The time is ripe for Parliament to add a human rights stage to the legislative process The Human Rights Act was a great achievement of the Labour Government. It has on the whole stood the test of time. It is well-crafted, balancing the roles of Parliament, the UK courts and the Strasbourg court. However, after […]
The Budget’s tax credit will make the UK an attractive destination for high-end TV production When Wiggin was first asked by television company HBO to explore the possibility of a UK tax credit for high-end drama last June, it seemed that all the odds were against us. In the current economic climate, the Government was […]
Russia must up its game in managing corporate disputes if it wants to attract investment Russia is seen by many as a significant growth market, not least due to its natural resources. However, a report published recently by TheCityUK has found that Moscow’s limited scope for managing corporate disputes is holding the city back in […]
Another media win, but cases will turn on their own merits even if the Reynolds privilege is repealed The recent Supreme Court judgment in Flood v Times Newspapers Ltd upheld the right of the media to publish unsubstantiated allegations of corruption against a serving police officer. This apparently startling proposition belies a rather more subtle […]
Firm banks on ’sector-led’ approach as it dumps Euro alliance and sets out on the acquisition trail Last week Osborne Clarke embarked on an ambitious journey to transform itself from a domestic firm into a European outfit after revealing plans to dismantle its longstanding European alliance and merge in Italy and Spain. The decision to […]
Three approved in first wave of ABS conversions To some it seemed a long time coming, but last week the SRA approved the first alternative business structures (ABSs): Co-operative Legal Services (CLS), Oxford-based John Welch & Stammers and Kent-based Lawbridge Solicitors. Justice minister Jonathan Djanogly heralded the move as a “big bang” for solicitors […]
More top lawyers are being rumbled for financial wrongdoing In all lines of business there will be people who decide to abuse their position for personal gain, but when it is a lawyer doing so, it just feels that much more heinous – like hearing a vicar swear. Between 2010 and 2011, an unusually high […]
Meyerlustenberger Lachenal union gives firm a presence in Zürich and Geneva Back in 2010 the talk of the Swiss legal market was the high-profile split between the Geneva and Zürich offices of local firm Pestalozzi. Pestalozzi was formed through a merger in 2001, but never fully integrated financially, and the Geneva partners wanted to focus […]
The alliance model is struggling, but watch out for China In the past few months there has been a rash of European, UK and US firms saying goodbye to alliance partners, and more often than not it is because they want something a little more concrete than a loose association. Has the alliance model outlived […]
Polish up your retention policy – private practice lawyers are increasingly eyeing in-house roles If the question was stark, the answer was starker. When The Lawyer ran its biggest-ever survey of the relationship between private practice and in-house, the final question to lawyers in private practice ran: would you consider taking an in-house role in […]
Fresh from a round of bank restructuring, lawyers in Nigeria are eyeing up the myriad opportunities in their increasingly middle-class country In the past few months Nigeria’s law firms have been playing host to an increasing number of international players. Global names such as Clifford Chance and Norton Rose have been spotted in Lagos, trying […]
Not wanting to pour yet more pain on the head of Hogans, but it is notable that one of the most read – and commented on – stories on TheLawyer.com in recent weeks has been the move of investment bank dispute resolution chief Graham Huntley to launch a boutique litigation firm. Reaction has been mixed, […]