The refrain of the new legal aid tune consists of the phrases “block funding” and “cash limiting”- learn these words. The practice geared up to this new world will be franchised, contracted to a local Legal Aid Board office, and will operate to monitor quality standards. It may work with or refer work to other […]
Roger Woolfe, appointed senior partner at London firm Collyer-Bristow at the end of last year, was born in Nottingham in 1946. He now lives “in the middle of nowhere”, near Tenterden, Kent. What was your first job? Christmas temp with the Post office. Two hours delivering letters and 10 hours in the canteen clocking up […]
US-BASED international firm Coudert Brothers has taken the first step in building a UK tax and funds practice by hiring Clifford Chance tax specialist James Benger. Articled at Clifford Turner (now Clifford Chance), Benger spent eight years with the firm before joining Couderts London office this month. He is concentrating on structuring on- and off-shore […]
FEARS of indirect racial discrimination at the Bar have surfaced again. Black lawyer groups and the Bar Council’s own race relations committee are concerned that a proposal to delay call to the Bar until after six month’s pupillage will be unfair to ethnic minorities. The committee and others say the proposal could add to problems […]
THE LAW Society could face a u50,000 bill after the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal threw out a misconduct case against an assistant solicitor. The tribunal took the unusual step of ordering the society to pay costs after accepting a submission of no case to answer during the hearing. Michael Carroll, of Wilson & Co, was cleared […]
LEADING US firm Latham & Watkins is making further investigations after its head of project finance resigned, following his admission that he submitted false information to obtain expenses. San Francisco-based partner Timothy Flato – who earned almost $700,000 in 1993 – resigned at the start of the year after confirming the findings of an internal […]
LONDON construction firm Masons has formed an association with Philadelphia-based practice Pepper, Hamilton & Scheetz, creating one of the world’s top construction, engineering and project finance capabilities. The firms will collaborate on a non-exclusive basis, working on projects in both the UK and the US, as well the Far East and former Soviet countries. Masons […]
A LAW Society Commission has been set up this month to carry out the first major review of the workings of all 127 local law societies in England and Wales. The commission will examine the role and function of local law societies, including the 12 regional law societies, with a view to ‘raising their status […]
Ten years ago it would have been impossible to have set up a successful practice on your own without a full time secretary/receptionist (and the accompanying burdens of Paye and national insurance), a minimum of two offices and probably also a small conference room for meetings. However, recent technological developments and the introduction of the […]
COMMERCIAL Law Affiliates (CLA), the world’s largest international law firm network, has increased its numbers with the addition of 10 more firms, including its first members in Africa. The African firms are based in Johannesburg, Capetown and Lagos. Minneapolis-based CLA now has 181 member firms in more than 60 countries on six continents. Its members […]
Harris Rosenblatt & Kramer has advised on a successful High Court action on behalf of Doug Douglas, the newly elected president of the Graphical, Paper and Media Union. Douglas took the union to court when it backed an attempt to set aside its election ballot result. The Commissioner for the Rights of Trade Union Members […]
Lovell White Durrant has led a breakthrough for international insurance business in its advising of insurance company Yasuda Kasai in the first portfolio transfer involving six continental offices. Yasuda Kasai is a UK-based subsidiary of Kasuda Kasai Fire and Marine Insurance Company, Japan’s second-biggest insurer. The portfolio transfer is one of several options contained in […]