12 March 2012

Move On Up: Thrings

The downturn put lateral hires on hold and prompted office closures, but internal promotions remained steady as women took the lead Total partner numbers at Bath-­headquartered Thrings, recently rebranded from Thring Townsend Lee & Pembertons, have fluctuated in ­recent years, but overall there has been a slight decline since 2008. At the end of the […]

Tulkinghorn: Jobs for the boys

Tulkinghorn doesn’t give every charity shindig the time of day, but when he heard about Business in the Community’s Give & Gain Day, when worthies leave their day jobs and do some proper work, (which Eversheds is co-sponsoring with Lloyds Banking Group) he couldn’t hold back. Laudable though the initiative may be, sending lawyers to […]

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The Lawyer Management: Olswang

Michelle Elstein is business development (BD) director at technology and media-focused firm Olswang. Elstein is a former investment banker at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, was previously head of BD in Linklaters’ corporate division and global business manager at Lehman Brothers in New York. Immediately prior to joining Olswang she held the client services director position at […]

Number crunching: Shearman & Sterling

The UK and Continental Europe has long presented challenges for Shearman & Sterling. In 2008, the firm juggled the impact of the economic crisis with the exit of high-profile London M&A partner Peter King to Weil Gotshal & Manges, while its German office waved farewell to global M&A co-head Rolf Koerfer, not to mention the […]

ECJ 1: football leagues 0

The ECJ says fixture lists are not protected by copyright – a decision that could cost leagues dear In recent years the UK football leagues have made millions of pounds in licence fees from media outlets, gambling operators and the fantasy football operators for the ­reproduction of fixture lists, relying on a 1959 decision holding […]

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Sum total of your reputation

Putting a value on brand is a difficult task, but there are various ways and means   Law firms are already brands. Clifford Chance is as much of a brand as Coca-Cola because it is able to leverage its reputation and history of work to charge higher fees than its more anonymous rivals. So it […]

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Lost in space

The City property market is in the doldrums, with law firms shelving expansion plans and mergers providing the main impetus for relocating. In 2004 The Times journalist Simon Jenkins penned a forcefully argued column against moving into swanky new offices that is worth digging out. “Any outfit moving into a splendid new headquarters is heading […]

Private policing is a cop-out

Outsourcing police functions to private companies will spark a tide of litigation According to recent press reports, private companies may be about to take over major police functions. ­Facing 20 per cent cuts in their ­budgets, police forces are prepared to explore any way of providing services with reduced costs. West Midlands and Surrey Police […]

Giggs, gags and lessons to be learnt

Two recent casesshow why privacy injunctions must be approached with care The pendulum on privacy law continues to swing backwards and forwards. While the Leveson Inquiry focuses on the excesses of the tabloid press and calls for greater regulation, the failure of Ryan Giggs to reinstate his claim for damages against The Sun for breach […]

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Flagging up the class ceiling

Lawyer 2B Careers Day attendees see social background as biggest barrier to profession While social mobility has climbed the diversity ladder in the past year, ­Year 12 students who ­attended a careers day hosted by The Lawyer’s sister title Lawyer 2B last week at BPP Business School believe the legal sector still favours those with […]

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Walkers puts its trust in Intertrust

Strong fiduciary arm waves goodbye to law firm parent The relationship between an offshore law firm and its fiduciary business is a complex one. In many cases, the fiduciary provides vital instructions from clients as well as a steady flow of revenue. Yet the growth patterns for the fiduciary and the law firm can be […]

CC: onwards and upwards

Firm not resting on its laurels with Continuous Improvement initiative