20 June 2011
The Lawyer
Addleshaws, Jones Day seal £154m Hill Hire sale
Addleshaw Goddard and Jones Day were on opposite sides of the table in Ryder System’s £154m acquisition of Bradford-based truck leasing company Hill Hire from Lloyds Banking Group.
BDO demands return of cash from ex-Halliwells partners
Former equity partners consider rebuffing administrators; those at Gateley to opt for mediation
Blackstone junior has his way with words
When eminent jurist Sir William Blackstone abandoned reading Classics at Oxford to study at Middle Temple, he wrote a poem lamenting his decision to forsake his passion for verse to pursue a career in law.
Bribery Act proves hot topic for legal advisers
’Small businesses beware the Bribery Act’ was the one of the resounding messages sweeping through The Lawyer’s first Governance, Risk and Compliance Congress in Brighton this month.
CC threatens to sue departing funds team
Clifford Chance has upped the stakes in the highly charged situation surrounding the quadruple exit of its funds team by threatening to take action against some of the group for breach of fiduciary duty.
CC’s mettle to be tested after funds team’s flit
Clifford Chance will need a canny strategy to maintain its PE funds credentials, says Catrin Griffiths
Claeys & Engels
Claeys & Engels is unique. It is the only Belgian firm to specialise in HR-related matters.
Daimler legal team opposes new panel
Car manufacturer Daimler’s first-ever panel search has sparked discontent from within the company’s ranks. Law firms have been invited to pitch for places to undertake work across the UK, Continental Europe and US.
Daisy gains
Telecoms provider Daisy Group is on an acquisition spree, which is just one of the tasks keeping general counsel David McGlennon on his toes.
DLA nudges up international LLP’s turnover
DLA Piper’s international LLP, which excludes the US arm of the business, posted a turnover of $935m (£580m) for the 2010 calendar year, 0.2 per cent up on the previous year’s figure of $933m.
Eversheds lines up with Davis & Co for Crown Paints sell-off
Eversheds and Davis & Co both won roles on the sale of the Queen’s paint maker, Crown Paints, by private equity house Endless to paint supplier Hempel.
Ex-partner v GTM: enter the counsel
The dispute between Greenberg Traurig Maher (GTM) and former partner Andrew Croxford has moved up a gear, with both sides instructing counsel.
Focus: SJ Berwin - Steady as she goes
SJ Berwin chief Rob Day has put the US firmly back on the agenda
Hogan Lovells to jump on Aussie bandwagon
Hogan Lovells is the latest firm to set its sights on an Australian launch, confirming that it has held “informal meetings” with firms in the region.
In the City
City litigators, almost universally, have been reporting an uptick in work over the past 12 months and now we know why: they’re all suing their lawyers.
Inwards and upwards
Ireland’s domestic woes have not seen foreign investors become disenchanted with the country. Joanne Harris reports on law firms’ handling of a glut of FDI-related mandates
Jeantet, August & Debouzy spearhead creation of political lobbying group
A group of five French law firms, led by Jeantet Associés and August & Debouzy, have established an association designed to professionalise political lobbying.
Magic circle rivals aim to ease Southern Cross financial pain
Clifford Chance, Eversheds, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Lovells have all scooped roles to help Southern Cross Healthcare secure a rescue package that will prevent the stricken care home operator from going into administration.
Nabarro partner heads off to Whale Rock
Nabarro corporate partner Elliot Shear is to leave the firm to become managing director of an outsourcing boutique for clients’ in-house legal functions.
On the move
Family law specialist McDaniel & Co has boosted its reputation with the hire of seasoned practitioner Lyn Rutherford, one of the North East’s most prominent experts in the area, as a consultant.
Opinion: Recruitment procedures must be savvy to health issues
The decision by Aston Villa FC to part company with its manager Gerard Houllier should give employment specialists pause for thought when advising clients on the issue of pre-existing medical conditions within their recruitment processes.
Profession ‘perplexed’ by Trowers’ launch in Brum
Trowers & Hamlins’ plan to launch a Birmingham office has received a mixed reaction from the local market, with many labelling the move as opportunistic.
Quiet invasion
A&O and Herbert Smith entering Ireland has apparently not been the cause of any Northern Irish lawyers having sleepless nights.Joanne Harris finds that post-crunch matters are keeping them well occupied
Quinn Emanuel gears up for City patent capability
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is preparing to launch a UK patent litigation practice. It will be the first major strategic extension of the US litigation firm’s London office since its launch three years ago.
Slaughters delivers on Royal Mail restructure
Slaughter and May has bagged an instruction from Royal Mail on restructuring mandated by a recent piece of legislation.
SNR Denton cuts trainee places by nearly half over four-year period
The number of training contract vacancies at the UK’s top law firms has dropped by 10 per cent since the start of the financial crisis.
Sweet sixteen?
Solicitors have been at loggerheads following the decision by Ireland’s Law Society to bail out the Solicitors Mutual Defence Fund. Joanne Harris reports
The typewriting on the wall
Rumours are circling the market that the potential mega-merger of the year, that between insurance titans Clyde & Co and BLG (Tulkinghorn for one would mourn the passing of the latter firm as it has always reminded him of his number one favourite sandwich - Bacon Lettuce and, er, Gomato anyone?) could be derailed by the prehistoric behaviour of the former firm’s head honcho.
Troubles with the ex
The more corporate the law becomes, the more emotional the fallout: discuss. Our three main stories this week all involve contentious partnership issues, in different forms.
William Fry instructs Willkie Farr to fight Thema Fund class action
Irish firm William Fry has turned to Willkie Farr & Gallagher’s joint litigation head Mitchell Auslander to defend it against a $700m (£434.2m) negligence claim over advice relating to Bernard Madoff.
Work Life Quiz: Kate Oldfield, Davis Blank Furniss
What’s your favourite film? Kind Hearts and Coronets or any of the old Ealing comedies. I love the mix of humour and romanticism.
