22 March 2010
The Lawyer
A&O, BLP, DLA make Aldar’s first panel
Aldar, the major Abu Dhabi-based developer of projects, including the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi theme park, has finalised its first panel.
AIM takes small steps to recovery as rivals remain dogged by slump
Recent deals coupled with Plus’s poor performance show AIM is holding its own. By Gavriel Hollander
Ashurst, Freshfields, Simmons steer Swedish-UK energy merger
Ashurst, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Simmons & Simmons have taken leading roles on the merger of parts of existing Swedish and UK oil and gas entities to form a new listed company, EnQuest.
Asserson Law Offices in growth mode
Israeli firm Asserson Law Offices has continued its growth with the appointment of real estate chief David Prais as managing partner alongside a quartet of new hires from London firms.
Baroness Scotland calls for youth engagement
Attorney General Patricia Scotland has called for “positive actions” to promote justice and social mobility, while hitting out at suggestions made by the Conservatives of a ’broken Britain’.
BLG loses regulatory partner to Bakers
Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) regulatory partner Ian Mason has quit the firm for Baker & McKenzie in a move that will strike a blow to BLG’s new management line-up.
BLP hires RBS structured finance expert
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has hired a former Linklaters banking partner to build up its structured finance team.
Camerons to generate cocktail chat from a computer
Those awkward moments when overworked City lawyers momentarily forget a client’s name are soon to be a thing of the past, if a new scheme from CMS Cameron McKenna catches on.
City firms line up for £400m Hull schools project
Addleshaw Goddard, DLA Piper, Eversheds and Pinsent Masons have advised on a £400m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) scheme in Hull.
Damages control
The courts have been busy rooting out the ambiguity surrounding damages for breach of contract claims. Marion Smith examines the most recent takes on these restitutionary dilemmas
Dewey shows joined-up thinking as calls for a City chief are answered
London gears up for next level after two years of integration.
Focus: Diversity, Power to the pupils
Law firms are missing a trick by focusing their diversity schemes mainly on university students rather than A-level pupils. Lawyer 2B’s careers day helps out
Fox Williams leads on £120m fashion IPO
Fox Williams, Irwin Mitchell and Memery Crystal have taken lead roles on the proposed £120m IPO of youth fashion retailer SuperGroup.
Fox Williams swoops on US firms for partner trio
Fox Williams has hired three new partners, all from US firms.
Fusion generator
The Legal Services Act may be causing a few sweaty palms at the bar, but as Bridget Lucas reports, grasping the nettle and using the changes to best advantage will take the sting out of an altered litigation landscape
Halliwells buffers exits with corporate hire
Halliwells has appointed a new partner to its London corporate recovery team as others leave the office.
IP outfit Joshi & Welch scores BP in-houser
IP boutique Joshi & Welch has appointed former BP in-houser Bob Boad as its new chairman.
Irwin Mitchell in Telegraph link-up
Irwin Mitchell has signed a deal with Telegraph Media Group (TMG) that will see the paper offering legal services to readers.
Lovells, Freshfields, White & Case secure major German energy deal
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Lovells and White & Case have advised on a major deal that is set to transform the German energy market.
Noerr boss vows that planned London office is ‘no threat’ to UK partner firms
The managing partner of German firm Noerr, which earlier this month announced its plans to open an office in London, has insisted that the move will not interfere with its relationships with UK firms.
Opinion: Chinese firms are gearing up for new legal world order
Since China’s outbound investment, or ’go-global’ campaign, started 10 years ago we have witnessed Chinese enterprises flexing their muscles internationally.
People moves
Sir David Keene, a retired Lord Justice of Appeal, has been appointed to the Queen’s Counsel Selection Panel.
Pointing the finger
While investors know securitisation prospectuses are not infallible, the question of which party shoulders the blame should information be remiss remains something of an enigma. By Andrew Twigger
Simmons mulls Ireland launch after EU directive
Simmons & Simmons is scoping the Irish market as part of extensive scenario planning for its funds practice.
SRA chair draws the poison from City’s wounds at Lawyer conference
The City has given a tentative thumbs-up to ’transformational’ proposals outlined by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) last week.
Stephensons prepares for office relocation
Stephenson Harwood’s City office will move from its current St Paul’s Churchyard home next spring after signing an agreement with Hermes Real Estate.
Stones
South West firm Stones was one of the first of The Lawyer’s UK 200 firms to take drastic action at the onset of the recession. The Exeter-headquartered firm scaled back its sprawling office network from six to just two in the autumn of 2008.
Stonewall commends progress on LGB policy
The legal sector is making major strides on promoting lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) equality, according to LGB charity Stonewall.
The pain in Spain
The recession may have come late to Spain, but as James Swift reports, it has not escaped unscathed and nor has its lawyers
Tulkinghorn: Wigs in space
There’s plenty of talk in law student circles about how to make your application stand out from the crowd. But young would-be lawyers at Sunderland University must be pulling Tulkinghorn’s leg with its new space law module.
UK outsourcing challenges offshoring as firms’ favourite
Reluctance by clients to send work overseas makes firms look at alternatives closer to home
Unnatural selection
Finding your own conversational gambits used to be the mark of the averagely socially skilled lawyer.
West London boroughs moot combined legal department
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea are looking into combining their legal functions.
Work Life Quiz: Catherine Gannon, Gannons Solicitors
What time do you usually leave the office? As soon as I can.
You’ll never work alone
Some of them might try to convince you otherwise, but it is a rare thing for a lawyer to describe their job honestly as “a dream come true”.
