14 June 2010

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Stepping up at Simmons

Meeting the Attorney General at Downing Street to receive an award, hugging Alistair Darling’s wife and taking turns to sit in the former Chancellor’s chair ­(consensus: comfortable) – all taken in their stride by boys ­participating in the ’Step Up’ ­project, a collaboration between The Twist Partnership, a not-for-profit consultancy, and Simmons & Simmons. Twist’s […]

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Mexican wave is the model outsourcing arrangement

Last week’s story about Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer looking to build a national referral framework with regional firms highlights how legal market trends come in and out of fashion. A decade ago the Mexican wave initiative, which involves outsourcing lower-value transactional work to UK regional firms, was put into practice by Hogan Lovells legacy firm Lovells […]

Work Life Quiz: Patrick Somers, Berwin Leighton Paisner

What was your first-ever job? Hotel porter. What was your worst ­experience as a trainee? Leaving a draft sale-and-purchase agreement with all the financial details in it at an airline check-in desk. Fortunately it was in an unopened envelope and was handed to me as I boarded the plane, just as I was about to […]

CC Euro competition head jumps ship for Skadden

CLIFFORD Chance has lost the global head of its ­European competition and regulation group, with partner Simon Baxter defecting to US firm Skadden. The Brussels-based lawyer, a Clifford Chance partner since 1998, resigned last Friday (11 June). He is expected to start work at Skadden later this month. Shepard Goldfein, the head of Skadden’s global antitrust […]

Accenture invites tenders in legal rejig

Global management consultancy and outsourcing and technology company Accenture is preparing to overhaul its legal roster. As part of a regular three-year review, UK general counsel Patrick Rowe is drawing up a list of firms, with a view to asking them to pitch for the new panel. Past advisers to the $21.6bn (£14.8bn) business have […]

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Asda establishes new head of legal position

ASDA is creating a head of legal role as the supermarket chain expands into city centres. ASDA is creating a head of legal role as the supermarket chain expands into city centres. General counsel and company secretary Ellie Doohan is looking to appoint a deputy. The role will cover trading matters due to current trading and marketing legal […]

New chair prompts shake-up at Eversheds

Eversheds is to reshuffle a number of its management roles in the wake of litigation and arbitration partner John Heaps taking on the chairman’s post last month. Eversheds is to reshuffle a number of its management roles in the wake of litigation and arbitration partner John Heaps taking on the chairman’s post last month. Head […]

People moves

Addleshaw Goddard has appointed Jonathan Watson as legal director of its financial regulation practice. Move of the week   He joins the firm from UBS, where he was managing director and head of legal and compliance. David Heffron, head of Addleshaws’ financial regulationteam, said: “Jonathan’s hands-on practical experience of the issues faced by general counsel […]

Clydes posts £7m increase in turnover

CLYDE & Co has reported a four per cent rise in turnover for the 2009-10 financial year, up from £185m to £192m. The firm’s average profit per equity partner (PEP) figure rose by 10 per cent after remaining at £550,000 for the past two years. PEP for 2009-10 is £605,000. In the past year Clydes […]

Dorsey’s Short shrift

This week we’re running an exclusive interview (here) with Andrew Rimmington, the Dorsey & Whitney partner who was charged with insider dealing by the FSA, but who was acquitted. It’s essential reading for anyone whose work brings them into contact with the regulatory authorities – and indeed, even those whose doesn’t, since the wheels of […]

Why Kirkland’s PE swoop is the start of an aggressive new era

Chicago firm emulates Weil Gotshal with UK investment.  The big splash hires of Ashurst corporate partners Gavin Gordon and David Arnold by Kirkland & Ellis (TheLawyer.com, 1 June) has all the hallmarks of a new chapter for the Chicago-headquartered firm’s City office. The firm’s last big-hitting ­private equity appointments were those of Raymond McKeeve […]