13 April 2009
The Lawyer
Amber Melville-Brown
What was your first-ever job?
Cads offers less slices of equity pie
Cadwalader hopes fewer shares of greater value will prove more attractive to partners
Cadwalader manipulates shares to hike recruitment
Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft has reduced the number of shares available to its equity partners in a bid to raise each share’s value so they can be used as a recruitment tool.
Camerons promotes 17 to salaried office partner role
CMS Cameron McKenna has made up 17 partners, all of whom join the new salaried office partner rung introduced last month as part of a shake-up of the partnership.
CC restructuring plans put promotions on hold
Senior associates at Clifford Chance will have a longer-than-normal wait to discover whether they have made partnership this year with the firm postponing its promotions round until its global restructuring has been taken care of.
CC, Macfarlanes, Travers secure Bridgepoint-Hermes mandate
A trio of UK firms has won roles advising on private equity house Bridgepoint’s appointment as manager of Hermes Private Equity’s funds.
CC’s Barclays conflict gifts SJ Berwin second CVC mandate
SJ Berwin has secured its largest mandate from CVC Capital Partners, acting for the private equity group on negotiations to buy Barclays subsidiary iShares after regular adviser Clifford Chance was conflicted out.
CLO Programme widens reach with political lobbying plan
Leading in-house lawyers group the Chief Legal Officers (CLO) Programme is preparing to expand its remit by moving into political lobbying.
CMC Markets invites pitches for global work
CMC Markets has asked selected firms on its UK panel to take part in a beauty parade as it looks to draw up an international roster to deal with its overseas expansion.
Conference call
As transactional markets tighten in the Middle East, firms might welcome advice on how best to mould individual business models to meet client demands and foster existing client relationships to hold on to key work.
DLA Piper, Middle East spread
DLA Piper is now firmly ensconced in the Middle East with offices in six locations acrossthe region, but has it spread itself too thin? Luke McLeod-Roberts reports
Family Court transparency: has New Labour reneged on its promise?
In December last year Lord Chancellor Jack Straw QC declared that the Government would propose to change the law to allow access to the Family Court so that justice could be seen to be done.
Farrers leads regional firms on Age UK creation
Farrer & Co has advised on the creation of the largest UK charity for older people through the merger of Help the Aged and the UK-based affiliations of Age Concern.
Firms ramp up Brussels regulatory teams
A range of firms have boosted their Brussels offices with new hires.
Former BLP partner faces disciplinary tribunal
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has referred former Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) property partner Vinay Veneik to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) on four separate allegations.
Freshfields’ flexibility heads off job losses
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has introduced a range of flexible working options for its support staff as it strives to avoid making redundancies.
Hammonds head of construction joins Reynolds Porter Chamberlain
Hammonds head of construction Jeff Brown has left the firm to join Reynolds Porter Chamberlain as a consultant.
Happier endings?
Maybe it’s an end-of-year lull, but the sense of panic that characterised the post-Christmas period seems to have finally abated. For now.
Healthcare watchdog shakes up legal teams
The legal teams at the NHS regulator and all other adult healthcare supervisory bodies have been overhauled with the creation of super-watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Hextalls strives to fight back from the brink
Firm identifies insurance and litigation as post-administration saviours
ING puts firms on notice for global panel
Dutch financial giant ING has launched a global panel review in the first appraisal of its key advisers in more than five years.
Insurance Special Report: Home guard
Can we expect a rash of major directors’ and officers’ claims to hit the UK? asks John Turnbull
Insurance Special Report: Standard bearers
The stormy economic conditions will prove a tough test for reforms intended to improve insurance contract certainty and overall standards. By Paul Wordley and Graham Denny
Jomati strengthens ties with US and Asia
UK legal consultant Jomati has cemented a formal alliance with US counterpart Altman Weil and Professional Development Asia in Hong Kong and Beijing.
Linklaters São Paulo head quits for Proskauer Rose
Linklaters has lost the head of its São Paulo office, finance partner David Fenwick, to Proskauer Rose.
Maher to lose vice-chair role in Mayer Brown rejig
The proposed overhaul of Mayer Brown’s management is likely to see the firm establish a seven-member management committee and abolish its two vice-chairman roles.
Manches regroups after litigation hit
Manches is to create a dedicated litigation practice following the exit of litigation stars Clive Zietman and Andrew Shaw to Stewarts Law, The Lawyer can reveal.
Nabarro seeks unpaid fees from Uno Group
Nabarro has issued a High Court claim against shopfitters Uno Group in a bid to recover more than £50,000 in fees.
Opinion: RBS case shows superiority of US investor protection
On 16 March the front page of The Times announced that Cherie Booth had been hired by two local authority pension funds to assist in joining a class action before the New York court against Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and its board of directors.
Osborne Clarke keeps Babcock role on Devonport extension
Osborne Clarke has advised Babcock Marine on the extension of its contract to manage Devonport Royal Dockyard with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a deal worth £560m.
Plus equals good business for firms as recession takes its toll on AIM
As the fortunes of AIM decline, mid-sized firms have been taking advantage of buoyancy in the Plus market to boost their corporate coffers. Kit Chellel reports
Six of the best
If during 2008 many firms equated the Middle East with bulking up a Dubai office with lawyers from London and New York, in 2009 there has been a paradigm shift. This shift consists of an increased focus on other Middle East and North Africa (Mena) markets and recruitment from within the region.
Sixteen Camerons partners opt for de-equitisation
Twelve per cent of CMS Cameron McKenna partners have volunteered for de-equitisation as the firm puts the finishing touches to a radical overhaul of its partnership.
Supreme Court Law Lords appointed
Lord Justice Collins and Sir Brian Kerr have been appointed Law Lords and will serve the new Supreme Court when it launches later this year.
Thomson Snell
Taking an active part in the Thames Gateway Regeneration project, Thomson Snell & Passmore often comments on how the plan is progressing.
Trading paces: Dominic Bacon, CMC markets UK
CMC Markets has experienced a meteoric rise in fortunes over the past two years. And as head of legal, Dominic Bacon has to work hard to keep things on track. Tom Phillips reports
Tulkinghorn: A law firm? Oh no it isn't!
Tulkinghorn is a big fan of panto, so imagine his surprise when he chanced upon an upcoming appearance from Simmons & Simmons in Snow White.
Unified Shropshire council names legal head
Shropshire County Council legal chief Claire Porter has been given the top legal role at the new unified Shropshire authority.
White & Case’s canny African move could prove a catalyst
WHITE & Case’s decision to deploy a number of London-based lawyers in Africa is a useful way of dealing with some of its issues in the City, but it is also a good strategy in a wider context.
White & Case’s canny African move could prove a catalyst
White & Case’s decision to deploy a number of London-based lawyers in Africa is a useful way of dealing with some of its issues in the City, but it is also a good strategy in a wider context.
