Osborne Clarke has welcomed an Italian member to its international alliance, signing Milan-based boutique Abbatescianni e Associati. The 12 partner firm, led by founder Girolamo Abbatescianni, formally signed up to the alliance yesterday (Thursday 22 April) at Osborne Clarke’s alliance board meeting in Milan. The move comes after a two-year courtship, and affords Osborne Clarke […]
White & Case has won a licence from the Chinese Ministry of Justice to launch a second office on the mainland. The US firm, which already has offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong, is planning to open a new office in Beijing to focus on corporate and capital markets work. The office, which is will […]
Simmons & Simmons London partners have been hit by a programme of de-equitisation as the firm attempts to address its profits slump. The firm is axing up to 11, or 12 per cent, of its 94 London equity partners while introducing higher billing targets that will see partners now expected to bill 1,500 hours a […]
City law firms are throwing their weight behind David Clementi’s B-model of legal regulation ahead of the Law Society Council meeting this Thursday (22 April). Law Society chief executive Janet Paraskeva and president Peter Williamson have been taking soundings from City firms as part of the Law Society’s comprehensive roadshow, which has seen representatives meet […]
Morgan Cole has reconfigured its London operation after a slew of defections over the last 12 months. The office, now headed by partners Stephen Room and Leon Golstein, will now focus purely on property and property litigation services for property, energy and investment clients. It will also offer mediation and dispute resolution under partner Phillip […]
r?Gr and May has scored a major coup by acting for Permira on its bid for retailer WHSmith.Permira has traditionally been associated with Clifford Chance but it is understood that the private equity house, which used to be known as Schroder Vent…
Latham & Watkins has scooped its fourth lateral from Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom in just over a month with the head of its rival’s West Coast banking and institutional investing practice. John Mendez is joining Latham’s Los Angeles office where he will concentrate on areas including leveraged and structured finance and will use […]
Salans has received approval from the Chinese Government to practice in the region, giving it the go ahead on the office it took on from Altheimer & Gray (A&G) last year. Although Salans signed the deal with A&G in October 2003, the firm has been waiting for official approval from the Government to allow it […]
Washington’s Wilmer Cutler & Pickering and Boston’s Hale and Dorr have voted through their lightening quick merger, creating a firm with combined revenue of $649m. The firms, to be co-managed from Boston and Washington, will officially merge on 31 May and will house around 1,050 lawyers. Wilmer Cutler’s managing partner William Perlstein and Hale and […]
Linklaters has replaced the managing partner of its Hong Kong office with the head of its litigation and arbitration team in Asia. Marc Harvey is taking over the post from Nick Rees who is returning to the firm’s London corporate group after five years at the helm. Harvey has been with Linklaters for over 13 […]
A former White & Case lawyer has been sent to a boot camp in Buffalo after stealing over $111,000 from the firm. Jennifer Hampton pleaded guilty to first degree fraud and second degree grand larceny after charging $111,9913 in personal expenses to her corporate American Express card and for helping to defraud investors of over […]
HSBC has scored Bank of America’s (BoA) head of Europe, Middle East and Africa legal to head up its Parisian function. Marc de Laperouse, who was with Bank of America for around 10 years where he was also assistant general counsel, has taken over as director des affaires juridique at HSBC Paris after the former […]