17 September 2007
The Lawyer
People
Speechly Bircham is to promote Mark Summers to its partnership within the private client team, effective from 1 November. Summers has been at Speechly since 2004.
A lesson in learning
With the coming into force of the Solicitors' Code of Conduct and its crackdown on training, firms need to smarten up their acts or risk falling foul of the law. By Jane Jarman
A novel idea
Getting rid of unnecessary disclosure will make patent litigation cheaper and faster, says Jonathan Radcliffe
A&O, CC and Clydes scoop record UAE acquisition
Allen & Overy (A&O), Clifford Chance and Clyde & Co have benefited from their longstanding positions in the Middle East to grab roles on the biggest private-sector acquisition of a United Arab Emirates company by a foreign investor.
A&O, LeBoeuf scoop Centrica deal
Allen & Overy (A&O) and US firm LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae have secured the $486.4m (£243.87m) disposal of Newfield's UK subsidiary to Centrica, the UK's biggest energy supplier.
Akin Gump raids DLA Piper for Beijing plan
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has scooped DLA Piper corporate partner Janet Jie Tang and her three-person transactions team in Beijing nine months after the US firm opened the doors of its office in the Chinese capital.
Akzo Nobel ruling delivers blow to in-house lawyers
Europe’s second-highest court dismissed today a complaint by Dutch chemicals group Akzo Nobel against the European Commission (EC) in a judgment that has serious implications for in-house lawyers.
Ashurst
UK 200 Position: 10UK 200 Shar...
Ashurst NY chief returns to London
The head of Ashurst's New York office Giles Boothman is coming back to the UK after completing a three-year stint in the US.
Ashurst secures activist investor's HSBC bid role
Ashurst's bold strategy of targeting activist investors as clients is paying off, with the top 10 firm advising a boldface activist on its current assault on HSBC.
Ashurst, CC and Freshfields enable juniors' rugby dream
Ashurst, CC and Freshfields enable juniors' rugby dream" /Ashurst, Clifford Chance and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer ...
Baker Botts loses partner to Norton Rose swoop
Baker Botts corporate finance partner Andrei Yakovlev has quit after just two months to head Norton Rose's capital markets IPO push in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).
Bakers bags COO from British Aerospace
Baker & McKenzie has hired former British Aerospace counsel Chris Pierce-Cooke as its global chief operating officer (COO), to be based in Chicago.
Bakers boosts Japan with Paul Hastings hire
Baker & McKenzie has boosted its Japanese arbitration practice by scooping Paul Hastings arbitration partner Haig Oghigian into its Japanese joint enterprise GJBJ Tokyo Aoyama Aoki Koma Law Office.
Bankruptcy is this season's black
Forget corporate; it’s so last season. In New York, the place to be if you want to get hired is bankruptcy. Now you won’t sense this from walking around Manhattan. America may be on the brink of financial meltdown, but there’s no sign of that in the streets below Central Park.
Barnetts
UK 200 Position: 126=Turnover...
BBC lawyer returns to join RPC partnership
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) has hired BBC in-house lawyer Jaron Lewis as a partner.
Bear market
Russia is a key emerging market, with English law being used on a host of deals. And with Sarbanes-Oxley chasing investors away from New York, London lawyers are winning the cream of the crop.
Beiten aids Siemens on Chinese hospital project
German firm Beiten Burkhardt has scored the lead role advising on a hospital project aimed at strengthening ties between China and Germany.
Berryman
UK 200 Position: 191=Turnover...
Blandy & Blandy
UK 200 Position: 195Tu...
Blaser Mills
UK 200 Position: 200Turnover: £4.5mRevenue per fee-earner: £83,000Revenue per lawyer: £122,000Revenue per partner: £321,000Total number of fee-earners: 54Total number of qualified lawyers: 37Total number of partners: ...
Brum Scrum
Birmingham’s rapid upscaling of its city centre is seeing a sea change in the make-up of the region’s real estate departments. Kevin Nagle reports
Bryan Cave scores partner brace to grow London…
Bryan Cave has continued the recent growth spurt in its London office with the hire of two partners, including the head of Pinsent Masons' City corporate tax group Mark Cawthron.
Camerons raid forces Chadbourne into Ukraine changes
US firm Chadbourne & Parke has renewed its commitment to Ukraine after last week's raid by CMS Cameron McKenna.
Canadian consent
With its new ‘Consent Agreement Outline’ Canada has laid the foundations for future mergers. By Shawn Neylan
Cayman firm Turner sets up in London
Cayman Islands firm Turner & Roulstone has entered the UK market with the launch of a London office.
CC advises arrangers on giant Norilsk mining deal
Clifford Chance has scooped the lead role on its second mega-deal in the past three months, advising on the financing of Norilsk Nickel's acquisition of LionOre Mining International.
CC makes third raid on CMS Moscow
Clifford Chance has raided the Moscow office of CMS Cameron McKenna for the third time in two months, taking senior associate Maria Oleinik.
Central role
The Midlands business and legal community has emerged as the surprise beneficiary of the increasing profile of sharia-compliant finance.
CFI upholds Microsoft fine
The European Union’s Court of First Instance (CFI) has backed Microsoft’s record €497m (£338m) fine from 2004 in a landmark antitrust decision that is a boon to Europe’s competition regulator.
Clint Evans: Barlow Lyde & Gilbert
After rowing across the Atlantic, it seems no mission is too big for BLG's new CEO Clint Evans, who plans to apply the same theories to his next challenge
CMC Markets shakes up panel and in-house team
CMC Markets global general counsel Dominic Bacon is overhauling the derivatives trading company's entire legal function in his first move since taking up the post in March.
CMS kickstarts City goldrush to Ukraine
CMS kickstarts City goldrush to Ukraine" /CMS Cameron McKenna has launched a series of raids on local rivals to bolster its new Ukraine office. The raids come as UK firms circle the former Soviet state looking to take advantage of an underlawyered but buoyant emerging market.
Collie power
Last week one of Tulkinghorn's scribes was somewhat surprised to open her copy of the Watford Observer (she never misses an issue) to find Manches litigation and arbitration partner Clive Zietman plastered all over the front page.
Competition winners
Competition stories, it seems, are like buses. You wait around for ages for one to arrive and then two come along at once.
Countries for Westerners
Ah, the rugged Ukraine. Who would have thought that this former Soviet republic would be the place for a new goldrush? As we report today (17 September), Camerons has broken with its highly conservative tradition with a mass hire into its new Kiev office. Camerons' move will be eyed closely by several other international firms that have already identified Ukraine as the ...
Court in the middle
Birmingham is making a strong case for the High Court's permanent residency in the city in tandem with the city's professional services lobbying group Birmingham Forward.
Covington's Marchick moves in-house at Carlyle
US private equity house Carlyle has hired its first dedicated in-house lawyer for regulatory and governmental affairs, taking respected partner David Marchick from Covington & Burling.
Dechert beefs up London with CC swoop
Dechert has hired Clifford Chance senior associate Steven Choo as a finance and real estate partner in its London office.
Devonshires ushers in new era with hire of corporate chief
City firm Devonshires has a new head of corporate in the shape of Jonathan Ebsworth, who was previously a partner at Bates Wells & Braithwaite.
Dewey wins energy guru from KB Home
Dewey Ballantine has poached the deputy general counsel of US property developing company KB Home for its global finance group.
Dewey, LeBoeuf tie-up to complete in record time
Dewey Ballantine and LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae are set to rush through partnership voting on their planned merger just one working day before the combination is due to go live.
DLA Piper
UK 200 Position: 5UK 200 Sha...
DLA Piper looks to Bucharest for full CEE coverage
DLA Piper is drawing up plans to launch an office in Bucharest to complete its Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) practice with a Romanian opening.
DLA Piper scoops Jones Day partner for Asia cap markets
DLA Piper has poached Jones Day partner Stephen Peepels to head its US capital markets offering in Asia.
Doughty St faces fallout as ex-barrister is sentenced
Doughty Street Chambers is set to brave a storm created by former barrister Bruce Hyman, who is being sentenced for perverting the course of justice on Wednesday (19 September).
Druces & Attlee
UK 200 Position: 195Tu...
DWS raids Patton Boggs for new Qatar office
Denton Wilde Sapte (DWS) has snared two senior Patton Boggs lawyers for a launch in Qatar, as UK firms continue their assault on the Middle East.
Eversheds wins court victory for Dupont
Eversheds has won a crucial IP dispute for chemicals company Dupont against packaging giant Smurfit.
Expansionist 22 Old Buildings changes name along with address
Common law and family chambers 22 Old Buildings today (17 September) moved to 42 Bedford Row after outgrowing its former home in Lincoln's Inn.
FFW takes more space in London to hit growth projection
Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW) is set to boost its office space by more than a fifth when it moves into new offices at Ibex House in the City next year.
Fish & Richardson opens doors in Munich
IP firm Fish & Richardson is expanding its reach beyond the US, opening its first international office in Munich.
Floyd and Stadlen set for the bench
Two of the bar's biggest hitters have emerged as favourites to fill the two vacant slots on the bench by the end of the year.
Ford & Warren
UK 200 Position: 153=Tur...
Forsters aids Center Parcs with new site
Forsters has advised holiday village operator Center Parcs on its successful appeal to build a new holiday village near Woburn, Bedfordshire.
Fortune punters
Assiduous readers of these pages may remember last week's news (10 September) that Lovells celebrated its new nine-firm Chinese alliance with the mass offering of fortune cookies.
French fancy
The clarity of Anglo-Saxon M&A contracts has given them prominence in French transactional law, and helped France compete on the global stage. By William Curtin
Going global
The NAIC’s new proposals have brought global reinsurance harmonisation one step closer, says Bob Haken
Guildhall hires marketing expert for new CEO role
Bristol-based Guildhall Chambers has hired the business development and marketing director of accountancy firm BDO Stoy Hayward as its first chief executive.
Harrison Grant questions nuclear consultation for Greenpeace
Greenpeace has turned to environmental boutique Harrison Grant as it considers legal action to overturn the Government's consultation on nuclear power.
Henmans
UK 200 Position: 166=Turnover:...
Herbies bolsters Bangkok for corporate refocus
Herbert Smith has signalled its renewed confidence in Thailand with the appointment of Rashane Leerabandu as head of corporate and commercial in Bangkok.
Hextalls installs employment law chief
Hextalls has promoted Julian Cox to head its employment law team. Cox has more than 10 years' experience as an employment law specialist both in-house and in private practice. He joined the firm in March 2006. Hextalls chief executive Dominic Lang said he expected the employment practice to continue to grow. "Employment law is constantly evolving and we expect an even busier time ahead," he said.
HMRC squeezes more inheritance tax from middle classes
HM Revenue & Customs has announced that it will be investigating families who use the seven-year gift rule to reduce their Inheritance Tax bill. This comes at a time when the international trend is towards dropping estate taxes rather than raising them and shows that the Treasury is looking to recover yet more from Inheritance Tax, despite the Government’s claims to the contrary.
Holman secures Dubai partner from Clydes
Michael Pilkington has joined Holman Fenwick & Willan's Dubai office as a partner.
Icy winds of change at CMS
The atmosphere at CMS Cameron McKenna's Moscow office must be decidedly chilly these days after a third lawyer left for Clifford Chance (see story).
India assuages outsourcing fears with Data Protection Bill
Firms will soon be finding it easier and safer to outsource their legal work to India with the nation's first Data Protection Bill slated to come into force within the next 12 months.
International arbitration court launches in Singapore
The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) is setting up facilities in Singapore, creating the first international court in Asia.
Irwin Mitchell
UK 200 Position: 22UK 2...
Irwin Mitchell appoints NW family head
Irwin Mitchell appoints NW family head" /Irwin Mitchell has appointed Elizabeth Tait to head the firm's family law department.
Irwin Mitchell lands victory against Parole Board
Irwin Mitchell has scored a landmark High Court victory, resulting in the ruling that the Parole Board of England and Wales is not sufficiently independent from the Government to decide whether prisoners are lawfully detained.
Israel's Asserson Law Office poaches Addleshaws real estate rainmaker
Addleshaw Goddard's real estate practice has been hit by a raid from Israel-based firm Asserson Law Office, which has hired partner David Prais for its office in Jerusalem.
It's a dog's life for Jose's lawyers
Most employment lawyers would give their right arms to negotiate a £15m exit package.
ITV bags hat trick hero
"I counted them all out and I counted them all back."
Jeffrey Kerr: Peta
Peta general counsel Jeffrey Kerr leads his legal team fearlessly into battle with politicians, corporates and anyone else who threatens animal welfare. By Malar Velaigam
Jo Footitt, SJ Berwin
What's the toughest thing about your job?Keeping focused on maintaining a good work-life balance when it's so easy to slip into the long hours culture.
Kendall Freeman
UK 200 Position: 115Tu...
Keoghs
UK 200 Position: 88UK 200 Share...
KSB Law
UK 200 Position: 177=Turnover:...
Law á la mode
Music fans, cover your ears. The pernicious world of law firm PR has commandeered a perfectly innocent musical term in a bid to make a bunch of lawyers look wacky and exciting.
Law Soc backs DLA Piper OFT complaint
DLA Piper OFT complaint" /The Law Society has endorsed DLA Piper's Office of Fair Trading (OFT) complaint against the Association of Professional Political Consultants (APPC) for anticompetitive behaviour.
LeBoeuf partner Garard appointed ITV legal chief
ITV has appointed LeBoeuf Lamb Green & Macrae corporate partner Andrew Garard as its legal director to replace outgoing Kyla Mullins.
Legal advisers can be a football club's best signings
Transfer spending by English football clubs this summer has exceeded £500m, according to recent analysis by Deloitte. This figure confirms the ever-increasing value and complexity of football transactions.
Lehman Bros bolsters legal team with ISDA GC
The global general counsel of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) has quit for Lehman Brothers, prompting the promotion of European general counsel David Geen.
Lloyds nets private equity legal chief
Lloyds TSB's private equity arm Lloyds Development Capital (LDC) has appointed Andrew Sandars to head its legal and risk management department as part of a restructure of the legal function.
Lord Chief Justice fights Govt's judiciary intrusion
The Lord Chief Justice Lord Phillips has called on the Government to stay away from the selection of judges in the wake of 'The Governance of Britain' green paper published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
Lovells
UK 200 Position: 6UK 200 Share...
Lovells looks after Ramsay acquisition
Lovells has represented Australian private hospital operator Ramsay Health Care on the £193m acquisition of Swedish healthcare provider Capio's UK operations.
LSC kickstarts new criminal defence contracts
The Legal Services Commission (LSC), against its better judgement, will kickstart tendering for new six-month contracts to provide criminal defence services, blaming the Law Society for the necessity of short-term agreements.
Mayer Brown nets Charnley for dramatic London corporate push
Mayer Brown nets Charnley for dramatic London corporate push" /The eye-catching raid on McDermott Will & Emery for corporate rainmaker William Charnley by Mayer Brown is part of a wider strategic push aimed at seeing ...
McCanns' man can
The parents of Madeleine McCann may have hired two bigwigs from Kinglsey Napley to advise them on their legal rights now that they are formal suspects, or 'arguidos', but have they made the right choice?Heavyweight partner Michael Caplan QC famously represented Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and saved him from being extradited to Spain on torture charges. So a big thumbs-up there.
Milbank acts on Indonesian coal deal
Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy has represented Indonesian private coal company PT Ilthabi Bara Utama (IBU) on a $135m (£66.49m) privately arranged equity-linked note to finance the development of a coal mine in East Kalimantan.
MoJ names three for the bench
The Ministry of Justice has bolstered the Queen's Bench Division with two new judges at the same time as confirming the appointment of 11 South Square head of chambers Christopher Floyd QC to the bench.
Nabarro's Taylor is the real deal-doer
It seems somebody forgot to tell Nabarro's Glyn Taylor that there's a downturn in the M&A market, with the corporate partner announcing four deals in just 10 days.
Nomura names new general counsel
Nomura International has appointed Mark Chapman as its general counsel and executive committee member following the retirement of Terence Kyle in March.
Norton Rose raids SJ Berwin for Frankfurt hire
Norton Rose has hired SJ Berwin’s German capital markets chief Frank Regelin.
OFT hits supermarkets and dairies with price-fixing claim
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) today has accused the UK's major supermarkets and dairies of price-fixing.
Olswang
UK 200 Position: 31UK 200 Shar...
Opinion: Powers of persuasion
The size of a legal team must be governed by need, not cost. And legal heads should not be afraid to ask for what they need. By Dominic Bacon
Outgoing personality
His exit had been rumoured for some time, but Simmons & Simmons confirmed the retirement of legendary global head of communications and outsourcing David Barrett today. See story.
Pregnant partners need a fair profit share
While law firms have spent a great deal of time ensuring their profit share arrangements comply with new age discrimination rules, many have not yet addressed the risk of claims by part-time or pregnant female equity partners for unfairly reduced profit shares.
Reed Smith finds City HQ at Broadgate Tower
Reed Smith finds City HQ at Broadgate Tower" /Reed Smith Richards Butler has ended its long search for a new office building with a deal to take almost 40 per cent of London's Broadgate Tower.
Rothera Dawson
UK 200 Position: 198=Tu...
Rowe Cohen
UK 200 Position: 198=Turnov...
Separated at birth
Betty Boop first came to fame in the 1930s as a cartoon star famous for her 'Boop-oop-a-doop' catchphrase and squeaky voice. So imagine the delight of Tulkinghorn when he discovered that some 70 years later Betty is still as busy as ever and is using her linguistic skills to help others be more successful.
Shakespeare
UK 200 Position: 183Turnov...
Shoosmiths
Position: 28 hFirm: Shoosmiths
Siemens scoops new GC from GE Healthcare
Siemens has snared GE Healthcare general counsel Peter Solmssen to take up the position of general counsel, which for the first time will have a seat on the management team and on the board.
Simmons exits prompt new TMT strategy
Simmons & Simmons has pledged to focus on organic growth in its London communications and outsourcing group following the loss of two-fifths of its London partner capability in a matter of months.
Simmons restructure pushes globalisation
Simmons & Simmons is overhauling its management and financial accounting system in an attempt to further globalise the firm.
Simmons takes the plunge in Russia
Simmons & Simmons will launch in Moscow in October to open its 21st international office after taking on a senior in-house counsel.
SJ Berwin embraces flexible working with formal policy
SJ Berwin has put in place a formal flexible working policy after having informal arrangements with some staff for years.
South spark: international arbitration in Latin America
Latin America has finally realised that it needs to start trusting international arbitration. By Ignacio Suarez Anzorena and Christian Leathley
Squire Sanders raids Bryan Cave
Squire Sanders & Dempsey has launched a dedicated commercial litigation practice in London with the capture of a partner from Bryan Cave.
Stalled private equity market makes way for corporates
The City is treading carefully, but the end of private equity's reign is not imminent. By Margaret Taylor
Standard Chartered bags M&A specialist
Standard Chartered Bank has hired the former regional legal director of Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Motorola to head its M&A legal division.
Strike partners
We all know that Tulkinghorn comes from times long past, but today he shares with you a tale for modern London.
Study partners
Building a consortium of likeminded firms can open up a world of training opportunities, says Colin Davey
Taylor Wessing becomes star player on Rugby World Cup team
Taylor Wessing has scored the lead role on the disputes committee of the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, thanks to a recommendation from rival Clifford Chance.
Techno probe
A recent Competition Commission probe highlights the importance of making the right decision on which review technology to choose. By Alex Dunstan-Lee
The mane event
Have you heard the one about the barrister, the horsebox and the embarrassing marketing ploy?You may recall that equine specialist set Casalier Chambers sued horsebox manufacturer Equicruiser for faulty goods when it discovered it was too heavy to use forits outlandish publicity stunt.
The Midlands
The Midlands' legal community is joining forces with lobbying group Birmingham Forward to push for its own branch of the High Court. Despite being England's second-largest city and having a highly competitive legal market, many Midlands cases, particularly public and administrative law cases, are heard in London.
The Stupendous Nabarro
Nabarro is doing its level best to shake off its traditional 'less than overly exciting' image. First it does a funky rebrand, introducing a capital 'N' as its logo that makes your eyes water. Then it posted financial results that made its rivals' eyes water.
The Weil thing
One US firm has consistently stood out in the London market: from its splashy introduction in 1996 to its current status as a private equity powerhouse, Weil Gotshal & Manges has been one of the few to break through the City's glass ceiling
Training
Legal training is in a state of flux. The Solicitors Regulation Authority revealed last week (The Lawyer, 12 September) that it is pressing ahead with radical plans to split the LPC into two separate components.
Travel guide
For firms wanting to maintain a global standard, training is a key tool. By Stephen Hockey
Travers' bunker mentality
Having spent days on the golf course, Travers Smith's deal junkies may not be enjoying their enforced rest as much as they might like. In between the eighteenth and nineteenth holes, one partner told Tulkinghorn that the credit crunch was starting to have an effect."We'll do any work that comes in," the City star quipped mournfully. "We'll even do your conveyancing if you want."
Travers seeks corporate associates' input
Travers Smith's corporate department is creating its first formal body to improve communication between associates and partners.
Watson Burton lands HR director from British Energy
Morven Smith has been appointed HR director at Watson Burton.
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. Ifyou want to direct us to useful links, email webweek@ thelawyer. com.
Withers draws new clients with art team
Private client specialist firm Withers has formed an alliance with an art investment consultancy to market jointly its art team to a new range of clients.
