20 March 2006
The Lawyer
Deals comment
Freshfields rejects Nasdaq's LSE takeover proposalThe latest instalment in the soap opera that has become the plight of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a cliffhanger. Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has taken the lead role in advising Nasdaq on its £4.2bn informal cash bid for the LSE. The LSE, represented by
Deals roundup
Ashurst acts on takeover bid for Center Parcs
A&O team helps earn death row reprieve for Jamaican prisoner
Allen & Overy (A&O) has scored a rare success before the Privy Council on behalf of a Jamaican death row prisoner.
Aldridge Parker relaunches without Aldridge
Helen Parker, one of the founding partners of employment boutique Aldridge Parker and previously a partner at Bird & Bird, has launched a new niche employment and business immigration practice called Parker & Co.
All change
The new chairman of the Irish Competition Authority has five areas of vital importance to address, says Vincent Power
Arthur Cox left reeling as three partners quit
Ireland's leading corporate firm Arthur Cox has been rocked by the departure of three of the nine partners in its Northern Irish office.
Bar's complaints commissioner rues impending OLC introduction
The Bar Council's lay complaints commissioner has slammed the imminent introduction of an Office for Legal Complaints (OLC), saying it will erode the quality of complaints handling.
Battens
South West firm Battens celebrates its 300th anniversary this year. To commemorate the event, managing director David Stephens says the firm has undertaken "a root and branch review of its business".
CC advises Aviva on £17bn swoop for Pru
Clifford Chance has strengthened its ties with longstanding client Aviva, scooping the lead role on the insurance company’s £17bn offer for rival Prudential.
CC bolsters Paris finance with second W&C raid
Clifford Chance has boosted its French acquisition finance offering with the hire of four assistants, including two from White & Case.
CC litigation partner elected president of LSLA
Clifford Chance litigation partner Simon Davis has been elected as the new president of the London Solicitors Litigation Association (LSLA), taking over from Lovells’ Graham Huntley.
Cleary and Wachtell help to create banking giant
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz have helped to create one of the US's largest banking institutions after advising on Capital One Financial's $14.6bn (£8.4bn) acquisition of North Fork Bank.
Court holds appeal
Lordy, what a party. Simmons & Simmons might not know how to hang on to the MoD as a client, but it sure knows how to pull the trigger on a good bash.
Court of Appeal throws out 'distasteful' DWS petition
Denton Wilde Sapte (DWS) has been slammed by the Court of Appeal after losing a case brought by Kathryn Fifield, a former secretary who was injured while working for the firm.
DC's Crowell & Moring overhauls management team
Washington DC-based Crowell & Moring has elected both a new chairman and a new managing partner.
Debevoise's European offices boost profit and revenue as private equity group excels
New York's Debevoise & Plimpton has posted double-digit increases for both revenue and profit for 2005, with turnover crashing through the $500m (£282.6m) barrier.
Dickinson and Slater knock out rivals in Simmons senior partner race
Simmons & Simmons’ senior partner election has advanced to a second round of voting after a line finish for two candidates vying for the top job.
DLA Piper blasts competition in lateral hiring stakes
DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, Halliwells, Linklaters and Taylor Wessing have emerged as the biggest lateral hirers of any UK firms, according to The Lawyer Career Report 2006, out today.
DLA Piper to build on legacy left by deceased Japan chief
DLA Piper to build on legacy left by deceased Japan chief" /DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary was mourning the tragic death of its Tokyo managing partner Douglas Miller last week, but vowed to build on the foundations that Miller laid in the Japanese capital.
Donns has date with Destiny in wake of Clementi review
North West personal injury (PI) firm Donns has become the first client of a brand new legal services management company.
DP World: how US politicians got in the way of the lawyers
Gemma Westacott on Freshfields' and Linklaters' scramble to save DP World's acquisition of P&O
Egorov targets barristers for firm's London breakthrough
Russia's largest domestic law firm Egorov Puginsky Afanasiev & Partners is planning to launch in London - but with barristers rather than solicitors.
Eire apparent
Ireland has emerged as one of the world's key locations for investment funds thanks to its willingness to embrace innovation, says Cormac Commins
Eversheds fights to retain Leeds-based pension team
Eversheds has launched an emergency rearguard action to try to lure back the six-strong Leeds pensions team that quit for Pinsent Masons last week.
Expansion boosts Rödl turnover figures
Germany's Rödl & Partner has reported record growth on the back of national and international expansion.
Fennemores exits cause firm's collapse
Fennemores is set to dissolve this autumn after three partners and a large team of lawyers announced that they were joining rival Milton Keynes firm Geoffrey Leaver Solicitors.
Ferring counsel departs due to Swiss role
The long-serving general counsel of privately owned company Ferring Pharmaceutical has quit after the company relocated from Copenhagen to Wallisellen, Switzerland.
Firms battle for control of Romanian property fund
Law firms are lining up to compete for advisory roles on a multimillion-pound Romanian fund set up to compensate owners of houses nationalised during the country's Communist regime.
Freshfields director quits as finance teams merge
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's central management has seen its first shake-up since the election of Guy Morton as senior partner.
Fulbright bolsters London projects with Vinson hire
Fulbright & Jaworski’s London office has bolstered its projects capacity with two high-profile hires from Vinson & Elkins and Denton Wilde Sapte.
Future Internet Technologies looks to MoFo for £50m AIM placement
Morrison & Foerster (MoFo) has been appointed as Future Internet Technologies' (FIT) key legal adviser after advising the AIM cash shell on its £50m placement and the first two acquisitions of an expected spending spree.
Govt lambasts OFT over costs hike and poor rate of attrition
A panel of Government MPs has slammed the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for failing to hold on to its best lawyers and for being inefficient with public money.
Grapevine
Clifford Chance's electoral stroll
Growing gains
Immigration has replaced emigration as a feature of Irish life. Declan Moylan says the country must make the most of this influx of new workers
Herbies' in-house unit boosted by transfer of litigation partner
Herbert Smith has transferred a litigation partner into its in-house advocacy unit for the first time to work on the next stage of its development.
Home advantage
Ireland’s structured credit market has undergone huge development in recent years. Hugh Beattie looks at how the country must make the most of the boom
House of Lords supports Muslim dress ban
Luton Borough Council's legal team has won a victory in the House of Lords, supporting a school's decision to exclude a pupil wearing Muslim dress.
Hutchison 3G wins IP dispute with O2
Lewis Silkin has won a High Court victory on behalf of Hutchison 3G over the use of bubbles to advertise mobile phone networks.
In brief
The Variety Club will hold its annual legal gastronomic evening at The Dorchester, Park Lane, on 23 May. Executive chef at The Dorchester Henry Brosi, along with two other top chefs, will prepare six courses for the dinner, which aims to raise funds for sick, disabled and disadvantaged children in the UK. Since its formation in 2001, the legal committee has raised nearly £365,000.
In-house lawyer salaries hit £150K in North West
Top in-house lawyers in the North West can now command salaries of up to £150,000 after a year that saw pay packages rise across the region.
International eye: Europe
Donna Sawyer on the month in Brussels
International Report: Racine
French independent Racine has grown in leaps and bounds in the quarter of a century since its establishment. The firm was founded in 1981, turning over Ffr221,000 (the equivalent of e34,000 (£23,390)). Since then it has grown by 27 per cent each year on average, bringing in €12m (£8.3m) for 2005.
James Chapman splits between Halliwells and Brabners
Halliwells and Manchester personal injury specialist James Chapman & Co are to merge in the North West’s most significant legal development for years.
Joint adventure
O’Donnell Sweeney’s tie-up with Eversheds International has opened up a wealth of opportunities. Francis Hackett reports
Legal Widow
The great equity interview has taken place, and the Lawyer treated us to a post mortem at the weekend. I made us all ice-cream pancakes, which is what the children have after a gruelling exam, and we sat down and listened to his tale of woe.
Linklaters private equity duo quit for Kirkland
Linklaters global head of private equity Graham White has resigned from the firm along with partner Raymond McKeeve to join the London office of Chicago giant Kirkland & Ellis.
London partners dominate as A&O elects new board
Allen & Overy’s global management board has been completely overhauled with Amsterdam corporate partner Sietze Hepkema the only candidate to be re-elected to the board.
Lovells dispute head turns focus to banks
Lovells dispute resolution head Patrick Sherrington has launched two new litigation teams in an effort to focus the department's offering to the banking community.
M&A world braced for litigation wave
Corporate lawyers are bracing themselves for a sweeping overhaul of the M&A world, with the Takeover Panel set to become a statutory body next year.
Maclays rocked by loss of private equity star to Latham
Latham & Watkins has swooped on Maclay Murray & Spens to snare private equity partner Graeme Sloan, dealing a potentially massive blow to the Scottish giant’s private equity ambitions in the capital.
MBR&M raids US rival for Brussels expansion
Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw (MBR&M) has raided the Brussels office of US firm Keller and Heckman for a three-person team and halved the size of the Washington DC firm in Belgium.
Milbank and Slaughters lead bid for ITV
Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy and Slaughter and May have secured the lead roles advising the consortium attempting to take control of ITV with a groundbreaking deal that marks the first of its kind in the UK.
Mipim 2006: yachts, shots and Nabarros sunglasses
From yachts to restaurants, the UK's law firms are making themselves seen at Mipim.
Miranda opts for youthful managing partner
Lisbon-based Miranda Correia Amendoeira & Associados has a new managing partner.
Mishcons and Olswang win first Indian AIM GDR issue
Mishcon de Reya advised Noida Toll Bridge on the first global depositary receipt (GDR) issue on AIM for an Indian public company.
New kids on the dock
The legal community's shift to the south docklands area of the Liffey is a reflection of Dublin's recent prosperity, says Matt Byrne
Not shy, but retiring
It's tough being a complaints commissioner. The Bar Council's man, Michael Scott, has just retired after nine years, and he made sure he went out with a bang.
Opinion
Increased risk exposure in the wake of the Pensions Act 2004 is making potential bidders think twice
Partners go Pole prancing
Tulkinghorn is tempted to say hats off to the three Clifford Chance partners who are to embark on a gruelling, unsupported 10-day trek across the Polar ice cap, but they'll probably need them.
People
SJ Berwin assistant Angharad Evans has been appointed to the board of Ffilm Wales, a new agency established by the Arts Council for Wales and the Welsh Development Agency.
Reits get the green light from Brown
Commercial property lawyers across the City are breathing a sigh of relief after Chancellor Gordon Brown confirmed the introduction of real estate investment trusts (Reits) for the UK in his Budget today (22 March).
Righting the wrongs
The Law Society's record on complaints handling is woeful. Legal Services Complaints Commissioner Zahida Manzoor tells Joanne Harris why her own abolition is the way forward
Satisfaction guaranteed
Janine Collins explains how review meetings can ensure your clients are satisfied with your service
Separated at birth
Is it just a coincidence that a corporate finance star who goes by the name of 'Colin Davenport' has decided to join a Manchester firm called 'Berg' Legal? A strange similarity of face, a four-letter word beginning with 'B'? How many clues do you need? "My fellow Manchesterians," said Davenport (allegedly) on joining, "we look forward to working with you. Let me put it another way: we look forward to hearing your vision, so we can more better do our job. That's what I'm telling you." ...
Shell snares GSK trademark lawyer
Energy giant Shell has poached one of GlaxoSmith-Kline's leading trademark lawyers, Georgina Evans.
Simmons targets banks, energy in litigation drive
Simmons & Simmons partners have given the go-ahead to a major push on its international dispute resolution practice in a bid to attract big-hitting clients from the banking and energy sectors.
Simon Clark: Collins Stewart Tullett
A settlement in the defamation case against the FT has allowed Collins Stewart Tullett head of legal Simon Clark to focus on the company's raft of upcoming projects. Lorraine Cushnie reports
SJ Berwin partner joins Herbies' Rosen as party to Compere's conflict complaint
Private equity house Compere Associates has made good on its promise to lodge a complaint against SJ Berwin partner Richard Slowe.
SJ Berwin private equity partner scoops TDR COO role
Private equity house TDR Capital has swooped on SJ Berwin to hire corporate finance partner Blair Thompson as the group’s chief cooperating officer (COO).
SJ Berwin steps up Italian expansion with key Chiomenti hire
SJ Berwin has expanded its fledgling Italian presence with the hire of Italian independent law firm Chiomenti’s head of EU and antitrust law Gianluca Belotti.
Skadden scoops top spot for Q1 M&A
Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom has come top of mergermarket's preliminary European M&A league tables after advising on four of the five biggest deals in the first quarter of 2006.
Suffragette city
Only a few firms are addressing the gender imbalance that exists at equity partner level. Catrin Griffiths reports on why Pannones tops the table for female partners
The work-life quiz
What was your first-ever job?
Title recital
The name-tweaking over at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart etc etc appears to have abated, with the firm sticking with the dropped 'Jones', the oddly placed ampersand and the latter part of a monicker ('LNG') that is more reminiscent of an oil refinery than a law firm.Still, as London managing partner Tony Griffiths put it: "At least the name guarantees that I'll have the biggest badge at any reception."
UK Roundup: South West
Lorraine Cushnie on the month in the South West
US firms shun lady laterals
Partnership election season is approaching and this year's appointments will be scrutinised more closely than ever before. Over the past year, The Lawyer has broken a series of stories on associate issues, from retention rates to outright rebellions. Hence The Lawyer Career Report 2006 in this issue today.
Weil and White & Case bag Investec CDO roles
Weil Gotshal & Manges and White & Case have secured roles on Investec's first collateralised debt obligation (CDO) as the financial services group launches an assault on the market.
Weil draws a blank as Apax's House of Fraser bid collapses
Weil Gotshal & Manges has been left empty-handed after talks between client Apax Partners and House of Fraser ended last Friday (17 March).
White & Case fights Extradition Act
White & Case is joining forces with the Conservative Party in an effort to overturn the extradition arrangements between the UK and the US. The arrangements have caused controversy following the threatened extradition of the 'NatWest Three'.
White & Case in search for new managing partner as part of overhaul
White & Case is to overhaul its management structure and identify a successor to managing partner Duane Wall in a sweeping shake-up of the firm's governance.
Wilson Sonsini moves to DC to boost antitrust practice
Silicon Valley-based corporate technology powerhouse Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has transplanted its Virginia office to Washington DC.
