The Lawyer
20 June 2005
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39 Essex Street forks out £1.8m on refit
20-Jun-2005
Civil set 39 Essex Street has spent £1.8m - more than 10 per cent of its annual turnover - on a refurbishment to bring its premises up to date.
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5 Raymond Buildings bolsters IP with new tenant
20-Jun-2005
5 Raymond Buildings has hired a new junior tenant from Stone Chambers to strengthen its IP practice.Madeleine Heal, who is called to the bar in both New South Wales, Australia and England, focuses on all areas of IP litigation including patents, trade marks, copyright, passing off and design right.5 Raymond Building’s IP team includes three silks, Desmond Browne QC, Richard Parkes QC and Mark Warby QC.
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All change for White & Case as London head steps down
20-Jun-2005
White & Case's London head has stood down after just nine months in the role, amid a radical restructure of the firm's London management.
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Beiten doubles Moscow office space and targets St Petersburg
20-Jun-2005
Germany's Beiten Burk-hardt has almost doubled its office space in Moscow, continuing the firm's expansion in the Russian capital.
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BLP loses Monsoon expansion work to FFW
20-Jun-2005
Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW) has pipped Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) to advise fashion chain Monsoon on a review of its franchise agreement, as the retailer looks to expand its international exposure by opening stores in a further nine countries.
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C saw
20-Jun-2005
The real reason behind Couderts' crumbling international network was revealed last week. A member of the PR team called a Lawyer scribe to enquire about what the strange brackets (or "Cs", as he called them) that cropped up in the figures table signified. "That's a euro," came the response.
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Careers: In brief
20-Jun-2005
The Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, which trains mediators and runs industry mediation schemes, organised the Annual Mediation Dinner on Tuesday 7 June 2005. Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf and Lord Justices Brooke and Ward were among the attendees.
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Careers: People
20-Jun-2005
Mace & Jones has hired a new conveyancing head in its Knutsford office. Richard Palfreyman joins as an associate from Forster Dean, where he was head of conveyancing.
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CC backs the wrong horse in bidding war for Ruhrgas
20-Jun-2005
In a private equity merry-go-round, Clifford Chance's German practice has backed Permira in its failed acquisition bid for Ruhrgas Industries, the metering technology subsidiary of German energies group E.ON.
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CC boosts junior pay packets
20-Jun-2005
Clifford Chance has unveiled modest pay rises for junior lawyers, with newly-qualifieds (NQs) on £51,000 annually, a rise of £1,000. Salaries for first year-qualifieds jumped from £55,000 to £56,000. It marks the second NQ pay hike in two years. Last year, the firm increased NQs' rates to £50,000, the same rate they enjoyed before the April 2003 salary review. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com 14 June
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CC fends off City rivals on Guardian relocation
20-Jun-2005
Clifford Chance has secured its first instruction from Guardian Newspapers (GNL) after competing against a raft of City firms to advise GNL on the relocation of its headquarters.
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CC full of beans after Heinz victory
21-Jun-2005
Clifford Chance is celebrating a coup after advising food group Heinz on the successful acquisition of HP Foods.
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CC raids A&O for Spanish public law head
22-Jun-2005
Clifford Chance has bolstered its Spanish practice with the lateral hire of two partners.
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CC raids White & Case New York
21-Jun-2005
Clifford Chance has poached highly rated White & Case partner Nick Williams to bolster its New York insurance offering.
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CC releases long-awaited lockstep review
22-Jun-2005
Clifford Chance has released its long-awaited lockstep review to all partners this week, with recommendations for three distinct equity ladders. The lockstep review, part of a long-running debate at the magic circle firm on profit share-out among equity partners, was launched several months ago and is being led by real estate head Cliff McAuley. As first reported by The Lawyer on 13 June, the 60-page document contains proposals which would see a change from the current one-size-fits-all ...
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Charles Russell breaks £50m barrier
20-Jun-2005
Charles Russell has reported indifferent profit per equity partner (PEP) figures for the last financial year, while turnover passed £50m for the first time. Preliminary 2004-05 figures showed that average PEP stayed at £265,000, while top of equity jumped 3.5 per cent to £294,000 from £285,000 in 2003-04. Turnover rose 12 per cent to £50m from £44.6m. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com 15 June
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Charles Russell reveals plans for Oxford launch
20-Jun-2005
Charles Russell is preparing to launch in Oxford at the same time as it looks for new London premises. The Oxford office will open in two months. It will focus on IT, bioscience, publishing and higher education. Corporate commercial partner Peter Elliott will head the new office. Meanwhile, the firm is also searching for new 60,000sq ft premises within the mid-town area of London, with a plan to move in within 12 months. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com 15 June
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Charlton appointed global corporate head at CC
20-Jun-2005
Peter Charlton has emerged as Clifford Chance's new global head of corporate. The London head defeated Italian managing partner Nick Wrigley in the firm's first contested election for the post. Charlton's election manifesto underlined the corporate group's target of increasing revenues by 10 per cent every year and focused on building synergies between Asia and the rest of the firm's global network, as well as growth in the Middle East. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com 15 June
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Citizens Advice wants lawyers to match others' pro bono work
20-Jun-2005
The registered charity Citizens Advice took the opportunity afforded by National Pro Bono Week to call on more lawyers to back its bureaux and claimed that the efforts of law firms were being surpassed by other professions.
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Clifford Chance ousts Linklaters from top of deals tables
24-Jun-2005
Linklaters has lost its position at the top of the European M&A league tables after figures based on value for the first half of 2005 saw the firm drop two spots.
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Clydes pursues Moscow launch.
20-Jun-2005
Clyde & Co is forging ahead with plans to open a new office in Moscow as it finalises details of its merger with niche aviation practice Beaumont & Son.
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CMS profit dips after accounting change
20-Jun-2005
CMS Cameron McKenna has unveiled its first set of financial results since changing its accounting methods and as a consequence, has reported what would appear to be a reduction in both revenue and profit per equity partner (PEP).
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Coudert in crisis as global network begins to unravel
20-Jun-2005
Former partners face three-year wait for return of capital; DLA Piper and Baker & McKenzie set to launch merger bids
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Coudert: living in the past
20-Jun-2005
All central control and no vision. Coudert Brothers has got to be the worst advertisement ever for a global legal model. A firm that prides itself more on its 152-year history than its actual business performance needs a jolt of reality.
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Dance of the double chum fairies
20-Jun-2005
It's been a while since Tulkinghorn managed to include a sentence with the words 'dancing' and 'pole' in it, but thanks to Clifford Chance partners Malcolm Sweeting and Mark Stewart, those happy days are here again.
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Deals round-up
20-Jun-2005
Reed Smith has bolstered its corporate finance practice by advising new client Global Oceanic Carriers (GOC) on its placing and admission to AIM. Douglas Rofe and Jeff Rodwell led the firm's team, which secured the instruction from the shipping company following a referral from existing client New York Global. The instruction increases the number of IPOs Reed Smith has acted on this year to six, compared with 2004's three. Berwin Leighton Paisner advised Collins Stewart as nominated adviser ...
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Disney in-houser joins Sparrowhawk as first general counsel
20-Jun-2005
Sparrowhawk Media, the private equity backed business launched by former Channel Five chief executive David Elstein, has raided Walt Disney for its first ever general counsel.
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DLA Piper boosts Asia with White & Case duo
20-Jun-2005
DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary has raided White & Case's Singapore operation to secure two new partners for its Asia operation.
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Dorsey London head quits
22-Jun-2005
US law firm Dorsey & Whitney is transferring senior US partner Paul Klaas to London to head up the firm’s City office following the retirement of incumbent head John Byrne.
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Eversheds finally gets German friend after Teutonic torment
20-Jun-2005
It has been a search that has straddled millennia, but Eversheds has finally found a friend in Germany that it can call its own.
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Faegre shoots down FSA's take on Prospectus Directive's '100' rule
20-Jun-2005
US firm Faegre & Benson has a played an instrumental role in successfully challenging the Financial Services Authority's (FSA) interpretation of the '100 persons rule' in the new Prospectus Directive.
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Firm profile: Burt Brill & Cardens
20-Jun-2005
Burt Brill & Cardens entertained 100 of its clients last week at a party featuring the work of the UK's next generation of artists.
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Firms cash in after MG Rover collapse
20-Jun-2005
The collapse of Birmingham-based MG Rover has gifted a raft of national and City firms with key advisory roles.
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Fox Williams partner takes over claim on Merrill Lynch
20-Jun-2005
Fox Williams partner Anne Nicholson has been instructed by Elizabeth Weston in a turbulent week for the former in-house lawyer's employment claim against Merrill Lynch.
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Future shocks
20-Jun-2005
Most users have found PFIs better and smarter than earlier procurement models, but as time takes its toll on contracts, disputes can arise. By Scott Johnston
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Goat farmers defeat Brachers in negligence claim
21-Jun-2005
A goat-farming couple yesterday emerged victorious from their negligence action against South East firm Brachers.
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Grapevine
20-Jun-2005
Law Society's TFR leaves law students cold
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Hammonds elects McKenna to partnership board
20-Jun-2005
Hammonds’ Leeds partner Catherine McKenna has been elected to the firm’s partnership board, replacing Patrick Somers who is leaving the firm for Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP).
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Hammonds property ace bags top City role
20-Jun-2005
Hammonds has plumped for a property partner as its new London office head in a bid to refocus its struggling City operation.
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Herbies in move to bond FSR depts
20-Jun-2005
The deputy head of Herbert Smith's competition group Elizabeth McKnight has been promoted to take on a new role designed to merge the firm's non-contentious and contentious financial services regulatory (FSR) practices.
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Ince appoints first business development partner
20-Jun-2005
Ince & Co has appointed its first-ever business development partner. Offshore oil and gas specialist David Steward took up the role on 1 May. His main role will be to coordinate business development activities aimed at serving Ince's longstanding clients. He will also spearhead attempts to promote firmwide growth. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com 15 June
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Isn't she lawvly
20-Jun-2005
Apparently, Elle Macpherson really wanted to be a lawyer. Poor love. Her ambitions were thwarted by having to settle for a life as an international, jet-setting, millionaire supermodel.
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Jackanory judge
20-Jun-2005
The hugely impressive list of judges for this year's The Lawyer Awards contains silks and chief executives, chief financial officers and managing directors. That much is well known. Less obvious is the fact that there is also an award-winning novelist.
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Katten Muchin and MW Cornish tie the knot
20-Jun-2005
US law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman has merged with niche UK hedge funds practice MW Cornish Solicitors to launch its first international office in London.
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King & Spalding star quits for client
22-Jun-2005
King & Spalding’s head of private equity William Spalding has quit the firm to join to join client Caremark.
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Law Soc settles on chairs for split functions
20-Jun-2005
The Law Society has appointed chairs for its two new boards in readiness for the implementation of Sir David Clementi's legal regulation reforms.
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Law Soc, Bar Council condemn plans to scrap juries in fraud trials
21-Jun-2005
Legal groups have this morning roundly condemned government proposals to scrap juries in fraud trials.
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Lawrence Graham's PEP sinks while turnover breaches £60m
20-Jun-2005
Mid-sized City firm Lawrence Graham has recorded a 3.5 per cent drop in profit per equity partner (PEP) despite turnover breaking £60m for the first time.
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Legal Widow
20-Jun-2005
We went to a big summer barbecue at the weekend; the sort where you spend all your time congratulating yourself on still being a size 12 (me) and still having some hair left (the Lawyer). Everyone else is swelling and balding, but one thing we hadn't noticed until this year was just how big everyone's children are getting.
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Linklaters suffers Berlin telecoms loss to Hogan
20-Jun-2005
Linklaters lost the last telecoms partner from its Berlin office when regulatory partner Kornelius Kleinlein joined Hogan & Hartson Raue last week.
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Linklaters, Travers finalise buyout of Mersey Docks and Harbour Co
20-Jun-2005
Linklaters and Travers Smith are celebrating after agreeing final terms for the highly complex £771m buyout of Mersey Docks and Harbour Company by Peel Ports Investments.
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Little, lost Shepherd
20-Jun-2005
Tulkinghorn hopes that Allen & Overy's delightful PR Jo Shepherd has by now found her way home. South London lass Shepherd recently moved from her Clapham base to a new flat in Battersea. Unfortunately, the usually always-on-the-ball PR star had... er... forgotten where she lived.So, as you do, she called a friend for directions. A friend who happened to be in Sarajevo. Shepherd maintains she was stone cold sober at the time, and Tulkinghorn for one believes her. Honest.
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Lovells scores Court of Appeal victory for BCCI liquidators
22-Jun-2005
Lovells is today (22 June) celebrating a Court of Appeal victory on behalf of the liquidators of the Bank of Credit & Commerce International (BCCI) against the Bank of India (BoI).
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Making the best of what you've got
20-Jun-2005
To maximise your fee-earning potential, your firm's support functions are critical. By Matthew Record
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Mark Hurry: Granada Ventures
20-Jun-2005
As commercial and legal head for Granada Ventures, Mark Hurry has become a search-and-destroy specialist for unlicensed products. Joanne Harris investigates
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Mayer Brown bolsters Paris with Simmons hire
21-Jun-2005
Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw has bolstered its French finance capability with the appointment of partner Matthieu de Varax.
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Mayer Brown leads FA defence in Alam claim
22-Jun-2005
Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw and niche West End firm Barker Gillette have taken leading roles in this week’s employment tribunal claim brought by former Football Association (FA) PA Faria Alam.
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Mr Justice Laddie set to join Willoughbys
22-Jun-2005
Sir Hugh Laddie, the senior judge of the Patents Court, will be joining Willoughby & Partners as a consultant on his retirement from the High Court bench in the Autumn.
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Northern exposure
20-Jun-2005
Scotland has eschewed the English approach to corporate manslaughter and is instead going it alone. David Leckie argues that this is playing fast and loose with people's lives
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Opinion
20-Jun-2005
In the impending shake-up of legal education, quality remains paramount Professor Michael Gunn, head of Nottingham Trent University's Law School and head of the school's research and scholarship function
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Orrick completes Coudert London raid
20-Jun-2005
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe completed its raid on the London office of Coudert Brothers today with the transfer of 18 associates and eight trainees joining the eight London partners, who finished at Coudert on Friday.
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Pannick fights MoD in race case
20-Jun-2005
Blackstone Chambers' David Pannick QC (left) has been instructed by the Commission for Racial Equality to act on a racial discrimination case against the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The commission is intervening on behalf of 81-year-old widow Diana Elias, who is bringing the claim after the MoD refused to pay her compensation for her time as a Japanese prisoner ...
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Regal Petroleum calls in Osborne Clarke over Ukrainian asset sale
22-Jun-2005
Osborne Clarke has shored up its relationship with Regal Petroleum by advising the embattled oil exploration group on the legal minefield created by the discovery of a secret agreement to sell the group’s Ukrainian gas assets.
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Rover saga reaches the City as Herbert Smith wades in
20-Jun-2005
Phoenix and directors cower behind top ten firm as proceedings commence. By Husnara Begum
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RPC turnover rises ten per cent
20-Jun-2005
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) has reported a 4 per cent increase in average profit per equity partner (PEP) as turnover breaks the £50m mark for the first time. The firm is anticipating PEP of £295,000 for the last financial year, up slightly from last year's figure of £285,000. Meanwhile, turnover has risen 10 per cent to £51.8m. The results mean that RPC's profit margin has slipped very slightly from 38 per cent in 2003-04 to 37 per cent this year.
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Sauce panned
20-Jun-2005
In case you missed it, a row has erupted at Baker & McKenzie over... wait for it... tomato sauce. Commercial department senior associate Richard Phillips has been gagged by the firm's PR team after a row with a secretary over a £4 dry-cleaning bill. However, in time-honoured fashion, news of the messy dispute has already leaked out to thousands of lawyers and legal market professionals via email. It reached the front page of Metro on Friday (17 June).
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Scottish Re bolsters in-house team
20-Jun-2005
Reinsurer Scottish Re has hired a second in-house lawyer for its UK legal function. William Keen joins UK head of legal George Scott at Scottish Re's Windsor headquarters today (20 June). He will focus on treaty, regulatory and claims work as well as all other aspects of global legal work. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com 15 June
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Separated at birth
20-Jun-2005
Bob Geldof has a lot to answer for. Rockers don't come much more wrinkly than Pink Floyd and thanks to Sir Bob's never-ending crusade to revitalise the careers of past performers, the band will once again shine on the world stage. Former lead singer Roger Waters has, of course, distanced himself from the other members over the last couple of decades, carving out a successful career as a lawyer (under the name of Michael Jones). What his mates at Weil Gotshal will make of his comeback ...
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Shearman nets Anglo American disposal
20-Jun-2005
Shearman & Sterling's UK operation has completed its first English law deal for Anglo American following a direct instruction into the firm's London office.
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Simmons beats profit predictions with 40 per cent hike
23-Jun-2005
Simmons & Simmons has beaten its already confident predictions on financial performance after confirming a final profit per equity partner (PEP) hike of 40 per cent.
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Sir Robert Finch quits Linklaters for Liberty
20-Jun-2005
Linklaters is to lose its most senior partner Sir Robert Finch, who announced his retirement from the firm to take up the role of chairman of Liberty International, the FTSE100 property group.
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SJ Berwin rewarded with EDS work after DLA Piper conflict
20-Jun-2005
A DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary conflict of interest has handed SJ Berwin its first instruction from EDS on the IT company's dispute with HM Revenue & Customs.
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SPBG's Bucknall quits top position
20-Jun-2005
Sue Bucknall, one of the most senior figures in the UK pro bono arena, has resigned her post as head of the Solicitors Pro Bono Group (SPBG).
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Stephenson Harwood PEP rockets after restructuring
20-Jun-2005
Stephenson Harwood's profits have increased by a staggering 20 per cent for the second year in a row, although at the same time the firm's turnover has fallen in consecutive years.
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Tartan army
20-Jun-2005
All four of Scotland's biggest firms are targeting London, but each has a different strategy for success. Matt Byrne reports
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Taylor Wessing's tough financial management made even tougher
20-Jun-2005
Taylor Wessing has ramped up its traditionally tough approach to financial management with a 24-point financial management memo to all partners giving guidance on billing procedures.
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The law of land
20-Jun-2005
Scottish property lawyers have witnessed a radical programme of modernisation. Ian Bowie reports on the most significant changes
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The work-life quiz
20-Jun-2005
James Davies, co-head of employment and incentives, Lewis Silkin
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UK lawyers aid Ugandan U-turn on death penalty
20-Jun-2005
Simons Muirhead & Bur-ton and a silk from Doughty Street Chambers have been instrumental in overturning the mandatory death penalty in Uganda and saving the lives of more than 400 people.
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Virgin raids BA for new legal director
22-Jun-2005
Virgin has raided fierce rival British Airways for a new group legal director.
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White & Case LA office in harassment scandal
20-Jun-2005
White & Case has drafted in Seyfarth Shaw to defend it against an explosive discrimination and harassment claim by a gay senior associate.
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Wiggin celebrates LLP conversion with Ashurst lateral
21-Jun-2005
Niche media firm Wiggin & Co has converted to a limited liability partnership, dropped the "& Co" from its name and celebrated with the hire of Ashurst corporate tax partner Sue Crawford.
