THE LAW SOCIETY of Northern Ireland is under attack from lawyers who say they were not properly warned about the dangers of anti-money laundering legislation. The Proceeds of Crime (NI) Order 1996 is aimed at stopping solicitors assisting criminals in retaining the proceeds of a serious crime, or perverting the course of justice by informing […]
LINKLATERS & Alliance has paid tribute to former senior partner Ferrier Charlton, who has died aged 75. Charlton was senior partner at the City law firm from 1985 to 1988. He helped to set up the Eurobond market in the 1960s and later advised the Thatcher government on the privatisation of British Telecom in 1984. […]
Specialist communications and media firm Olswang has opened its first international office in Brussels. Belgian lawyer Dirk van Liederkerke will head the office. Chief executive Jonathan Goldstein says: “If you look at the world in which we operate, it is full of international clients. There are competition issues arising in this market that you wouldn’t […]
EMPLOYEE benefits lawyers are calling for the Government to introduce more flexible rules for employee share ownership schemes. The call accompanies a survey by Norton Rose showing workforces lag behind senior executives in benefiting from the trend towards employee share options. David Cohen, head of Norton Rose’s employee benefits group, and chairman of the Share […]
David Kidney MP plans to summon sections of the insurance industry to explain how they will tackle insurance for conditional fee agreements (CFAs). Kidney, chairman of the legal affairs sub-committee of the Parliamentary Labour Party’s Home Affairs Committee, decided on such a move after hearing a joint Bar Council and Law Society attack on government […]
The newly launched Earthrights Solicitors is a very different law firm: money- making is not its prime objective. The firm is devoted exclusively to championing green rights and saving the planet. Its founders, John Dunkley and Charlie Hopkins, claim they are “environmentalists first and lawyers second”. It has no senior partner, since Dunkley and Hopkins’ […]
International firms could benefit from proposals to cut the red tape governing the employment of non-European Union workers from EU countries. The European Commission has proposed that non-EU citizens should be able to apply for a card, which would be valid for 12 months, guaranteeing their right to work throughout the EU. Under the present […]
Naomi Owen led the team at Rowe & Maw which advised Virgin Rail Group (VRG) on its u1.25bn West Coast fleet renewal. The successful bidder is a consortium of the French company Alstom and Italian Fiat Ferroviaria. Under the terms of the deal, the consortium set up a special purchase company, West Coast Service Provision, […]
Jaffe Associates, the legal business development consultancy in North America, has opened an office in London. Four UK consultants will join the consultancy from the professional and business sector. Jay Jaffe, chairman of Jaffe Associates, says: “Our new associates have led the business development effort in a number of leading firms, including Clifford Chance, Coopers […]
While the High Court continues to persist with the ancient Chancery Court and Queen’s Bench Divisions, many argue that, ultimately, only one will survive. On the battlefield of legal services reform, the Chancery and its barristers are fighting hard to defend their territory and, for now at least, they appear to be winning. The Queen’s […]
The Bar Council has offered to pay for the QC selection procedure that currently costs the taxpayer £80,000 a year. The concession has been made at a time when the QC system is coming under increasing attack. Labour MP Andrew Dismore has tabled an early day motion in the House of Commons calling for the […]
HALLIWELL Landau has taken on three partners to staff its new London base. Robert Justice, Peter Richardson and James Parker have joined the firm to run the City practice, which will also have one consultant and five other fee earners. The Lawyer revealed last week that the firm was opening an office in the capital. […]