20 September 2004
The Lawyer
The Lawyer’s charities choice – six of the best
Readers this week have the opportunity to help us choose which charities The Lawyer will support. At The Lawyer Awards in June you raised a record £63,000 for our two chosen charities. We hope to be able to raise even more at next year’s event. So please vote online for one of the following six charities: ChildHope, Macmillan Cancer Relief, Médécins Sans Frontières, Parkinson’s Disease Society, The Stroke Association and The Cystic Fibrosis Trust. To register your vote, please ...
A happy firm is a flexible firm
Louise Hadland argues that having flexible working is the enlightened way of running a firm
Arnold & Porter acts for BAE on DigitalNet acquisition
Washington DC firm Arnold & Porter has strengthened its relationship with BAE Systems after the firm scooped its first corporate instruction for the UK defence giant.
Ashurst lands Terra Firma after Linklaters conflicted
Ashurst has secured its first instruction from Terra Firma thanks to a conflict at Linklaters, advising the private equity house on the separate auctions of the UCI and Odeon cinema chains.
Australian indigenous services come up for tender
Government-funded legal services provided to Aborigines and Torres Strait islanders in Australia are to be opened up to private law firms for the first time when an official tender process begins in November.
B&M’s Paris turnover elevates it into top ten
A 36 per cent surge in Paris turnover has thrust Baker & McKenzie (B&M) into France’s top 10 law firms for the first time.
Balancing act
Under the Northern Ireland Act 1998, public authorities have a duty to promote equality. Hilary Griffith considers the impact on public authorities undertaking PFI projects
Banks up the ante on fighting money laundering
Banks worldwide are pouring funds into fighting money laundering, investing 61 per cent more funds over the past three years.
Barlows spearheads growth in Asia with Singapore launch
Barlow Lyde & Gilbert is opening an office in Singapore as part of its planned expansion in Asia.
Bedell Cristin launches Swiss trust business
The trust arm of Jersey law firm Bedell Cristin has deepened its penetration of the onshore sector with the launch of a business in Switzerland.
Bevan Ashford bolsters Midlands property with key hire
Bevan Ashford has boosted its Birmingham property capability with the hire of a new partner.
Brobeck wins payout from Morgan Lewis
Morgan Lewis & Bockius is set to pay out millions of dollars to Brobeck Phleger & Harrison’s estate, as Clifford Chance continues its battle to agree a settlement with the collapsed West Coast firm’s liquidation committee.
Cains prepares for London launch
Isle of Man firm Cains is preparing to establish a London office to enhance its ship and film financing businesses.
Careers: in brief
Kenneth Ross, a partner at Bishops Solicitors, has been named as an Honorary Professor in the School of Law at the University of Glasgow. Ross becomes Scotland’s first practising environmental lawyer to achieve the accolade. He will deliver a series of lectures during the academic year as well as hosting several business seminars. In addition to his regular duties at the 13-partner Scottish firm, Ross is also Convenor of the Scottish Committee of the United Kingdom Environmental Law Association.
Careers: people
A founding partner at Brussels-based EU firm Crosby Renouf has been named by the Law Society as a delegate on the Council of the Bars and Law Societies of the European Union (CCBE). Michael Renouf, who trained at South East firm Thomas Eggar and the European Commission, is already a member of the Law Society Council, having been elected to the specialist EU Matters seat in 2002. His new role is on ...
Caribbean Court of Justice set to replace Privy Council
From November, the Privy Council in London will cease to be the final court of appeal for Caribbean members of the Commonwealth, bringing to an end one of the final vestiges of the British Empire.
Cayman firms stay put in wake of Hurricane Ivan
Plans to evacuate scores of lawyers and staff from the Cayman Islands have been scrapped as law firms today (22 September) restart operations in the wake of Hurricane Ivan that devastated the island.
CC litigation partner lands Law Soc Council seat
Clifford Chance litigation partner Simon Davis has won a contested election for one of the four City of London seats on the Law Society Council. Earlier this year, Davies Arnold Cooper senior partner David McIntosh also won a contested election for another of the City of London seats.
Celador hires new head of legal
Celador International, the television production company which makes Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? and You Are What You Eat, has appointed a new head of legal.
Clarke Willmott expands Southampton, Bristol
Clarke Willmott has boosted its planning and housebuilders practice with two new partners. The firm has recruited the former head of legal at Test Valley Borough Council Mick Mundy as a partner in its Southampton office, while Lorraine Edwards joins the Bristol housebuilders team from Davies and Partners. Last month the firm bagged its first Bristol base after the takeover of Amery Parkes.
CMS Hasche Sigle courts Norton Rose Cologne
Norton Rose’s Cologne office appears to be on the verge of joining CMS Hasche Sigle.
Cobbetts in Leeds office relocation
Just weeks after moving into new Birmingham premises, fast-expanding firm Cobbetts has announced an office relocation in Leeds. It will take up three floors of purpose-built accommodation on the banks of the River Aire from summer 2006. New space is urgently needed for Cobbetts, which has undergone four mergers, including two in Leeds, in the past 10 months, and some of the firm’s staff and lawyers will be working from overspill offices until the move takes place.
Coudert Paris hit by yet another lawyer loss
Herbert Smith has hired Coudert Brothers’ competition specialiast Dominique Brault to its Paris office. Brault re-joins his former Coudert partner Jacques Buhart who left the firm to head the UK firm’s French cor...
Coudert profits from Freshfields retreat in Bangkok
Coudert Brothers is set to pick up the remaining vestiges of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s Bangkok office, axed after this year’s Asian practice review.
Customs attacked on all fronts for non-disclosure in hearings
Customs & Excise is being sued by one of its former senior lawyers for the way he was allegedly treated during the London City Bond (LCB) cases.
Debevoise & Plimpton ranked top US firm
Debevoise & Plimpton has trounced New York rival Davis Polk & Wardwell as the leading ‘A-list’ US law firm based on revenue per lawyer, commitment to pro bono, associate satisfaction and diversity.
Dechert hit with new partner departure
Dechert’s string of partner losses has lengthened further after another partner prepares to leave the firm.
Deutsche Bank in global bid to slash legal spend
Shock for NY market as investment bank shakes up fee structures; UK, German firms under review
DLA’s merger prospect in talks with fellow US firm
Piper Rudnick is moving to bolster its presence on the US West Coast as it moves towards finalising merger talks with Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich.
DWS upcoming election: Glastonbury to stand
Denton Wilde Sapte is the latest City firm to be gripped by election fever, as it gears up for its management elections at the end of the year.
Eversheds hit by claim over property deal
National law firm Eversheds is being sued by London & Capital Group over its handling of the collapse of a £220m property transaction in February.
Fleury’s dreams fall apart
Seven partners have left: can the Dutch star pull CC’s practice back from the brink? By Steve Hoare
Forschbach takes team of six from Ashurst to Latham
Parisian private equity star Thomas Forschbach is being joined by six lawyers from former firm Ashurst at his new home Latham & Watkins.
France Telecom gears up to appoint new legal panel
France Telecom is completing a full-scale review of its legal advisers and has promised that some of its existing advisers will be dropped.
Freshfields trades HK dispute resolution head
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has swapped the head of its Asian dispute resolution practice with a London-based litigation specialist. Richard Chalk has headed to Hong Kong to take on the role, replacing Rajat Jindal, who returns to London after eight years in the region. The magic circle firm also reaffirmed its commitment to a presence in Vietnam after the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City ...
Green seas
Moving from London to Ireland might seem to be a strange move for a shipping lawyer. Not so, says Helen Noble, citing the attractions of the Irish tonnage tax
Hearsay
Which City firm’s partners are kicking up a stink at having to cough up 40p for their own copies of the Evening Standard?
Hermes scrutinises advisers as major legal review is launched
Hermes Property Asset Management has launched an extensive internal review of its legal systems, including analysis of the efficiency of its external legal advisers.
High Court judges lend weight to Bankside development fight
Two High Court judges are among complainants challenging the Government in a possible House of Lords action over plans for a major development in Bankside, London SE1.
Hunton pays £250k sign-on fee to new partner
US firm Hunton & Williams has paid former Hammonds partner Martin Thomas a signing-on fee of £250,000.
Hurricane Ivan hits Cayman firms
Law firms in the Cayman Islands are struggling to relocate staff to safe havens around the world in the wake of Hurricane Ivan, which hit the islands last week.
ICONECT offers free access to its software for pro bono
Web-based litigation software company iCONECT LLC has thrown its weight behind an unprecedented initiative by offering its law firm clients free licence access to its suite of products for use in pro bono cases. The move will give legal experts working on vital civil rights and justice litigation access to the same tools used in high-profile litigation cases.
Ince & Co hires ex-Norton Rose shipping ace
Ince & Co has plucked a former Norton Rose partner in a bid to bolster its burgeoning ship finance team. David Baker will be responsible for the launch of a ship finance practice at Ince & Co’s Piraeus office, which currently focuses solely on maritime litigation. Baker set up an equivalent practice for Norton Rose, ...
James Birch: Travelex
Travelex may have been started on a shoestring, but canny acquisitions have made it a major player in financial services. By Ben Mitchell
John Laing predicts defeat in hotel battle
Property developer John Laing has conceded that it has little expectation of a victory in a High Court case in which Rosling King is defending it against a £17.5m damages claim by the Great Eastern Hotel.
Latham names new co-leaders of global banking
Latham & Watkins has reshuffled its global heads of banking, appointing recent Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom recruit, Marc Hanrahan to one of the roles.
Law Soc faces £1m fine for complaints failures
The Law Society could face a fine of up to £1m if it fails to deal with complaints, it was announced last week (13 September).
Laws of attraction
Tulkinghorn’s lady helpers were delighted to meet one of Europe’s few attractive male lawyers last week.
Legal widow
It’s new trainee time, and they’re queuing up outside the Lawyer’s office, fresh-faced and hopeful, clutching immaculate CVs with good degrees and wearing a tatty piece of friendship string from their obligatory year building classrooms in Nicaragua. After a series of trainees arrived sporting these, the Lawyer marched to his secretary’s desk, seized the scissors and snipped one off the new lad’s wrist. There was a yelp of grief and the Lawyer told him it was part of the toughening-up ...
Letters of the law
Collyer-Bristow pulled off a bit of a coup last week, signing up Richard Butler’s Roger Parker and Olympic gold medal winner Ben Ainslie as its new postmen.
Linklaters puts spotlight on partner performance with corporate reshuffle
Linklaters will today announce a reorganisation of its London corporate group as management focuses on partner performance.
Linklaters’ Wethered makes leap to KPMG
Linklaters corporate star Tom Wethered is leaving for client KPMG International.
Lipton loses NYSE role to Wachtell’s Sonsini
Wall Street legend Martin Lipton has lost his chairmanship of the New York Stock Exchange’s (NYSE) legal advisory committee to Silicon Valley stalwart Larry Sonsini.
Lovells HK acts on IPO for Citigroup
Lovells has strengthened its relationship with Citigroup after the firm scooped its first ever instruction to advise the bank on an IPO.
MAQS looks for Baltic rim supremacy with merger
Pinsents’ Scandinavian ally Magnusson Wahlin Qvist Stanbrook (MAQS) has merged with niche Swedish outfit Bergling & Partners as part of a push to dominate the Baltic rim.
Matrix considers exit from Gray’s Inn base
Gray’s Inn may lose one of its most famous tenants, Matrix Chambers, as increasing numbers of sets leave their Holborn heartland.
Matthew Arnold fills COO hole
Hertfordshire firm Matthew Arnold & Baldwin (MAB) has scooped the former managing partner of Eversheds’ London office to fill the role of chief operations officer. Peter Scott (left) ...
Minter Ellison scoops Masons lawyer for Shanghai head
Australia’s Minter Ellison has raided Masons in China to strengthen its Shanghai office with a new figurehead.
MoFo steps up Japan drive with senior Milbank hire
Morrison & Foerster is blazing ahead with the expansion of its Tokyo office after scooping a senior finance partner from Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy.
NGJ and Kirkpatrick partners vote for merger
The first trans-Atlantic of the year is going ahead as partners at Nicholson Graham & Jones and Kirkpatrick & Lockhart have voted through a tie-up. The merger will go live on 1 January 2005, creating a 950-lawyer firm spanning 10 US cities and London...
No5 Chambers opens its doors in Bristol
No5 Chambers has opened its third regional office in Bristol to reinforce its position as the largest barristers’ chambers in the UK. With established offices in Birmingham and London, the 160-member set is now well placed to launch an assault on the South Western and Welsh market. The new Bristol office occupies a listed building in Queen Square and will house some of the chambers’ 15 QCs.
Opinion
It’s that time of year again – the solicitors’ professional indemnity renewal season, when managing partners and finance directors start recognising the difference between managing their third-highest overhead throughout the year, or leaving it to chance.
Pinsents, Masons prioritise City base following merger
The management teams at Pinsents and Masons have made London a priority if the two firms’ merger goes through at the end of the month.
Ramadan jam
Norton Rose is rightly proud of its Islamic finance team, and given the firm’s expertise in this field, one would think it possessed a superior knowledge of the key dates in the Muslim calendar. It would appear not.
Revealed: MBR&M first LLP accounts
Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw (MBR&M) became the first major UK firm to publish its accounts when it filed its financial statement as a limited-liability partnership (LLP) last week.
Safe direction
Irish legislation is forcing executive and non-executive directors to keep a tighter rein on corporate governance. Feargal Brennan reports on how the new regime is working
Shred heads
The sentencing of CSFB banker Frank Quattrone to eighteen months in prison has blown the issue of privilege wide open. Jon Robins reports
Speechly nabs Boodle Hatfield partner
Beleaguered law firm Boodle Hatfield has been dealt a blow by the loss of the head of its contentious trust and probate team to Speechly Bircham.
Sybase Euro counsel quits to join Reckitt Benckiser
Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser has appointed its second vice-president and general counsel in just over 18 months.
Taylor Walton
The philosophy at Taylor Walton is simple: regional is best.
The Celt belt
Ireland’s M&A and corporate finance markets are booming. Eithne FitzGerald provides a round-up of the biggest deals in the past year
The incredible bulk
Law firms’ volume businesses can enhance profitability. But do they make strategic sense? By Joanne O’Connor and Joanne Harris
The key to IP
Ireland continues to be a jurisdiction of choice for companies wishing to establish a European base. Alistair Payne reports on managing IP in Ireland
The work-life quiz
Patrick Gaul, managing partner, Weightmans
T-Mobile reshuffles legal post-Chain
T-Mobile is restructuring its legal department following the departure of its longstanding general counsel.
TMT deals round-up
Field Fisher Waterhouse (Paul Barton, left) advised professional teaching body the General Teaching Council (GTC) on the outsourcing of its customer relations management (CRM) system. The project has seen the GTC overhaul its registration database and will ensure the GTC meets ...
Toy soldiers run riot at White & Case
Ah! The sweet smell of law firm politics. Enjoy the heady bouquet currently wafting from the London offices of White & Case.
Tribunal funeral
The perception that all lawyers are paid as liberally as those who work in Tribunals of Inquiry has been a PR disaster for the legal profession in Ireland. Ken Murphy reports
Trowers goes South for private client head
Trowers & Hamlins has targeted South East firm Kidd Rapinet’s private client department to acquire the head of the practice.
Welcome home
The EU Prospectus Directive requires issuers to settle on a home member state. Cormac Kissane and John Matson present the case for Ireland
West is (almost) best
Tulkinghorn would like to refute allegations that The Lawyer will automatically promote London over the regions. In last week’s issue, the results of the inaugural The Lawyer Formula Law go-karting extravaganza were published, but somehow West Country firm Kitson & Trotman was squeezed out from its proper fourth-placed finish.
White & Case gears up for management shake-up
White & Case’s London office is preparing to conduct a wide-ranging reorganisation of its management, just over a year after implementing a new structure.
