22 October 2007
The Lawyer
Process is not smooth as silk
Another year, another tweak to the QC application process. The QC selection panel will be reviewing the system yet again after the current round is done and dusted.
A&O comms chief quits
Allen & Overy (A&O)’s global head of communications David Crundwell is stepping down after just a year in the job.
A&O hires Freshfields Italian banking head
Allen & Overy has taken the first step in rebuilding its Italian banking practice, snatching Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s Italian finance chief Stefano Sennhauser
A&O, Mayer Brown and Cleary scoop credit crunch superfund
Allen & Overy, Mayer Brown and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton have secured roles advising on the mortgage securities superfund designed to help ease the credit crunch.
Baker & McKenzie hires fresh faces for IP
Baker & McKenzie has hired a raft of IP lawyers in Asia to recover from last month's raid by Jones Day, opening up a new front in the war for IP talent.
Bakers axes partner charged with money laundering
Baker & McKenzie has forced New York corporate partner Martin Weisberg to resign after he was charged with participating in a $55m (£26.83m) fraud and money laundering operation.
Bakers uses record results to help realise global ambition
Long regarded as a conservative beast, Baker & McKenzie, still glowing after breaking the $1m average profit per equity partner (PEP) barrier earlier this year, has embraced a new value: ambition.
Bakers wins Nike role on £284m Umbro takeover
Baker & McKenzie has scored a stunning coup by scooping the lead role advising Nike on its £284m takeover bid for UK sportswear maker Umbro.
Balfour wins SABMiller in-houser for GC role
Construction and utility giant Balfour Beatty has snared SABMiller deputy general counsel Chris Vaughan to take on the newly created post of general counsel.
Beating about the bush
Tulkinghorn's scribe has promised not to reveal the identity of the partner who embarked on a secret mission to poach a young associate and ended up stuck in a bush, but the tale is still worth telling.
BG Group appoints A&O partner as GC
Allen & Overy head of global projects, energy and infrastructure, Graham Vinter has scooped the role of general counsel at BG Group.
BLG stakes all on City litigation referrals
Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) is to make litigation the linchpin of the firm, signalling the end of any pretence at focusing on transactional practices.
Brandford-Griffith stakes French claim on Dubai with office launch
Brandford-Griffith & Associés is set to become the first French firm to launch an office in Dubai when it opens for business on 1 November.
Brick Court silk takes top CAT job
The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has finally announced its new president, more than eight months after Sir Christopher Bellamy retired from the post.
Bridge Capital hands Olswang Czech deal
Olswang has advised new client Czech Property Investment (CPI) on a Eu89m (£62m) hypermarket portfolio refinancing in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Byrne in the USA: DLA Piper takes on NY giants
The fourth quarter is still young, but DLA Piper is already projecting global a evenue of $2.5bn (£1.23bn) - an increase of around 15 per cent - for its 2008 financial year.
CC and Links act on DP World's Dubai flotation
Clifford Chance and Linklaters have scooped lead roles on Dubai Ports World’s (DP World) landmark listing on the Dubai Stock Exchange (DIFX).
Chadbourne makes up six to partnership
Chadbourne & Parke has made up six partners across its global offices, including one in London.
Chadbourne Moscow partner joins Norton Rose
Norton Rose has raided US firm Chadbourne & Parke for its only English-qualified partner in Moscow, Chris Owen.
Clydes beefs up Abu Dhabi with DWS hire
Clyde & Co has taken on Denton Wilde Sapte (DWS) former Muscat managing partner Andrew Watson as a partner in its Abu Dhabi office.
Cohen Milstein pours scorn on UK firms' claimant action handling
US firm Cohen Milstein Hausfeld & Toll claims that only a handful of UK firms could take on the might of the US legal world when it comes to winning instructions on the claimant side of class actions.
Confidentiality waivers split market
A year after the Law Society clarified its position on confidentiality waivers, City firms are still debating whether or not to use them in their standard terms of business (STBs).
Court of Appeal redraws rules on design and trademark rights
IP practitioners will need to update their textbooks on trademark and design rights after the Court of Appeal handed down two judgments within a week.
Dewey ditches London managing partner role
Dewey & LeBoeuf's decision to scrap the London managing partner role has been greeted with surprise across the firm, effectively bringing an end to the post-merger honeymoon period.
Dickson Minto and Halliwells advise on Saints takeover
Dickson Minto and Halliwells have scored lead roles on hedge fund Sisu Capital’s approach to Southampton Football Club.
DLA Piper and Travers handle CVS Aim listing
DLA Piper and Travers Smith have played major roles in the AIM listing of veterinary service provider CVS Group, which entered the junior market via a private equity exit.
DWS, Herbies handle Sainsbury's crisis
Denton Wilde Sapte (DWS) and Herbert Smith are thrashing out key pensions issues that are vital if Delta Two's acquisition of J Sainsbury is to go ahead.
E&Y hire maintains TwoBirds' Italy growth
Bird & Bird has raided Ernst & Young's (E&Y) Italian corporate practice as it continues its European hiring spree.
Equitable strife
Equity partnership may be many lawyers' Holy Grail, but rushing in before considering the implications could leave you vulnerable, warns Nigel Rushton
Eversheds flies in to survey Indian legal landscape
Eversheds is repositioning itself in anticipation of the liberalisation of the Indian market, with its new India head Gauri Advani flying out to the region for the first time since joining the firm.
Eversheds hires from Linklaters
Eversheds has poached managing associate Stuart Dutson from Linklaters and has promoted him to the partnership in its London office.
Eversheds leads henderson acquisition
Eversheds' real estate funds group has represented the Henderson UK Shopping Centre Fund on its £253m acquisition of Canterbury's White Shopping Centre from Land Securities.
Eversheds reduces finance operations
Eversheds is set to make up to 15 staff redundancies as the firm centralises its finance operations.
Eversheds revamps recruitment process
National firm Eversheds has radically overhauled its online trainee application form to make the system fairer for students from non-traditional backgrounds.
Firm in focus: SJ Berwin
SJ Berwin's flexible working policy has seen significant take-up from fee earners and support staff in London since its introduction in July.
Firm profile: Steeles Law
Steeles Law recently changed its name from Steeles, but it was not just an attempt at a flashy rebrand, the firm decided to change its name because its web address was very close to that of a car dealer.
Firms sink teeth into West Cornwall Pasty buy-in job
Addleshaw Goddard, Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), Burgess Salmon and DLA Piper have all played a role in the private equity-backed management buy-in of the West Cornwall Pasty Company.
Five's legal director calls it a day
Five's director of legal and business affairs Colin Campbell will leave the channel, having been with it since its creation in 1997.
Gilbert & Tobin hires TwoBirds' Asia corporate chief
Sydney-based Gilbert & Tobin has poached Bird & Bird’s Asia corporate head Julian Courtney-Stubbs and has launched an assault on its local rivals to bring in four more partners.
Hammonds' chief seeks second term
Hammonds managing partner Peter Crossley has declared that he will run for a second term in office.
Hammonds regulatory team leaves over strategy
Hammonds has axed its Birmingham professional regulation team as the practice no longer fits with the firm’s strategy.
Harris Cartier makes triple promotion
London and Slough firm Harris Cartier has appointed three new partners.
Herbies latest to dabble in Abu Dhabi
26-Oct-2007Money laundering, the axe and the old Bill
Herbies steps up Middle East push with Abu Dhabi launch
Herbert Smith is set to open an Abu Dhabi office in January with the intention of having a Saudi Arabian presence in due course.
Human rights lawyers in firing line as China cracks down on dissenters
Chinese human rights lawyers who challenge the authorities continue to place themselves at risk from being threatened, beaten and imprisoned.
Lawyers tackle Zimbabwe corruption
Lawyers in Zimbabwe who have been subjected to beatings, harassment and torture at the hands of their government have come to London today (22 October) to speak out about their dire situation.
Legal Services Bill passes final hurdle
The House of Lords yesterday approved the House of Commons’ amendments to the Legal Services Bill, with the legislation expected to receive Royal Assent next week.
Links leads the IT crowd
Linklaters has once again proved itself to be one of the more IT-savvy firms in the City, having launched its second computer program documentation system.
Links wins role on Sino-African banking deal
Linklaters guides Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) through its £2.6bn investment in Standard Bank, Africa’s largest bank.
Lovells Hamburg chief bids adieu
Lovells Hamburg managing partner Volker Meinberg has stepped down to leave the firm, making way for employment partner Eckard Schwarz to take over.
Lovells lands waste PFI for Veolia
Lovells has advised Veolia Environmental Services on a 27-year waste PFI deal, having been appointed to the company’s panel earlier this year.
Lovells looks to consultants to boost expertise
Lovells’ Madrid office has hired the former chair of one of Spain’s biggest utilities companies as it seeks to bolster its non-legal knowledge base.
Manchester unveils largest civil court for 100 years
The opening of the Manchester Civil Justice Centre tomorrow will free up other Manchester courts to process criminal cases.
Mayer Brown partner returns from Newcastle sojourn
Former Mayer Brown partner Michael Hutchinson has rejoined the firm following a brief spell in Dickinson Dees’ Newcastle office.
Mayer Brown sues client Vantis over unpaid fees
Mayer Brown is suing client Vantis for unpaid fees, claiming more than £400,000 plus interest.
McDermott suffers as IP head jumps ship
McDermott Will & Emery's head of IP Larry Cohen has defected to the London office of US firm Latham & Watkins.
MoFo raids O'Melveny for Japanese boost
Morrison & Foerster (MoFo) Tokyo has raided rival US firm O’Melveny & Myers for a corporate team.
Norton Rose bags role on KKR's first private equity deal in Turkey
Norton Rose's strategy of targeting Turkey-based deals has paid off, with the firm landing a lead role on Turkey's biggest private equity transaction to date.
Nuala Cosgrove: The Guardian
Looking after Guardian News and Media Group's legal wellbeing is a 24-hour job, but it is one that Nuala Cosgrove relishes. By Nina Goswami
Official: Mourant and Walkers in merger talks
Offshore heavyweights Mourant du Feu & Jeune and Walkers have confirmed that they are in merger talks to create the world's largest offshore firm.
Opinion: Colonial management is destroying German firms
Heads of UK firms with German offices met a couple of years ago to determine that they ought to hold their respective German affiliates on a much shorter leash.
Orrick hires Mintz Levin corporate star
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe's London office has snared Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo head of corporate Lena Hodge.
Pannone swipes Beachcroft pair
Pannone has hired Dylan Quail as a partner and Chris Love as an assistant solicitor from Manchester rival Beachroft.
Partnerships
Every corporate lawyer worth their salt is prepared for the changes that the introduction of the Companies Act 2006 will have on their clients. But as this Partnerships Special Report points out, far fewer lawyers have considered the impact that the changes will have on their own businesses.
Partnerships: Limited thinking
The Companies Act 2006 promises some big changes for limited-liability partnerships. Tina Williams and Daniel Sutherland report
People moves
Veale Wasbrough has bolstered its Bristol office, taking on secondee Zhang Hui from Guangzhou firm Whobound Law Firm for three months as part of the Lord Chancellor's Training Scheme for Young Chinese Lawyers.
Private equity and hedge fund lawyers gear up for regulatory bonanza
Will voluntary codes have the desired effect? Or is this just a quick-fix ruse?
Prize fighter
Awards are a tricky business. Every City lawyer professes not to care whether or not they receive one and yet there is much pouting if there isn't a trophy to decorate firms' lobbies and mantelpieces.
Rain clouds gather at McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery London office head David Dalgarno said this week: "We don't want to maintain the rainmaker model that is typical of the London market."
Ready for NED
Many law firm partners reaching retirement want to become non-executive directors (NEDs), as many assume that their skills are in huge demand and that this is a natural next step in their career.
Reed Smith's Foster gets Facebook fan club
Management changes at the London office of Reed Smith Richards Butler have sparked a rare outpouring of emotion from the firm's ranks.
Regional Focus: Birmingham
Thanks to its convenient geography, excellent transport links and competitive size, Birmingham is arguably one of the UK's most important legal centres outside London. More to the point, the city has shrugged of its industrial image and become a vibrant playground for young professionals who want a good alternative to working in the capital.
Resource management main challenge for M&A
Pensions, resource management and private equity issues dominated The Lawyer's two-day due diligence conference for in-house lawyers, held last week.
Richards Butler HK finally succumbs to Reed Smith
Reed Smith" /US firm Reed Smith has finally signed up the Hong Kong arm of Richards Butler nearly a whole year after merging with Richards Butler's UK operations.
Shacklocks builds Derbyshire presence
East Midlands firm Shacklocks has acquired Don Partridge's sole practitioner firm Partridge's in Allestree, Derby. Shacklocks has eight offices spread across the East Midlands and Partridge's move is aimed to strengthen itslegal and financial services expertise in rural and suburban Derbyshire , where the firm now has five offices.
Simmons and Ogier act on AbCap dispute
Simmons & Simmons and offshore firm Ogier have landed lead roles on a dispute between beleaguered hedge fund Absolute Capital (AbCap) and a group of its investors.
Simon Davies: Linklaters
Simon Davies has come from nowhere to lead Linklaters. How much is he tied to the old regime?
Singapore fling
Why Singapore has become a secret weapon for firms wanting to launch in Asia
Sole mates
McGrigors' new relationship with shoe retailer Jimmy Choo has been a big win for the firm's real estate team.
Spanish firms edged out of largest domestic IPO
Anglo-Saxon firms have completed a clean sweep in Spain, edging out domestic players to win all the major roles in the country's largest IPO to date.
SRA defends allegations of racist investigation process
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) chief executive Antony Townsend met with MP Keith Vaz and 40 aggrieved lawyers to rebuff allegations that the SRA is racist in its investigations of black and minority ethnicity (BME) lawyers.
Sullivan settles gay discrimination claim
Sullivan & Cromwell has settled out of court with former New York associate Aaron Charney, who sued the firm for sexual orientation discrimination earlier this year.
Taken for a ride
Tulkinghorn has to apologise for a case of mistaken identity.
Technology Law Alliance bags Norwich Union IT specialist
Boutique IT outfit Technology Law Alliance has bolstered its financial services practice with the hire of senior Norwich Union in-house lawyer Jess Brown.
The cream of the crop
One of Tulkinghorn's scribes had the delight of witnessing the annual Hokey Cokey "not-so-real" horserace at the Institute of Barristers' Clerks ball.
To C or not to C
Clifford Chance's quality internal monthly mouthpiece has until now simply been called C - surely a stroke of minimalist genius.
Trinity tie gives Nixon Peabody City base
US firm Nixon Peabody is launching its first London office via an alliance with emerging markets boutique Trinity.
Unilever in-houser wins INTA presidency
The International Trademark Association (INTA) has named Unilever global anti-counterfeiting head Richard Heath as its president for 2009.
Wachtell Lipton set for shock London launch
New York M&A powerhouse Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz is exploring the opportunity of launching its first international office in London.
Watch out for Wachtell
At Harvard Business School, there's a case study on what makes one of the world's most profitable law firms tick. They'll have to rewrite it.
Watson Burton wins multi-million pound miners' victory
Leeds firm Watson Burton has scored a multi-million pound Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) decision for miners against Britain’s largest producer of coal UK Coal.
Way out quest
Dealing with an exit from a limited-liability partnership can be a thorny issue, especially when no partnership agreement has been put in place, say Peter Garry and Troy Wano
Wayne King: 7 Bedford Row
What was your worst experience as a trainee?Dropping my first junior's sandwich. I picked it up, put it back in the bag and gave it to him - then hid in the corner.
Web week
Making a mark
What a performance
It is not often a lawyer is required to ask the question 'what's my motivation here?'. Enter stage right Weil Gotshal & Manges, which recently branched out into the rather kooky world of performance art.
