17 June 2002
The Lawyer
'Pick it up', 'time out' etc
Shearman & Sterling's impeccable timing was brought into question on that historic Friday at the beginning of June. Yes, in its infinite wisdom, the firm's global antitrust department - which is made up in the main of Americans - decided to hold a retreat in Oxford on Friday 7 June.Normally, that would not be so bad, but a bunch of English partners were obviously more interested in watching England trounce Argentina 1-0 than discussing antitrust. Tulkinghorn wonders ...
A slice of the action
Move over, magic circle firms. In the volatile Dutch market, it's Norton Rose, Simmons and Lovells which are making the most progress
A whole new reason to sue
Wragge & Co may well win top billing among law firm contemporaries as the best firm to work at in the annual survey by The Sunday Times, but it still has a long way to go to beat that friendly bunch at Wilsons.The Salisbury-based firm has been getting very excited over its end-of-year figures. It might be yet another ...
A&O joins rivals in US competition push
Allen & Overy (A&O) has become the latest magic circle firm to establish competition capability in the US
A&O lures corporate ace away from Cuatrecasas
UK firm makes second high-profile hire in eighteen months; major clients are part of the package
ADR to share top clerk with Hogarth
ADR Chambers has bolstered its management and administration structure with the appointment of one of England's most experienced clerks
Al Fayed wins appeal to keep 'secret' documents
Scotland Yard has lost a legal battle with Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed over documents its solicitors sent to him by mistake regarding his ongoing litigation against the police for wrongful arrest
Altheimer nabs Holman Fenwick partner
Altheimer & Gray is expanding its dispute resolution practice as it takes on a senior litigation partner from Holman Fenwick & Willan
Ashursts extends capability in Paris
Ashurst Morris Crisp has set up its first focused real estate group outside London with the hire of a leading partner from notary practice Allez & Associés and a senior associate from Linklaters
Ashursts wins Nomura after A&O is conflicted
Nomura's £1.2m damages case against CSFB causes spate of City firm conflicts
Bird & Bird bolsters Hague office
Bird & Bird has hired a team of seven lawyers from the former office of Andersen Legal in The Hague
Blackstone scoops Mayor's Tube fight
Blackstone Chambers has scooped instructions to represent three parties in Ken Livingstone's fresh claim over the Government's plans to part-privatise the Tube, an action believed to be the largest judicial review of the year.Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC is acting for the Mayor of London against fellow Blackstone tenant John Howell QC, for London Underground (LU). This is Livingstone's second judicial review of the public/private partnership proposals, on the grounds ...
Bonelli follows Anglo-Saxon lockstep route
Slaughter and May Italian best friend Bonelli Erede Pappalardo has taken the unusual step of introducing a modified lockstep to replace its traditional partner remuneration system, despite its plans to remain independent
Brazil Bar Association opens to global firms
Brazil has opened up its bar association to international lawyers for the first time
BRIAN MACKENOW & CO
Since his departure from Crutes eight months ago, Brian Mackenow just hasn't had a minute to himself
C&W enlists MBR&M for Guernsey deal
Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw worked alongside Cable & Wireless' (C&W) in-house legal team on the company's £22.5m acquisition of state-owned Guernsey Telecom. Guernsey Telecom was represented by Simmons & Simmons, which also has a relationship with C&W and Guernsey firm Collas Day. Squire ...
Calvert-Smith QC honoured by Queen
David Calvert-Smith QC (left), the Director of Public Prosecutions at the Crown Prosecution Service since November 1998, has been awarded a knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours list
CC management faces re-election
Firm set for corporate governance overhaul; chairman and CEO titles dropped
CC Pünder partner to join Mayer Brown
The Frankfurt office of Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw Gaedertz has hired Clifford Chance Pünder's head of debt capital markets Joerg Wulfken
China issues second-office licences
The Chinese authorities in Beijing have handed out the first set of second-office licences granted to foreign law firms
Clarification
In an article in The Lawyer on 27 May, 'Glencore-Metro dispute wraps up', it was incorrectly stated that Mobil was advised by Barlow Lyde & Gilbert
Cool as Hell
Tulkinghorn found time this week to dip into the Legal Executive journal, which threatens to displace CPS News as Tulkinghorn's favourite read (notwithstanding the fabulous CPS News offer of a stylish Crown Prosecution Service pen to all published letter writers). Legal executives often get a bit of a raw deal, with many of the more mundane lawyers' tasks dumped on their desks for little of the rewards on offer to high-flying City slickers. But the Institute of Legal Executives ...
Corporate
The first week of June was party time for English football, nati-onal champions and the Slaughter and May competition team. Conversely, it was a bad one for golden shares, France and the European Commission (EC).In its busiest week for some time, the Court of First Instance (CFI) announced two decisions that have encouraging implications for European M&A. Corporate lawyers don't ...
DEAL OF THE WEEK - WELLINGTON RE
Simmons wins place on £448m insurance launch
Deals summary
Addleshaw Booth & Co (Corin Waller) advised Co-operative Insurance Society on the £48m acquisition of 111 Old Broad Street from Unilever Pension Fund. Hammond Suddards Edge (Christopher Brigstocke) advised Unilever.Lovells (Jacki Newstead) advised Regent Retail Parks Partnership on the sale of its freehold interest in St Mark's Retail Park, Lincoln, to Mountgrange Investments, a subsidiary of Mountgrange Capital.
Deals summary
Baker & McKenzie's competition unit (Samantha Mobley) has obtained unconditional clearances from regulators in Austria, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and the UK for Platinum Equity's acquisition of Alcatel's enterprise distribution business. Alcatel was repre-sented in-house.Davis Polk & Wardwell (John Bick) has advised US Industries Inc on the sale of its $40m (£27.4m) Selkirk HVAC business to Tinicum Capital Partners. Tinicum, ...
Deals summary
Weil Gotshal & Manges (Jacky Kelly) advised UBS in connection with structuring and executing a e176m (£113.8m) synthetic collateralised debt obligation. Lead manager Schroder Salomon Smith Barney was advised by Ashurst Morris Crisp (Erica Handling).Allen & Overy advised Deutsche Bank and Dresdner Bank as joint lead managers and joint bookrunners, and ABN Amro Bank as manager, of ...
Deayton's secret weapon in privacy case: Spearman
Schillings' instruction of rising silk Richard Spearman was crucial in its battle against The Mail on Sunday
Disaster handling criticised
Personal injury (PI) law-yers renewed calls for a new approach to handling major disasters after last month's Potters Bar train crash
DLA plays support for Jazz FM in revised Guardian Group offer
DLA has once again found favour with long-term client Jazz fm, acting for the company on a takeover bid by the Guardian Media Group.
E&Y US ally raids Stroock and Sidley to hit New York
Ernst & Young's US ally McKee Nelson has marched into New York with a succession of high-profile lateral hires
Eco-warrior
The Co-operative Bank is well-known for its ethical stance and care for its customers and staff. Emma Vere-Jones meets a very happy head of legal, Ann Page
Fully composed
Charles Russell's Laurie Watt has not let his accession to senior partner hold him back from the fray - or from playing the horn. Kathryn Hobbs reports
Further confusion as conditional fee uplifts case about to be heard
Fresh uncertainty has arisen over lawyers' uplifts in conditional fee cases just days before the Law Lords are meant to establish guidelines on this crucial issue affecting thousands of lawyers
Garrigues takes top spot on first Spanish IPO in a year
Former Andersen Legal firm Garrigues has won the top role on the first Spanish initial public offering (IPO) for over a year, the e1.8bn (£1.2bn) flotation of gas company Enagas, which was approved last week.The firm is advising Enagas and its parent company Gas Natural, which is floating 65 per cent of its stake in Enagas in the first full divestment in the Spanish energy sector.Freshf
Harvey Ingram lawyer joins REPAC
Harvey Ingram Owston solicitor Debra Thacher has been appointed to statutory environmental advisory committee the Midlands Regional Environment Protection Committee (REPAC)
Heller Ehrman picks up CSFB lawyers
Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) has lost two highly respected in-house lawyers to the New York office of Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe LLP
Injury time
Andrew Tucker assesses the steps that professional and amateur players can take if their careers are cut short by a badly-timed tackle
Insult to injury?
Proposals to reduce the number of claims against the NHS should focus on prevention rather than cure, argues Apil president Patrick Allen
Judges rule on clog stink
An interesting little snippet appeared in The Times' higher educational supplement last week, under the heading 'Dubious legal feet'. It described how judges in the Netherlands were recently given a selection of barefooted volunteers as part of an unusual identity parade to help them decide if a man on trial for taking his shoes off in public exceeded the smell barrier.The article reported that the man had been accused of a breach of the peace after removing his ...
Landwell wins on golden shares case
Landwell's Belgian firm Bogaert & Vandemeule-broeke successfully defended the Belgian government in the recent ruling on golden shares
Lawyer readers are winners
Finally, we have two competition winners this week.A couple of weeks ago, Tulkinghorn set a task to find the budding marketeers among you, asking for tips to aid Hammonds' marketing department in selling its latest client win, that of a leading condom manufacturer.A certain 'Trev B' went in on the theme of flavoured condoms, coming up with the imaginative strapline: "Hammonds Suddards Edge... The taste of things to come". Very good. But the winner is James ...
Litigation costs give rise to fixed fees alternative
Civil Justice Council forum to address insurers' concerns of rising costs; Apil lawyers none too keen
Loyens & Loeff tops The Lawyer's Dutch league with record turnover
Loyens & Loeff has pipped its competitors at the top of the Dutch league table after recording a worldwide turnover of £109m for the last financial year
Manches set to shift focus from family law
Manches has split into core and non-core areas for the first time after a difficult financial year
Morgan Cole gets £210K damages from Lloyds TSB
Morgan Cole has won damages of £210,000 from its former London landlord Lloyds TSB after suffering years of discomfort and embarrassment over having to continually apologise to clients for its failing air-conditioning system.The firm resorted to legal action after numerous attempts to resolve the problem with Lloyds TSB concerning its 167 Fleet Street office. The bank recently sold its interest ...
Opinion
On 31 May 2002, the European Insolv-ency Regulation came into force throughout the EU, with the exception of Denmark. It has been a long time coming. Insolv-ency proceedings were excluded from the 1968 Brussels Convention on Jurisdiction and the Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters, with the intention that there would be a separate convention relating to insolvency proceedings. In the intervening period, the coordination of cross-border insolvency has been left to ...
PI Bar offers tentative support for Govt structured settlements
The personal injury (PI) Bar offered 'two cheers' for Government plans to introduce structured settlements at its recent spring conference
PI firms quick to take up online settlement option
Leading personal injury (PI) firms were signing up to a new online 'blind bidding' settlement service last week
Playing with lives
Did the Association of British Insurers play fair on Fairchild? Jon Robins reports on the anger at the insurers' tactics
Refereeing decision
Mediation has not proved popular for resolving clinical disputes. Arnold Simanowitz looks at the reasons why and a new initiative that could spark a change in attitude
Rosling King sues client Rothschild
City firm Rosling King is due to appear in court to recoup unpaid legal fees of more than £100,000 allegedly owed to it by an arm of international banking house NM Roths-child & Sons
Scott Rees under investigation for misconduct
Personal injury firm Scott Rees & Co could face a criminal investigation following its conduct in a road traffic accident claim
Shearman in antitrust coup on Herbies' Carnival deal
Shearman & Sterling has joined Herbert Smith as co-counsel on Carnival's high-profile hostile takeover bid for cruise operator P&O Princess
Simmons doubles German capability in Frankfurt
Simmons & Simmons is to open its second German office in Frankfurt on 8 July
Simmons strengthens Italy with Bisconti raid
Simmons & Simmons has raided Milan firm Studio Legale Bisconti as it continues to bulk up its Italian practice following the departures of former name partner Eugenio Grippo and 10 other lawyers a year ago
Simmons turnover defies partner profit slump
Simmons & Simmons' profits per partner figure for 2001-02 dropped from £412,000 in the previous year to £375,000, a fall of almost 9 per cent
Sinclair ace opts for Richards Butler
Richards Butler has taken on the remainder of Sinclair Roche & Temperley's international trade and commodities team
Six of the best
It has been a while since The Lawyer's Hot 100, our annual survey of who is going to make it big in the year ahead (look out for it in the first issue of January), but people are still talking about it.In Touch, the alumni magazine for King's College, London, reported the strong showing of King's School of Law graduates in its last issue. This year it boasted six: Geraldine Andrews QC, Essex Court Chambers, Sir Robin Auld, Lord Justice of Appeal, Louise Delahunty, ...
Skadden tops league of US corporate firms
Skadden retains corporate crown for second term; New York firms dominate
Sky Capital opts for Nicholson Graham
Nicholson Graham & Jones has capitalised on its relationship with commercial Wall Street firm Ziegler Ziegler & Altman and gained a new client in the process
The care bearers
With the NHS's legal bill spiralling, changes have to be made. Michael Leyland looks at the latest developments in clinical negligence law affecting one of the causes - future care
The danger of headline spotting
The National Audit Office (NAO) report into clinical negligence cases is one of the more misunderstood documents of our time
The Leader Column
The financial results for the year 2001-02 are trickling through more slowly than usual and it doesn't take a genius to work out that this is because management is worried about the market response.Very few firms will want to shout about their figures, but surely they can take consolation in the fact that everyone is in the same boat. The Lawyer has revealed figures for Allen & Overy (A&O), Clifford
Torys takes on Arthur Andersen tax partners
Canadian firm Torys has been on a hiring spree, plundering accountancy and accountancy-tied firms in New York and Toronto
Victimisation
The definition of PI has never been broader. Claimants and their lawyers have not been slow on the uptake. Michael Leyland reports
Vote set to open Combar's doors to employed barristers
The Commercial Bar Association (Combar) is likely to vote in favour this week of allowing employed barristers to join its ranks following agreement in principle from the association's committees
Walker Morris profits leap
Leeds-based Walker Morris has again recorded bumper profits for the past financial year
You're forgiven (hiccup)
Bless you Adams Creative. You will remember this particular PR agency from last week's issue, in which Tulkinghorn issued it a firm rebuke for 'economising'.The poor agency fell short by 6p on the postage of a press release sent on behalf of Kingsfords Solicitors. Tulkinghorn was very grateful to receive "an apology for mugging you by post" in the form of a lovely bottle of champagne.It is worth pointing out to Kingsfords that, had the agency paid the correct ...
