amid an in-house personnel change.
Bribe wars
Insolvency practitioners must stay on top of the Bribery Act as they run an increased risk of personal criminal liability. Alex Fox and Anna Brooks-Gallerani report
Broken news
I’ve always thought the fact that neither Keith Schilling nor David Price has voicemail was a slightly overzealous response to the antics of the tabloids. But as has become clear in the past week, it is entirely proportionate.
Consolidation of Mozambique’s legal market prompts PLMJ’s local merger
Portuguese firm PLMJ is set to exploit Mozambique’s changing legal landscape following the launch of a new office in partnership with a local Maputo-based practice.
Counsel services
Axiom’s business model of sourcing contract lawyers to corporations has been a hit with clients, but it still needs to tweak its offering
Dawkins swoop highlights Bingham’s new direction
US firm aims to complement its financial restructuring strength with a serious litigation player in the City.
Delivery man: Neill Abrams, Ocado
Neill Abrams, general counsel at online grocer Ocado, has been with the company since its earliest days.
Dewey calls up purchaser team for Polish mobile operator sale
Eleven law firms advised on the $6.6bn (£4.1bn) sale of Polkomtel, Poland’s second-largest mobile phone network operator, in Europe’s largest leveraged buyout for three years.
Eversheds guides pioneering £3bn private housing vehicle
Eversheds is the sole legal adviser behind UK Regeneration’s innovative £3bn Barclays Capital-backed fund, designed to invest in private rented housing.
Firms vie for spots as HSBC tees up Gulf panel review
HSBC is preparing to launch a review of its Middle East panel of external legal advisers, with firms due to pitch for the highly coveted places in September.
Former Wragges chief joins IT boutique
Former Wragge & Co senior partner John Crabtree has joined niche corporate and technology firm White & Black as chairman.
High Court judge returns to Maitland
Lincoln’s Inn set Maitland Chambers has added former High Court judge Sir William Blackburne QC to its membership roster as a door tenant.
Kinstellar
Kinstellar has big plans to expand and aims to become one of the leading independent law firms in emerging Europe.
Life is Tweet for Ashurst social media junkies
Ashurst has bowed to pressure from the Twitterati in its ranks and lifted a ban on staff using social media websites during work hours.
Midlands universities prepare to launch first joint legal panel
A consortium of universities in the Midlands is set to appoint its first shared panel of external legal advisers.
Mishcon, Reed Smith scoop Reuben Bros Piccadilly buy
Mishcon de Reya and Reed Smith both won roles on the Reuben Brothers’ £130m purchase of the historic Piccadilly Estate from receivers Allsop.
On the move
Norton Rose has hired John Conlin as a corporate partner in its energy team.
Opinion: UK business remains unprepared for Bribery Act
While we seem to have been on an eternal countdown to the twice-delayed implementation of the Bribery Act, its passing on 1 July finally marked the advent of greater regulatory scrutiny of UK companies.
Outer Temple becomes Bloomsbury set
Last month Outer Temple Chambers’ Michael Bowes QC appeared for the prosecution in one of the highest-profile murder cases of the year, the ’hair in hand murder’.
Packing case
Administration is the UK’s principal business rescue tool. In the first quarter of this year alone 782 companies entered into administration.
Prime Finance unveils an all-star board
A new international body studded with senior legal market names aimed at helping resolve complex financial disputes unveiled its first advisory and management board last week.
Salaried partners asked to buy into SNR Denton
Non-equity partners in SNR Denton’s UK LLP are in the process of contributing between £10,000 and £20,000 to the firm following the September 2010 merger between legacy firms Denton Wilde Sapte and Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal.
Sets impose diversity training regime on clerks
Barristers’ clerks are being forced to undertake diversity training as chambers seek to protect themselves against discrimination claims such as those brought against 4 New Square.
Spin doktors
Small boutique firms spun out of larger outfits are fast becoming big business in Germany.
Sullivan inflicts ‘punishing’ schedule on new City chief
Earlier this month Sullivan & Cromwell unveiled a new management line-up for its London office. The firm is the latest in a line of top US firms to replace their senior lawyers recently.
Swiss duo advise on wealth manager deal
Two Zurich firms advised on the acquisition of an independent wealth manager for high net-worth individuals by a family bank dating back to the 1880s.
Tulkinghorn: On the pull
Rowing at this time of year is all about blazers, big hats and Pimm’s by the river - except when it happens indoors on rowing machines, where it’s more about red faces and sweaty Lycra.
Work Life Quiz: Anna Gregory, Gunnercooke
