21 March 2005
The Lawyer
Conflicted in
Tulkinghorn recognises that the existence of a compensation culture in the UK is largely a media-fuelled myth. That cannot be said for the US, though, and the following cautionary tale gives ample warning to lawyers over here of following too closely the example set by our American cousins. Such is the litigation frenzy that exists in the US, news reaches Tulkinghorn of a lawyer who has actually managed to sue himself.
A&O fortifies Shanghai with White & Case chief
Allen & Overy (A&O) has raided White & Case to boost its Shanghai office.
A&O sustains quadruple partner defection in the space of a week
Allen & Overy (A&O) has been rocked by the loss of four partners, including two capital markets rainmakers, in just one week.
ABN's new legal chief set to roll out law firm panel overhaul
ABN Amro is poised to launch a full-scale review of its law firm roster following the appointment of the Dutch investment bank's new legal chief last year.
All Yank together
With more mergers in the past year than most people have hot dinners, few can blame the DLA partnership for a little identity confusion.At a recent bash, one DLA partner approached a former colleague (who has since departed for a US firm) to ask: "What's it like being at a Yank firm then?" To which the partner quipped: "You tell me."
Ashurst scores big with remit for Sega
Ashurst scores big with remit for Sega" /Ashurst has sealed its first deal for Japanese computer games company Sega.
BakerPlatt takes on US white-collar prosecutor
BakerPlatt, the Jersey-based legal and professional services group allied to UK chambers 7 Bedford Row, has hired former white-collar crime prosecutor John Moscow.
Banks' in-housers hold the aces as law panel reviews gather pace
Abbey, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, HSBC and UBS have all tackled adviser issues; magic circle needs to pull its socks up
Bar Council reports third annual fall in complaints
The NUMBER of complaints made to the Bar Council has dropped for the third successive year, a report published today (21 March) reveals.
Beiten partners delighted with first post-KLegal financials
Beiten Burkhardt, the former German member of the defunct KPMG legal arm, has reported strong year-end results.
Bland, Digby-Bell gear up for election battle
Law Society 'maverick' Christopher Digby-Bell and the former national chair of Wragge & Co's real estate group Gerald Bland are set to battle it out in the election for the Law Society's commercial property seat.
Building for the future
Law firms always become very enthusiastic when discussing new buildings. Visions of shiny, open-plan space, the latest technology, rooftop gardens and atriums the size of a football pitch makes the eyes of managing partners light up.
Cadwalader raids Norton Rose for London finance push
Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft is continuing its push into the London finance market with the hire of Norton Rose partner Christian Parker.
Careers: In brief
A new organisation, the General Counsel 100 Group (GC100), has been established for in-house lawyers working within the FTSE 100. The group was launched on 9 March and has a membership comprising the senior legal officers of more than 50 FTSE 100 companies. GC100 has been created in response to the increasing volume and complexity of domestic and international law and regulation impacting on UK listed companies. Its main objectives are to provide a forum for practical and business-focused ...
Careers: People
Antonia Mann, a former Vodafone in-houser for 14 years, has joined the corporate and commercial group of White & Bowker as a consultant.
CC lands Goldman Sachs legal director
Clifford Chance’s New York office has secured a coup with the hire of Elaine Laurence, the former Goldman Sachs legal director and associate general counsel.
CC left behind as UniCredito turns to A&O on acquisition of Croatian bank
Allen & Overy's (A&O) corporate department has scooped a major client in the form of Italy's second-largest bank UniCredito Italiano.
CC's Americas head steps down nine months early
John Carroll, the managing partner of Clifford Chance's Americas practice, has announced that he is stepping down from the role nearly nine months before his term was due to expire.
CEDR popularity increases for commercial mediation
The number of commercial mediations referred to the Centre for Dispute Resolution (CEDR) rose for the fourth consecutive year in 2004.
Chadbourne bolsters Moscow with new partner
Chadbourne & Parke is ramping up its Moscow presence with the hire of former Lovells partner Christopher Owen.
Clifford Chance consolidates shipping, insurance
Clifford Chance is merging its insurance and reinsurance practice with its shipping group, creating a single 10-partner team. The move aims to exploit synergies between the two London teams. Insurance head Nicholas Munday will lead the group, which will operate as the insurance and shipping dispute resolution group, specialising in insurance and reinsurance dispute resolution as well as transactions ...
Conflicts prompt Carey duo to create boutique
Two former partners of Guernsey firm Carey Olsen have taken the unusual step of launching their own specialist litigation and employment boutique in a bid to avoid the conflicts that plagued them while at the offshore giant.
Dechert signs lease at Times Square
Dechert London has concluded its protracted search for new premises with a deal to take up offices at Times Square. The Philadelphia-based firm has signed a lease to take on 55,000sq ft at Times Square, 160 Queen Victoria Street, with an option to take additional space. The office will accommodate 280 fee-earners and support staff. Dechert is hoping to move from Serjeant's Inn this year. The hunt began in ...
Dechert swoops on CC for financial services push
Dechert has raided Clifford Chance to boost its financial services practice in London.
DLA bolsters Bangkok with Coudert raid
DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary has raided Coudert Brothers to secure two new Bangkok partners as the firm aggressively ramps up its Thai presence.
DLA Piper makes up 23 new partners
DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary has announced its latest round of partner promotions, with 23 lawyers being made up across the firm’s UK, European and Asian network.
DLA Piper pips rivals to World Trade Centre instruction
DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary has defeated New York's real estate elite to secure a glamour instruction to advise the Port Authority of New York on the redevelopment of the World Trade Centre site.
Doughty Street signs up three new tenants
Human rights set Doughty Street Chambers has appointed three new junior tenants, bringing the number of barristers at the set to 89.
Eversheds' client management slammed as firm gets ejected from Honda panel
Honda has overhauled its legal panel and dumped Eversheds, issuing the national firm with a damning rebuke over its client management skills.
Ex-Norton Rose partner returns to take up new compliance role
Norton Rose has appointed a former partner as its first ever head of compliance.
Faegre & Benson helps BPP Law School at Hackney clinic
"She was a single mother who got herself into debt because she had to give up work following the collapse of her marriage," relates Stephen Llewellyn, special counsel at US firm Faegre & Benson's London office. "Added to this, her former husband had tried to abduct their son to another country."
Falconer announces White Paper to implement Clementi reforms
Lord Falconer, the Lord Chancellor, today (21 March) confirmed that the government will be introducing legislation to put into place recommendations made by Sir David Clementi in his recent review of the regulation of the legal profession.
FedEx names replacement for counsel
FedEx Corporation has promoted Christine Richards to the position of executive vice-president, general counsel and secretary. She replaces Kenneth Masterson, who retires at the end of May. Masterson has been at FedEx since 1979 and will continue as a consultant to the company. Richards has been at FedEx since 1984. She is corporate vice-president of customer and business transactions at FedEx Corporation and general counsel of FedEx Corporate Services.
Firm profile: Howrey Simon (London)
Howrey Simon Arnold & White's London outpost is among the most successful of the US firm's international outposts, reporting a fee income for 2004 of £8.8m, up by £1.9m on 2003's figure.
FTSE 100 in-housers band together to launch GC 100
As risk and corporate governance continue to hold the attention of the legal and financial communities general counsel are moving away from their traditional role of adviser to one of risk manager.
Gibson brings in media team from Manatt
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher's New York office is ramping up its media and entertainment presence with the hire of a five-lawyer team from Manatt Phelps & Phillips. The former head of Manatt's litigation group, Orin Snyder, has quit the firm to join Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, taking with him a group of four associates. The team focuses on IP and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on media and ...
Grapevine
Shearman securitisation trouble is Tucker's luckShearman & Sterling's hire of the ebullient Julian Tucker from Allen & Overy (A&O), and the departure of Marke Raines - another former A&O partner, incidentally - mark a new turn for the US firm's securitisation business.
Hammonds exonerates Eurojust in Spain
Hammonds has secured victory for Eurojust, the European body against organised crime, in a case brought by the Kingdom of Spain. The case clarifies limits to the privileges of European member states before the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Spain had asked for the annulment of Eurojust staff application calls, saying they were discriminatory on grounds of nationality. Eurojust was seeking staff with a good knowledge of English or French, and Spain said some applicants would be disadvantaged. .
Herbert Smith creates nine partners
Herbert Smith has invited nine lawyers to join the partnership from 1 April, with the bulk of the promotions taking place in London. Lawyers promoted to partner include Kevin Roy, Thiha Tun, John Geraghty (left) and James Milne in the corporate team. The firm has not made up any dispute resolution partners in London, instead promoting Tokyo-based dispute ...
Herbert Smith lands QC for launch of chambers
Senior partner Gold raids 11 Stone Bldgs for Murray Rosen QC; other set relationships to be maintained
Holman settles Exxon appeal for Brandywine
The 15-year saga of litigation ensuing from the Exxon Valdez oil spill has finally come to an end.
Human rights groups seek action against US officials
Human rights organisations are building up the pressure on courts to prosecute US officials for alleged complicity in the torture of Iraqi prisoners.
Kramer loses Italian ally to Greenberg
Studio Santa Maria, the Italian ally of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, has sidelined the New York firm to form an alliance with Greenberg Traurig.
Law school is star player of BPP group
BPP Law School has outperformed the rest of its parent company with a turnover growth of 29 per cent in 2004.
LEADER
David Gold must be delighted that his firm's protracted search for a silk has finally come to fruition. Unfortunately, in that time Herbert Smith has lost two of its own home-grown QCs - Lawrence Collins QC to the bench and, most recently, Julian Lew QC, who joins 20 Essex Street on 1 April.
Let's drink to The Lawyer
As every lawyer knows, the only gong worth winning is none other than the ones handed out by The Lawyer at its glitzy awards ceremony, or the legal Oscars. So it's no wonder Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), which scooped the coveted Law Firm of The Year Award at last year's event, wants to shout about it from the rooftops.
Manches unveils disappointing financials - but top partners earn more
Manches' gross revenues and average profit per equity partner (PEP) both dropped last year, according to its 2004 year-end figures. But there has been a dramatic increase in the top of equity as its new merit element of the firm’s distribution system kicks in.
Mickey Mouse merger
Who can blame the humble Dibb Lupton partnership for being a little starstruck?
Nauta's life sciences team gains Derks star
Dutch giant Nauta Dutilh is ramping up its life sciences practice with the hire of CMS Derks Star Busmann partner Carla Schoonderbeek.
No shortage of interest
Islamic finance is growing, and with international commercial banks stepping up their interest the trend is set to continue unabated. By Nadim Khan and Mohammed Paracha
No, not that kind of pitch ...
Most real estate lawyers thought they were an alcohol-induced Mipim hallucination, but Tulkinghorn can confirm that Spurs legend Gary Lineker, former England captain Bryan Robson and lanky Ireland star Niall Quinn were indeed drinking at the Martinez Bar on Thursday evening (10 March).
Nothing doing
The Isle of Man's decision to introduce a zero-rate income tax is intended to take the economy onto a whole new level in international finance. Andrew Corlett reports
Opinion
The projected growth in the UK gambling sector is seeing lawyers and accountants join forces
Osborne Clarke opens in Munich with EY team
Osborne Clarke has swooped on EY Law's Luther Menold to launch a three-partner Munich office, as the Bristol-based firm unveils ambitious plans to ramp up its German offering.
Outer Temple silk appointed War Crimes judge
Outer Temple Chambers’ Paul Garlick QC has been appointed as an international judge for War Crimes of the Criminal and Appellate Divisions of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Pinsents' corporate chief quits for Nicholson Graham
Pinsent Masons’ joint London managing partner and national head of corporate has quit to join Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham.
Pinsents partner charged with murder
A senior Pinsent Masons banking and finance partner has been charged with murdering his wife.
Quick fix
Speed is the key thrust of the new Marzano Law, Italy's answer to existing restructuring shortfalls. Stephen Aulsebrook and Federica Sambiase report
Shrinking tulips
With Dutch deals thin on the ground, the leading corporate firms shrank their headcounts and closed practices. Matt Byrne reports on the The Lawyer Euro 100's Dutch firms
Simmons gives green light to international executive plan
The Simmons & Simmons partnership has given new managing partner Mark Dawkins carte blanche to shake up its management.
Stepping up your persuasiveness
Securing instructions is easy for some, but not others. Pippa Blakemore provides five steps to sucess
Sullivan & Cromwell breaks magic circle dominance in European M&A
Sullivan & Cromwell has broken the dominance of the magic circle firms in the European M&A market.
The gee-gee whizz
Andrew Reid offers further proof, if it were needed, that lawyers do not always conform to traditional stereotypes.
The work-life quiz
Tim Taylor, head of corporate, Withers
Three LLPs release first accounts
Three firms have unveiled their first LLP accounts for the end of the 2004 financial year.
UK Reits get one step closer after Govt paper
Real estate lawyers have welcomed last week's dual developments on upward-only rent reviews and Real Estate Investment Trusts (Reits).
Urgent Issues Task Force clears up Application Note G confusion
The ongoing saga of Application Note G (ANG) to FRS5 finally reached a conclusion on 10 March, when the Urgent Issues Task Force of the Accounting Standards Board (ASB) issued its conclusions on the cause of much legal market angst.
Vlaemminck makes failed appeal on behalf of fruit seller in WTO v European law status
A Belgian boutique has been battling for the rights of a banana importer in his fight for the recognition of World Trade Organisation (WTO) rulings in Europe.
Weightmans lures Perkins property lawyers
Weightmans has appointed Clive Bleasdale as head of property, poaching him and a team of lawyers from North West firm Perkins Solicitors. Bleasdale, formerly head of property and founder of Perkins' Liverpool office, will be based in Weightmans' Liverpool branch. The hire follows an announcement in January that Weightmans was to focus more on commercial property work, particularly in Liverpool.
Willkie team feels blow of Heymann departure
Willkie Farr & Gallagher is reeling after the loss of its Frankfurt managing partner, who has quit the US firm to launch his own practice.
