20 June 2011

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. In The Lawyer today, two firm versus lawyer disputes dominate the front page, with Clifford Chance threatening legal action against the four-partner funds team that defected to Weil Gotshal […]

Kate Oldfield

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.   What was your first-ever job? Working in stock control for Great Universal Stores. What was your worst experience as a trainee? Being sent by my boss to a consent order and […]

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. The two firms have combined with Granrut Avocats, Lexidia and Vogel & Vogel to form the Association des Avocats Lobbyistes (AAL – Lobbying Lawyers ­Association). The aim of the association is to promote […]

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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. Corporate partner Jeff Triggs, who is also acting as interim general counsel for Royal Mail, is acting alongside competition partner Isabel Taylor and employment partner Sandeep Maudgil on work generated by the Postal Services Act. Triggs […]

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. The deal represents part of Lloyds’ strategy to offload non-core assets. It is also strategically important for New York-listed Ryder as it works to expand its UK presence. It […]

2

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. The value of the deal was not disclosed, but it is reported to be more than £100m. Eversheds advised Endless and the board of Crown Paints on the […]

Simon Johnson
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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. The UK’s largest care home group, which unusually for the sector does not own any of its 753 properties, can no longer afford […]

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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. The poem was called The Lawyer’s Farewell To His Muse and it bemoaned “The toil by day, the lamp by […]

Rob Day

Focus: SJ Berwin – Steady as she goes

SJ Berwin chief Rob Day has put the US firmly back on the agenda It is as though Rob Day is looking to write his own headline. As he stares out of the window of SJ Berwin’s 10 Queen Street Place offices, admiring the boats as they sail under Southwark Bridge, his PR asks rhetorically […]

Glover
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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 The timing was, perhaps, ­awkward. On Tuesday 7 June three Clifford Chance funds partners – head of group Ed Gander, Nick Benson and Nigel Clark – and tax partner Jonathan Kandel resigned en masse to London corporate head Simon […]

Claeys & Engels

Claeys & Engels is unique. It is the only Belgian firm to specialise in HR-related matters. The niche firm was established 10 years ago with 35 lawyers and now has 80 working within the organisation. ­Founding partner and chairman Chris Engels says the firm offers any service an HR department may need, including tax support. […]

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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. The ever-present spectre of the new legislation emerged as a hot topic of debate, and has clearly been weighing heavily on the minds of general counsel and their […]