17 January 2011
The Lawyer
A&O’s docGenix on red alert as investment deadline passes
Allen & Overy (A&O) has missed the deadline it set itself to save docGenix, its financially troubled derivatives risk analysis business.
Are we having funds yet?
The UK has struggled to make its mark in the competitive world of Ucits funds. Stuart Martin argues the case for the jurisdiction
BCL crime partner’s national service
“Being director of legal affairs at Government Communications Headquarters [GCHQ] was the best job in the country - every day I leapt out of bed wanting to go to work.”
BLP adds talent to non-contentious finance team
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has hired a Pinsent Masons partner to boost its non-contentious financial services practice.
Butcher Burns and ex-Vertex partner score Charlton Athletic FC takeover
Butcher Burns and former Vertex Law partner Stuart Butler-Gallie bagged the leading roles on the takeover of League One’s Charlton Athletic by a consortium led by former Newcastle United vice-president Tony Jimenez.
Clifford Chance and Microsoft plan new dawn for legal market IT
Million-pound joint venture allows Microsoft way into the legal sector
Covington brings former SFO prosecutor on board
Washington DC firm Covington & Burling is continuing its strategy of bringing former government prosecutors in-house with the hire of Robert Amaee, head of the anti-corruption and proceeds of crime units at the SFO.
Edwards Angell excels in the City with revenue boom and recruitment drive
US firm on track to mirror its core domestic strengths at London outpost.
Eilers: we’ll ‘just be called Freshfields’ in 10 years
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer will drop the names of its German legacy firms within a decade, according to new executive partner Stephan Eilers.
Family law yeasayers contend that prenups could improve marriage rates
It is a depressing statistical fact that 43 per cent of first marriages now end in divorce, the highest level it has ever been. Yet divorce law has largely been developed through the courts, with successive governments having resisted meddling in this controversial area.
FFW guides Azerbaijan on comms satellite deal
Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW) has advised the Azerbaijan government on the launch of its first communications satellite.
Firm attachments
Consolidation in the Baltic countries has been a dominant theme in the past year, says James Swift
Freshfields bosses vow to focus on fee-earning
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s senior management team has emphasised its commitment to client work by pledging that all partners in management positions will spend a significant proportion of their time on fee-earning.
Google searches out Pinsents legal director
Pinsent Masons legal director Struan Robertson is leaving the firm later this month to join Google’s legal team as product counsel as the internet giant continues its recruitment drive in London.
Hausfeld, Cuatrecasas all aboard in rail giants’ carbon cartel claim
Litigation boutique Hausfeld and Spanish firm Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira have been jointly instructed by Europe’s largest rail operators to bring a multimillion-pound damages claim against companies involved in a carbon and graphite cartel.
Herbies, Links win roles on White Tower property sale
Herbert Smith and Linklaters have advised on the sale of one of the properties in the beleaguered White Tower portfolio.
Independent firms storm Paris as trio of launches reject international model
French lawyers are rejecting the international firm model in favour of a more traditional boutique approach.
J’adore law: Joanna Luke, Elior UK
When Joanna Luke joined caterer Elior UK as head of legal in 2006 it was a chance to combine a career in law with her passion for all things French, says Andrew Pugh
Matthew Arnold & Baldwin
Matthew Arnold & Baldwin (MAB) managing partner Iain Donaldson says his firm began preparing for the current litigation boom long before the recession.
New LGB network created for employment lawyers
Taylor Wessing has backed the launch of an LGB network for employment lawyers.
On the move
White & Case has bolstered its global project finance practice after hiring Hogan Lovells Singapore banking and finance head Ken Hawkes as a partner.
Opinion: Liabilities of acquiring failed firms’ cases should be clarified
As the calendar flops with trepidation from 2010 to 2011, little seems certain other than that a year of unprecedented change lies ahead for the legal services sector: significantly increased competition from new entrants; a new code of conduct; and the gradual unveiling of what the Legal Services Ombudsman and the Legal Services Board will mean in practice for the profession.
Rare hire boosts Devereux’s tax practice
Devereux Chambers has expanded its tax practice with the arrival of Jonathan Fisher QC from 23 Essex Street.
SRA allows a chosen few to trial ABS applications
The SRA is to pick a select group of firms to take part in a test run of the alternative business structure (ABS) application process to iron out any issues ahead of the October implementation of the Legal Services Act.
Tulkinghorn: Last week in a town far, far away…
It’s not quite “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” but two Northern wannabe legal market Jedis have made a decent stab at being Star Wars-style revolutionaries from distant outposts.
Tweetie shy
An IT director at a top 20 firm bet The Lawyer features editor Matt Byrne last week that he could get the phrase ’leveraging their centricities’ into his story on Clifford Chance teaming up with Microsoft. As none of us knew what that meant we couldn’t oblige, but it neatly illustrates the semantic gulf between IT strategists and lawyers.
US firms’ hires prove private equity double acts provide key to big houses
Clients prefer to deal with established, tight-knit teams, says Gavriel Hollander
Wall orders
As Howrey’s European teams quit over IP conflicts of interest, a fault line between the US and Europe is emerging. Can Hogan Lovells and Baker & McKenzie bridge the gap?
Work Life Quiz: Jane Cowley, Howes Percival
What was your first-ever job? Selling pet food.
Wragges and 2Birds join Airwave panel
Wragge & Co has been appointed to the first-ever legal panel for Airwave, a company that helps the police and security services communicate without fear of eavesdroppers.
