15 December 2008
The Lawyer
A&O and McDermott to reveal costs before trial
High Court judge has ordered Allen & Overy and McDermott Will & Emery to estimate their costs before an intellectual property (IP) trial, showing judicial unease over the cost of UK litigation.
A&O halves bonuses for US associates
Allen & Overy is the latest magic circle firm to announce bonuses for its US associates.
BAE Systems replaces Delhi-bound chief counsel
BAE Systems has appointed a new chief counsel for its land systems business following Mike Elston’s move to India.
Bar Council chair hits out at Govt’s in-house push
Incoming Bar Council chair Desmond Browne QC has said that the Government’s plan to increase in-house advocacy will have a detrimental effect on the self-employed bar.
Barristers’ data stolen in Bar Council robbery
Contact details and personal information for all practising barristers has been stolen during a burglary at the Bar Council.
Beachcroft's LLP filing reveals profit drop in 2007-08
Profits at Beachcroft dropped by £4m during the 2007-08 financial year, from £29.3m to £25.1m, as revenue remained static at £114m.
Beresfords’ reputation left in tatters as miners compensation duo are struck off
Beresfords Solicitors partner Jim Beresford has been struck off along with his colleague Douglas Smith after all but three of 11 allegations of professional misconduct against them were upheld by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT).
BLP signs alliance with leading Russian lawyers
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) is set to create an alliance with part of Moscow-based Pepeliaev Goltsblat & Partners (PGP).
Broker alliance offers hope to smaller firms
Legal broker Clarity Connections has teamed up with claims management company AIMS Services to offer up to 20,000 cases a month to small and medium-sized law firms.
BT centralises lawyers, expands trainee intake
BT Group is in the process of overhauling the in-house functions of its separate businesses, creating central pools of lawyers to handle employment and regulation issues.
By royal appointment? Chelsy wins Farrers place
Prince Harry’s girlfriend Chelsy Davy has started a Christmas vacation scheme at the Queen’s law firm, Farrer & Co.
Camerons puts a halt to non-UK partners
CMS Cameron McKenna has removed non-UK partners from the partnership as part of a radical change to the firm’s equity structure.
CC, O'Melveny advise on £1.8bn fund raising
Clifford Chance and O'Melveny & Myers have jointly advised emerging markets private equity house Actis on a rare fundraising in persistently challenging markets.
Channel 4 names new legal head
Channel 4 has promoted Prash Naik to the role of controller of legal, replacing Jan Tomalin, who has left to set up her own firm.
Clifford Chance merges with Romanian ally
Clifford Chance has merged with its Romanian ally Badea & Asociatii.
Clifford Chance names DC head following defection
Clifford Chance has elected litigation partner David DiBari as head of its Washington DC office following the defection of incumbent Leiv Blad.
Cripps appraisal sees associates’ pay related to performance
Tunbridge Wells-based firm Cripps Harries Hall is to overhaul staff pay scales to link associates’ pay directly to performance.
Crunch time at DLA
It had always seemed likely that DLA Piper, the world’s largest law firm by number of lawyers, would have to make some redundancies as the recession loomed.
Dentons pinpoints Iraq for energy push
Denton Wilde Sapte is setting its sights on an Iraq launch as it seeks to expand its Middle East footprint.
DLA creates overarching UK leadership role
DLA Piper has revamped its leadership by combining the roles of regional managing partner and London managing partner under a new UK head.
Durham follows Kent Council’s legal services plan
Durham County Council is considering selling legal services to external clients, joining the growing number of local authorities moving into ;competition ;with private practice law firms.
Firms give out New York holiday as Xmas present
Manchester firms JS Miller and Geoffrey Miller Solicitors have defied the credit crunch and taken all staff on holiday to New York for a Christmas party.
Former Thacher partners lobby to retrieve cash
Former partners of Thacher Proffitt & Wood have formed a pressure group to campaign for more transparency during the US firm's merger talks with King & Spalding.
In-house review of the year 2008: In good company
When it comes to keeping a lid on fees, in-house legal chiefs have been looking to drive a hard bargain during 2008.
Japan Special Report: A yen for investment
Despite Honda’s decision to withdraw its Formula 1 team from competition, rumours of the Japanese economy’s demise are off the mark. Indeed, the country’s solvent companies will soon be looking for assets abroad, reckons Jonathan Ames
Kennedys returns to DLA for fresh pickings
Kennedys returns to DLA for fresh pickings" /DLA Piper’s Birmingham office has been hit by a second recruitment assault from insurance heavyweight Kennedys.
Lambeth Council launches panel review
The London Borough of Lambeth has begun a panel review to service its new-look legal function.
Leeds' Lupton Fawcett takes over Fox Hayes
Leeds' Lupton Fawcett is to acquire the entire commercial and private client business of local rival Fox Hayes, as it seeks to more than triple in size in three years.
Manches secures £50m payout for Madonna's ex
Manches family partner Helen Ward has cemented her place as the UK's leading divorce lawyer after securing a £50m divorce settlement for Madonna's husband Guy Ritchie.
Mills & Reeve, Taylor Wessing lawyers most philanthropic
Lawyers at Mills & Reeve are the most generous when it comes to supporting good causes but those at Hill Dickinson are least willing to donate.
MoFo promotes 10 to partnership
Morrison & Foerster has added 10 to its partnership in its latest round of promotions.
Muckle lays off 14 after consultation
Muckle lays off 14 after consultation" /Newcastle-based firm Muckle has completed a redundancy consultation that has seen 14 members of staff lose their jobs.
No5 silk becomes Midlands Circuit leader
No5 Chambers silk Gareth Evans QC has been appointed leader of the Midlands Circuit.
Opinion: Post-Mumbai, India’s outsourcing bubble could burst
The terrorist attacks in Mumbai have cast a dark shadow over India’s status as the world’s largest offshore outsourcing location.
Orrick targets double Middle East launches
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe is eyeing a Middle East launch with plans for a dual assault on Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Over and out
According to the rumour mill, once one of the 95 Hammonds employees currently in consultation has been told they’re out, they’re shown the door. Literally that day. No time to finish off any work they’ve got on - just enough to clear their desks.
Paul Hastings lawyer suspended over insider dealing claims
Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker lawyer Eric Holzer has been suspended from the firm over his alleged part in suspected insider trading at Lehman Brothers.
Promotions down at Dechert and Reed Smith
US firms Dechert and Reed Smith have shown their confidence in the London market by making up new partners in the City, despite making fewer promotions overall than last year.
Proposal for EU-wide class action law finds no favour with UK practitioners
UK lawyers have criticised a green paper from the European Commission that suggests EU member states should create a Europe-wide law on class actions.
Redeployments, job shares, secondments spare 26 jobs
Blake Lapthorn, Clarke Willmott and Cobbetts have reduced the number of staff they are making redundant by a total of 26 through a combination of redeployments ...
Review of the year 2008: Cometh the crunch
The Lawyer continued to report the big stories that shaped the year.
Shearman & Sterling promotes 11
Shearman & Sterling is the latest US firm to announce partner promotions.
Simmons’ Rotterdam office on the edge
Lawyers in the Rotterdam office of Simmons & Simmons will learn their fate by the end of January following a consultation over closing the branch.
SJ Berwin leadership duo stand again
SJ Berwin’s respective senior and managing partners Jonathan Blake and Ralph Cohen look set to be re-elected to the roles after standing unopposed.
Tensions on the bench spark Admin Court shuffle
Mr Justice Collins’s role as lead judge of the Administrative Court has been made redundant as Queen’s Bench Division (QBD) president Lord Justice May takes a hands-on role in the court.
The HR Awards 2009: The Shortlist
Best Graduate Trainee Recruitment Campaign• Addleshaw Goddard• Berwin Leighton Paisner• Hammonds• Hill Dickinson• Irwin Mitchell
The season to (try to) be jolly
It hasn’t been the best year for the legal profession, as you can see in this issue.
Trethowans
Trethowans" /Growing in turnover, lawyers and determination, Trethowans has plans to expand during the downturn and become a major presence in the southern legal market.
Trio of firms advise on Shard of Glass financing
Eversheds, Norton Rose and Rosenblatt have snared key roles in a deal to secure a new funding package for construction of Europe's tallest building.
UK firms face annus horribilis as managers face facts
Cost-cutting and consolidation will shape 2009 legal market; more job cuts inevitable.
Universities infuriate students by labelling A-level Law a ‘soft option’
It Is quite hard to start any conversation about A-level education without using the words ‘In my day…’. Many people accuse A-level programmes of having dumbed down with the introduction of more varied courses, while universities are first in the queue to attack so-called ‘soft’ subjects, such asA-level Law. ...
Web review of the year 2008: Write to reply
TheLawyer.com allows The Lawyer team to publish news as it breaks, but also enables you, the reader, to have your say. As well as a steady stream of comment from readers, many of the year’s top stories developed into full-blown debates. Here are just a few of the highlights
Web Week
The Lawyer’s Web Week is a weekly commentary on legal activity on the web. This includes an overview of the best of the week’s blogs. If you want to direct us to useful links, email webweek@thelawyer.com.
