The news that Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s head of China Douglas Markel had quit for Simpson Thacher & Bartlett hit late last night. See story. The news that Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer‘s head of China Douglas Markel had quit for Simpson Thacher & Bartlett hit late last night. See story. Markel had only been head of the […]
The latest round of promotions for 2007 have revealed that it takes an average of 8.6 PQE years for UK associates in the top 10 UK firms to be promoted to the partership, a rise of almost a year compared with promotions in 2004. This also represents a slight rise on the previous year, when […]
Taylor Wessing has promoted 11 lawyers to partnership with the majority based in Germany. The firm has made seven partner appointments in Germany including four in Munich and one each in Hamburg, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf. In the UK Taylor Wessing has focused primarily on corporate and tax with the promotion of four partners: Ann Casey […]
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has promoted six associates to the partnership, fewer than half the record 13 promoted last year. However, the firm has also promoted a further four lawyers to the associate director position it created as an alternative to partnership last year (The Lawyer, 20 November 2006). Real estate finance got two new […]
Law Society president Fiona Woolf is visiting Brussels today to lobby the European Commission on the liberalisation of legal services in Asia. Woolf will call on EU negotiators to prioritise legal services in their imminent work on free trade agreements with India, Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries. In a series of […]
Bird & Bird has raided Linklaters for the magic circle firm’s head of litigation Henrik Bielenstein. Bielenstein, who headed Linklaters’ litigation practice in the Stockholm office for five years, moves to Bird & Bird as the firm gears up to build its international dispute resolution team when the Swedish partner joins on 1 May. Bielenstein, […]
Herbert Smith is strengthening its Middle East presence with one partner transferring from Paris and another two set to move across in the summer. The firm opened its Dubai office under former Norton Rose partners Nadim Khan and Zubair Mir in March. While their focus is on finance, the firm has moved Paris-based international projects […]
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has poached Freshfields partner to launch its new office in Beijing. M&A partner, Douglas Markel, will head up the firm’s China practice, part of the firm’s Asian practice which includes offices in Hong Kong and Tokyo. Markel replaced Freshfields previous China head, Michael Moser, in February last year when Moser left […]
The inexorable rise of associate power has reached Arnold & Porter. The inexorable rise of associate power has reached Arnold & Porter. As we reveal today (see story), the firm has addressed the topical issue of age discrimination by removing any direct reference to seniority in its remuneration structure. Well, as London admin partner Tim […]
Arnold & Porter is restructuring its London associates’ remuneration to take account of the changes relating to age discrimination in the UK. The US firm is planning to move away from a lockstep-based system to a skills-based salary structure from the beginning of next year. The firm has also signalled its intention to involve its […]
The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) began its visit to India today (26 April) to discuss the liberalisation of its legal market. Constitutional Affairs Minister Baroness Catherine Ashton will meet the trade and justice ministers in New Delhi and will visit state bar councils in Chandigarh, Bangalore and Chennai. Ashton commented: “We’re seeking better access […]
Two partners who quit Hammonds earlier this month have resurfaced at new firms. Manchester tax partner Andrew Ashe-Taylor, who quit on 31 March (www.thelawyer.com, 3 April), has joined the local branch of Hill Dickinson as the firm’s new pensions head. Meanwhile, Berlin tax partner Jen-Uwe Hinder, who quit the same day, has joined the local […]