17 November 2003
The Lawyer
3 Loses head of government and regulatory
Clare Gilbert (left), the head of government, public and regulatory affairs at third generation mobile operator 3, is to leave the company at the end of the year. Gilbert plans to move to Hamburg to spend more time with her husband, Stan Laurent, chief executive officer of AOL Germany. Gilbert has been with 3 for 18 months. She was formerly general counsel at AOL Europe. A spokesman for 3 said the company was looking for a replacement.
Addleshaw blaggard
Tulkinghorn would never go so far as to call a law firm disingenuous, but he often enjoys a quiet chuckle at the overenthusiasm of certain firms' marketing departments.
Addleshaws gears up for partner cull
Addleshaw Goddard is preparing for dramatic post-merger cuts of underperforming partners, with those affected expected to be told before Christmas.
Advisers clamour for WorldCom's $150m
The bunfight for fees on the WorldCom restructuring has begun, with lawyers battling over their share of an estimated $150m (£89.6m) in costs.
Allen & Overy conflicts blow gifts CC MBO
A mysterious conflict has forced Allen & Overy (A&O) out of the role of corporate adviser to the Netherlands’ Aegon, giving Clifford Chance an in on the e133m (£91.7m) management buyout (MBO) of Unirobe.
Ashursts concentrates power in fewer hands
Ashurst Morris Crisp has reviewed its management structure to create a streamlined and more democratic partnership board.
Beachcrofts votes for veteran management
Beachcroft Wansbroughs’ managing partner Bob Heslett has been unanimously re-elected by the partnership, extending his leadership until 2006. Heslett, who has managed the firm since 1998, stood unopposed. Last December, Beachcrofts’ veteran senior partner David Hunt was also re-elected as head of the national firm for a period running until April 2006
Bear market
Arrests, oligarchs and an election round the corner. Can things get any more turbulent for Russian business? Jon Robins asks if the rule of law is under threat
Beiten Burkhardt opens second Shanghai office
German firm Beiten Burkhardt Goerdeler has scooped a licence from the Chinese Ministry of Justice to open a second office on the mainland.
Bishop & Sewell doubles African presence with Ben Ngenda tie-up
London law firm Bishop & Sewell has extended its reach into Africa by signing its second tie-up in the region, this time with Zambia firm Ben Ngenda Advocates.
BLP wins Liverpool contract
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has fought off competition from six firms to advise Liverpool City Council on an application by Merseytravel to construct and operate a tram network in the city centre.
Brit Insurance completes first legal panel
Brit Insurance, the UK insurance subsidiary of Brit Insurance Holdings, has created its first formal legal panel. Many of Brit’s previous advisers have lost out in the review, which has formalised a smaller number of law firm relationships. The full review of service providers kicked off in April and formed part of Brit’s strategic development of claims handling processes.
Burges Salmon steers MoD through record £2.5bn PFI deal
Burges Salmon has closed the largest-ever PFI deal for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), representing a massive boost for the projects team at the Bristol-based firm.
Camerons wins Government rail work
CMS Cameron McKenna has scooped work advising the Department of Transport on the Crossrail project to link east and west London.
Caught napping
Everyone has those days from time to time when getting out of bed is just a feat too far. Usually it means a stagger to the phone, a quick, croaky "I'm ill", and then all the daytime telly you can stomach. Followed by double the work the next day.
CC breaks City ranks with push for corporate lawyers on bench
Clifford Chance is lobbying the Department of Constitutional Affairs (DAC) for commercial solicitors who specialise in non-contentious work to be allowed to become High Court judges.
City gent
Hammonds partner Michael Cassidy was the ‘face’ of London after the IRA bombing. As Emma Vere-Jones reports, he’s still a City boy at heart
Clarks hires SITA legal chief
Thames Valley firm Clarks has hired the legal director of waste management company SITA to boost its environmental and waste management team.
Clifford Chance finance director in shock departure
Clifford Chance is losing its finance director to headhunting group Whitehead Mann.
Clintons, Manches in letter bomb scare
Clintons and Manches, two firms with high profile family law practices, have received suspicious and threatening packages in the post. The packages were addressed to solicitors in their family law departments.
Commercial litigation partner leaves Pinsents
Pinsents' commercial litigation partner Raymond Joyce has left the firm's Birmingham office to set up his own firm. Joyce joined Pinsents from Garretts in May 2002.
Court costs shackled by fee-capping case
The courts have given claimant and defendant lawyers the green light to apply for each other's litigation costs to be capped for the first time.
Crowell & Moring pushes for London growth with Jones Day hire
US firm Crowell & Moring has strengthened its London arbitration and litigation group through the recruitment of a former Jones Day lawyer. Jane Wessel, an international arbitration and commercial litigation specialist, is joining the firm as counsel from Jones Day. The hire fits in with the firm’s European strategy to grow its offices in London and Brussels to 30 lawyers each.
Dentons managing partner steps down
Denton Wilde Sapte France managing partner Jacques Salés is to return to full-time fee-earning after 27 years in a management role. Tax and structured finance head Dominique Derveaux will replace Salés today (17 November). Salés will remain at the top of lockstep until 65, the retirement age, but hopes to continue at the firm past that age, possibly in a part-time role.
Drama as Grabiner speaks out at football shirt price-fixing appeal
Leading silk accuses Competition Appeals Tribunal of becoming a 'legal jamboree'; Monckton Chambers junior slapped down
ECJ tells Italy to liberalise access to legal profession
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ordered Italy to liberalise its regulations governing access to the Italian legal profession.
EDITORIAL: Who pays for the courts' facelift?
"Third world" and "a public disgrace" were some of the harsh - but fair - descriptions used by lawyers about the Commercial Court when The Lawyer polled their views last year.
Electra Partners boosts Ashursts’ Euro network
Ashurst Morris Crisp’s European offices have been put to the test after snaring the multi-jurisdictional mandate for Electra Partners’ secondary buyout of Italian chemicals distributor Azelis Sarl.
Ethnic minority lawyers rally to support silks system
Leading black lawyers rallied around the beleaguered silks system last week and argued that the rank of Queen's Counsel should be retained in the public interest as a way of promoting a diverse profession.
Euro ruling could extend privilege to in-house lawyers
The European Court of Justice last week gave the green light for a landmark case to proceed that could extend the scope of legal professional privilege (LPP) to in-house lawyers.
European Union turns its citizens green
EUROPEAN law is to guarantee the rights of EU citizens to access environmental information, participate in environmental decision-making and grant them the right to bring environmental violations to courts, if EU ministers agree a proposal from the European Commission.
Eversheds lateral gifts Heatons with Yorkshire Bank win
Stoke-on-Trent firm Heatons has won Yorkshire Bank as a new client. The win follows the appointment of Eversheds’ Manchester and Leeds property finance head Nick Trowell.
Eversheds plans regional rejig
Eversheds managing partner David Gray is to shake up the firm's regional structure with a bid to integrate the Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle offices.
Ex-Dechert star takes House of Fraser to FFW
FFW completes first significant deal for House of Fraser since partner hire
Expat pensioner back in court over uprate
A UK pensioner living in South Africa has won new hope for half a million older people who have been denied increases in their state pension. Annette Carson, who moved to South Africa when she retired, has been fighting the Government through the courts for several years and was last week granted leave to appeal to the House of Lords.
EY Law splits in Stuttgart
Ernst & Young’s German law firm is set to hive off half of its Stuttgart office in order to comply with German rules on auditor independence.
Firm profile: Fox Hayes
Unlike the city’s football team, Leeds’ Fox Hayes is on the up. The management at Elland Road could do with some of managing partner Philip Drazen’s dynamism. “We’re a very progressive practice,” says the 41-year-old former commodities trader. “We have a good business and now we’re ready to do other things. We’re aiming to make this a £10m practice by 2007.”
Hammonds beats DLA to Vodafone's pension work
Hammonds has grabbed Vodafone's UK pension fund work out of the grasp of DLA.The work initially moved to DLA when Michael Cowley joined the top 10 firm from Stephenson Harwood in May 2002. However, it is understood that Cowley's move to a new firm prompted Vodafone to retest the market.
Hammonds loses Birmingham finance head to Speechlys
Speechly Bircham has lured Hammonds’ Birmingham head of finance to London to grow a corporate recovery and insolvency practice.
Hill Dickinson wins Clyde & Co partner
Clyde & Co has lost professional indemnity and product liability partner Angela Horne to North West firm Hill Dickinson. Horne was recently involved in a successful House of Lords appeal on behalf of two members of the bar in the case of Medcalf v Mardell. During her time at Clydes she has also represented Dr Marietta Higgs, the paediatrician at the centre of the Cleveland Child Abuse Inquiry in 1987. Horne, who will be based in Hill Dickinson's London office, was at Clydes for ...
How to stop litigants in person going mad: more funds needed
No one wants vexatious litigants. But three cheers for the CAB at the RCJ, says Naomi Rovnick
Immedia Broadcasting initial public offering
McDermott wins Teather & Greenwood
Intolerable crap
Staying with the stars, Tulkinghorn's recommendation for pre-Christmas comedy is the ubiquitous Catherine Zeta-Jones and gorgeous George Clooney epic Intolerable Cruelty.
Kilpatrick in UK relaunch with Canary Wharf move
US firm Kilpatrick Stockton is set to become the fourth law firm to move to Canary Wharf, providing another boost to the site's prospects.
KLegal's KPMG split promises headache
KLegal now faces the prospect of disruption and expense as it moves to disentangle itself from big four accounting parent KPMG.
KSB Law to slash 55 jobs
KSB Law is to exit the personal injury market, resulting in the redundancy of 55 staff.
Lancashire Council picks four for new panel
Addleshaw Goddard, Eversheds, Irwin Mitchell and Masons have all won places on Lancashire County Council’s PPP, PFI and commercial panel.
Land craft
The 2002 Land Registry Act is vastly different from its 1925 progenitor. Katharine Fenn outlines the distinctions and how best to approach them
Landwell's former Dutch arm seals Van Doorne merger
Landwell's former Dutch firm has sealed a merger with independent Netherlands firm Van Doorne.
LEADER
What's the difference between Ashursts and the Tory Party? They've both got a posh boy image they're desperate to shake. But while the Tories have managed to elect a new leader (even though only one candidate put his hat in the ring), Ashursts just can't seem to get around to it.
Legal Widow
You know, I admire Subjudice when she attempts to get me to do her homework for her; I think it marvellous that Liability would rather plait Barbie's hair than bash up and down a muddy hockey pitch, and that Deminimus wants to get to level eight on his new Game Boy rather than learn about Anglo-Saxons. Anything that can serve as proof that they will be saved from the 'good' gene ...
Life in the fast lane
BHP Billiton’s hire of John Fast as chief legal counsel and head of external affairs saw the company’s legal function become almost painfully efficient. Emma Vere-Jones reports
Linklaters replaces competition, EU law chief
Linklaters has shored up its German competition and EU law practice following the departure of group head Dirk Schroeder for Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, as revealed by The Lawyer (3 November).The magic circle firm has announced that Wolfgang Deselaers will replace Schroeder. Although he is ...
Litigation deals round-up
Cunningham John (Simon John) with James Badenoch QC advised Frank O’Brien in his medical negligence claim against the NHS. The claim, which netted O’Brien a £500,000 settlement, was brought nearly 40 years after he suffered brain damage following treatment at the Western Fever Hospital in Fulham. The NHS Litigation Authority was advised by Hempsons, with Paul Reiss QC as counsel.
Lord Mayor pledges to fight for open international market
The new Lord Mayor of London, Robert Finch, is launching a campaign to open up closed legal markets, such as South Korea, to international lawyers.
Lovells senior partner battle draws to a close
The race for the Lovells senior partner position was heading for the finish line as The Lawyer went to press last week. The closing date for partner votes was last Saturday (15 November) and The Lawyer will publish the results of the election on www.thelawyer.com today (17 November). The three men still in contention are incumbent senior partner Andrew Walker; head of corporate Hugh Nineham and corporate insurance partner John Young. Property partner Robert Kidby and Brussels-based ...
Making plans
The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act will bring many changes, but Trevor Goode warns that it might end up as just another layer of bureaucracy
Microsoft shakes up in-house lawyers as EC competition case gathers speed
Microsoft is decentralising its European legal function and recruiting senior lawyers to head up important individual jurisdictions.
No way out
As stamp duty land tax comes into effect, Kirsten Davison highlights the dramatic effect this will have on commercial landlords and tenants alike
Norton Rose plugs Paris gap
Norton Rose has managed to hold on to a team of litigators who were due to leave the firm with three-partners who resigned in July.The team of five litigation assistants were due to move with partners Christian Bouckaert, Pascal Ormen and Remi Passem...
Ofcom's general counsel role ditched in legal team overhaul
The new broadcasting and communications regulator Ofcom has dispensed with the general counsel function after finally agreeing on the makeup of its legal team.
Opinion
Fierce criticism by the Government and the press of judicial decision making, particularly in asylum cases, has been a feature of the past year. Mr Justice Collins has been challenged several times – most recently in R(Q) v Home Secretary, where social security benefits had been refused to asylum seekers for failing to make an application as soon as reasonably practicable after arriving in the UK. Although the Court of Appeal upheld Judge Collins’s decision, the conflict between the courts ...
Oven-ready lawyers
Can there really be any sick children left in the UK? DLA seems to have done more charity events for the WellChild charity this year than most of said sick children have had hot dinners.
Pennies, Jones Day reopen merger talks
Pennie & Edmonds' renewed merger talks with Jones Day were spurred on by a cabal of partners who were about to jump ship for the Cleveland firm.
Pillsbury old guard dominate after elections
Pillsbury Winthrop’s management has received a vote of confidence from the firm’s partnership, which has re-elected its chair and managing partner.
Pro bono & community action: Cloisters barristers’ valiant Chagos exiles pro bono loss
When the inhabitants of the Chagos Islands sought to bring a compensation claim against the UK Government, barristers from Cloisters chambers took the matter on a pro bono basis.
Publicis UK growth prompts search for London counsel
French advertising giant Publicis Groupe is set to launch a UK legal function and is on the hunt for its first London-based lead counsel.
PwC Brussels partner departs to B&M
The tax arm of accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers has suffered a blow with the exit of Brussels partner Philippe Lion to Baker & McKenzie. It is understood that the regulatory climate post Sarbanes-Oxley was a factor in Lion's decision to leave the accounting firm. Commenting on his departure, the former PwC tax director said: "Auditors' independence rules are about to dramatically change the world of tax consultancy. Increasingly, large firms with a strong tax practice and ...
Schroders rejects non-international advisers
Schroders has identified international reach as a fundamental requirement for firms pitching for its first global panel - a move that could have wide implications for some of its traditional advisers.The pitch document states that only firms which Schroders considers able to provide global reach will be selected to attend the formal presentation stage. It also asks firms to provide a brief description of their representation in more than 20 countries - not just major legal centres, ...
Sellers' packs - the sequel
Sellers' packs made a return to the Government agenda last week, but under the new name of 'home information packs', when they were included in the new Housing Bill.
Shearman launches London IP practice
Shearman & Sterling’s London office has added another string to its bow as it expands into intellectual property (IP) through the hire of its first UK specialist.
Sonnenberg gains PwC team
A three-partner team has broken away from PricewaterhouseCoopers in South Africa to join Sonnenberg Hoffmann Galomibk’s tax advisory practice.
Survey shows property market 'bottoming out'
Business demand for commercial property has stabilised after nine quarters of decline, according to a survey by the RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors).
Taylor Wessing reveals its master plan for expansion
Taylor Wessing reveals its master plan for expansion" /Taylor Wessing released details last week of its six-month strategic review, which will see it aim for a turnover in excess of £100m, grow fee-earner numbers to around 300 and continue its European expansion over the next five years.
The reit way
The Treasury has finally been harangued into looking at the possibility of introducing real estate investment trusts into the UK. By Richard Quenby
UK family lawyers concerned over EU divorce plans
Proposals to harmonise the divorce laws across Europe could set back the position of women in the UK by 30 years, according to leading family law practitioners.
Weil Gotshal enters GE Real Estate’s Sophia fight
Weil Gotshal & Manges’ expansionist Paris office has gained an introduction to General Electric (GE) Investissement Real Estate on its e2.3bn (£1.58bn) bid for French property management company Sophia.
Weil Gotshal securitisation partner quits the law
Weil Gotshal & Manges' London office is losing one of its three securitisation partners. Christian Smith is moving to Spain, but will not be joining another law firm on his arrival. He is moving for lifestyle reasons. Smith's departure will leave the London securitisation group with head Jacky Kelly and partner Steven Ong, who was made up to equity this year. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com, 12 November
Weil Gotshal to teach staff how to be PC
Second round of partner cuts imminent; insiders expect legacy TG to suffer
Why the smaller firms have had a great year in Germany
Aled Griffiths on why Osborne Clarke, Bird & Bird and Linklaters spin-off Schiedermair are making it big
Wragges muscles in on Prime after Pinsents gets conflicted
Wragge & Co has scored healthcare developer Prime Public Partnerships as a new client, after its regular adviser Pinsents was conflicted out on a care centre development.
Young ousts Walker from Lovells senior partner post
Lovells is set to usher in a new era of management after partners elected “wild-card” candidate John Young to replace long-time senior partner Andrew Walker.
