21 February 2011

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When the Halliwells runs dry

Like a decapitated chicken that continues to flap around long after its severed head has hit the dusty ground, Halliwells is still managing to create waves several months after its demise. The failed firm is facing a series of court actions over a number of employment issues, with claims including allegations of sex discrimination and […]

Tulkinghorn: Midnight crass

Just when Tulkinghorn thought legal PR could sink no lower, something drops into his inbox that proves him wrong. It won’t have escaped the notice of our more alert readers that last week brought with it the 24 hours of torture that is Valentine’s Day. Thomas Eggar decided to celebrate by announcing – in a […]

David Stewart, Olswang
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Luvvies’ leap

Olswang is moving fast to extend its international reach – and about time too Too little, too late? Olswang’s recent discovery of a world beyond Holborn, illustrated by an expansion plan funded with 10 per cent of annual net profit, has left rivals wondering what took it so long. And they are not the only ones. “Ten […]

Spring loaded

Strong demand from emerging economies is seeing offshore firms continue to punch above their weight, and figures suggest they will continue to do so. By Joanne Harris In its sixth year The Lawyer’s offshore survey has undergone some rationalisation to bring it into line with what has been a rapidly changing offshore market. We have […]

Gareth Madge

Bobby dazzler: Gareth Madge, Gwent Police

South Wales and Gwent Police legal director Gareth Madge is leading the way in streamlining legal services in the public sector. As one of the first lawyers to work in-house for a UK police force, director of legal services at South Wales Police and Gwent Police Gareth Madge concedes that he could be seen as […]

Spurious porn e-piracy witchhunt casts doubt on disclosure orders

Norwich Pharmacal orders lose their indefeasibility in light of Media CAT ruling. For More than a quarter of a century claimants wanting to sue someone whose identity is ­uncertain have been able to ­discover that identity using a ­Norwich Pharmacal order. But a recent Patents County Court ­judgment has the potential to change the way […]

Tchenguiz brothers file £1.8bn fraud claim against Kaupthing

Gabriel Moss QC of Gray’s Inn set 3-4 South Square is representing the Tchenguiz Family Trust in its multibillion-pound fight against failed Icelandic bank Kaupthing. Stephenson Harwood senior associate Richard Garcia instructed Moss to represent the family in the £1.8bn fraudulent misrepresentation claim. The lawyers allege that their clients, Mayfair ­investment tycoons Robert and Vincent Tchenguiz, were […]

BLP, Irwin Mitchell, Pinsents aid charity’s landlord move

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), Irwin Mitchell and Pinsent Masons have helped an evangelical Christian charity become landlord of a ’dark store’. Irwin Mitchell advised developer Gazeley UK, which is a longstanding client of Jon Vivian’s real estate team, which joined from SJ Berwin in the autumn, in relation to its interest in an out-of-town site […]

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Herbies helps De La Rue fend off hostile bid by rival banknote printer

Herbert Smith has helped banknote printer De La Rue see off a hostile takeover attempt by French bidder Oberthur. The offer, valuing the publicly owned entity at £900m, was withdrawn after the De La Rue board claimed the company was undervalued in a statement issued in advance of the Takeover Panel’s ’put up or shut […]

A&O, Slaughters bag GE’s John Wood oil well division purchase

Allen & Overy (A&O) and Slaughter and May have taken the prize mandates advising John Wood Group on the $2.8bn (£1.7bn) sale of its oil well support ­division to General Electric (GE). A multijurisdictional A&O team acted for GE, led ­jointly by US M&A head Eric Shube and London corporate ­partner David Broadley. Slaughters took […]

David Harris

Hogan Lovells combo pays dividends as PEP jumps 10 per cent in first year

Merged firm impresses market despite absorbing merger costs. Hogan Lovells’ senior management were congratulating ­themselves last week after ­unveiling a 10 per cent rise in ­average profit per equity partner (PEP) eight months after last year’s largest transatlantic merger.In the firm’s first year as a merged entity average PEP rose by 10 per cent, from $1.042m (£650,000) […]

Five Hengeler lawyers break away to form corporate boutique in Frankfurt

A team of five senior ­associates from Slaughter and May’s German best friend Hengeler Mueller have left to launch their own Frankfurt ­boutique. Wendelstein Rechtsanwälte, which will have a largely corporate focus, has been founded by five lawyers who left Hengeler’s Frankfurt office in December 2010: Philipp von Bismarck, Matthias Budde, Frank ­Fischer, Lars Ferenc […]