The Lawyer
23 January 2006
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Deals roundup
23-Jan-2006
O'Melveny & Myers is representing Regis Corporation, the hair salon chain, in its £1.5bn merger with the Sally Beauty Company, the chain of professional beauty product retailers.
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Lovells' Baird flies off to Allen & Overy
23-Jan-2006
Lovells private equity star Derek Baird (left) has resigned for Allen & Overy, leaving the top 10 City firm with just one private equity partner in London. Baird is the second private equity partner to quit Lovells in recent months. Last autumn it lost German private equity star Oliver Felsenstein and a team of associates to Clifford Chance. Following ...
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A&O slashes projects partners' equity take after profits review
23-Jan-2006
Lockstep principle jettisoned to save partner jobs; magic circle firm blames weak dollar for poor financial performance
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ABN brings employment in-house as disputes escalate
23-Jan-2006
Dutch investment banking giant ABN Amro has hired its first in-house employment lawyer in an bid to slash its external legal spend.
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Bar Council probes Blackstone's chief
23-Jan-2006
Blackstone Chambers co-head Ian Mill QC has found himself the subject of a Bar Council investigation after acting for Greek composer Vangelis in High Court litigation.
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Bermuda
23-Jan-2006
Roger Burgess looks at likely changes to partnership law in the jurisdiction
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Bets are off as firms do battle for London Stock Exchange
23-Jan-2006
Macquarie bid receives short shrift as battle for LSE rages. By Donna Sawyer
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Boutiques merge to create Munich media specialists
26-Jan-2006
Munich media boutiques Poll Ventroni and Straßer Feyock are set to merge, according to the German legal publication JUVE.
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Bright young things
23-Jan-2006
From senior associate to partner in one lateral move. Norton Rose is staking the future of its capital markets business on two former magic circle assistants. Will this new youth policy pay off? By Catrin Griffiths
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British Virgin Islands
23-Jan-2006
Amendments to the BVI's new corporate legislation will improve the legal situation for companies without undermining their competitiveness, writes Leonard Birmingham
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C&W poised to settle £40m case as counsel walks out
23-Jan-2006
Cable & Wireless (C&W) is on the brink of settling its £40m court case against 17 defendants in the same week as general counsel Andrew Garard sensationally quit the telecoms company.
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Camerons bags Romania's largest-ever deal
23-Jan-2006
CMS Cameron McKenna reaped the benefits of its longstanding relationship with Erste Bank by advising on the largest-ever deal to take place in Romania.
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Careers: In brief
23-Jan-2006
Minter Ellison has bolstered its international trade practice, snaring a New Zealand lawyer from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to coincide with an internal promotion. Iain Sandford joins after three years with the WTO in Geneva to become deputy director of Minter Ellison’s international trade group based in Canberra. At the same time, Siva Somasundram, an international trade specialist, has been promoted to the same title. Somasundram will be based in Melbourne.
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Careers: People
23-Jan-2006
Henmans has appointed planning and environment specialist Adrian White as a partner in the commercial property team. White was formerly a partner at Kingsley Napley in London.
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Carol Storer: Shelter
23-Jan-2006
Shelter’s Carol Storer leads a 17-strong team of housing lawyers who not only help people at risk of eviction, but also advise other legal professionals. By Joanne Harris
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Cat calls
23-Jan-2006
One of the more amusing snippets to have emerged from last week's hire by Allen & Overy of Lovells private equity partner Derek Baird is his nickname. Or rather, the name Baird apparently wanted his colleagues to call him.
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Cayman Islands
23-Jan-2006
With hedge fund registrations at an all-time high, Cima has moved to instigate critical reforms, including an overhaul of the mutual funds law set to be introduced this year. By Mark Lewis
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CEDR Solve mediation panel boosted with the recruitment of twenty-eight mediators
23-Jan-2006
The Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) has welcomed a bumper intake of new mediators to its independent mediation panel.
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Chairman quits Addleshaws as firm offloads showbiz practice
23-Jan-2006
Addleshaw Goddard is severing its remaining ties with the music and film legacy of Theodore Goddard by axing four partners, including iconic chairman Paddy Grafton-Green.
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Cobbetts wins Sock Shop administration
27-Jan-2006
National firm Cobbetts has won an instruction to act for the administrators of retailer Sock Shop.
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Consider This...
23-Jan-2006
It’s easy to be complacent when running an offshore company but local variations in corporate law can make things very tricky. David Brownbill reports
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CorporateCleary secures lead adviser role on Lotte Shopping's £1.7bn dual listing
23-Jan-2006
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has scooped the lead advisory role on the £1.7bn dual listing of South Korea's largest department store chain Lotte Shopping.
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Deals Comment
23-Jan-2006
So we have finally reached the endgame in the Reg Vardy acquisition, with Lookers ending months of speculation by putting in a bid. Lookers’ recommended cash offer of £492m trumps the £450m bid made by Pendragon months ago. It could also mean CMS Cameron McKenna missing out on a juicy deal to Addleshaw Goddard
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European Central Bank issues new capital rules
23-Jan-2006
Capital markets lawyers are preparing to get to grips with new rules from the European Central Bank governing international debt securities that can be considered eligible collateral.
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Expert witnesses report better bonds with firms
23-Jan-2006
Relationships between expert witnesses and instructing solicitors are improving, as the number of experts instructed to appear in court increases.
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Firm profile: Backhouse Jones
23-Jan-2006
Directors: James Backhouse, Jonathan Backhouse, Ian Jones and Andrew Woolfall Turnover: £1.8m Total number of fee-earners: 15 Main practice areas: Road transport, defendant personal injury, regulatory compliance, commercial litigation and employment Key clients: Stagecoach, Firstgroup, Arriva and Shearings ...
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Firms' defences tested after rash of negligence actions
23-Jan-2006
The case is one of several high-profile, high-value claims against solicitors reaching court this year. Pinsent Masons is currently fighting an £18m claim brought by pension trustees Capital Cranfield.
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French giant Fidal boosts turnover on back of M&A boom
24-Jan-2006
French giant Fidal has recorded a turnover rise of eight per cent, bringing its total income to EUR265m for 2005.
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Freshfields' radical pensions overhaul nears completion
23-Jan-2006
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is close to finalising plans to radically overhaul its partners' treasured pension scheme.
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Gibraltar
23-Jan-2006
Gibraltar is fighting to protect its position as an international finance centre by replacing its existing tax-exempt company status with a novel taxation system. By Stephen Forster
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Gibson hires boost DC office
25-Jan-2006
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has added two new partners to its Washington DC office.
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Grapevine
23-Jan-2006
The Collins Stewart libel claim against the Financial Times (FT) has attracted a vast amount of interest due to its wider implications for business and the media. The case would have tested issues such as the effectiveness of the 'Reynolds Defence' and a newspaper's right to qualified privilege.
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Heller raids Kelley Drye for labour team
24-Jan-2006
Heller Ehrman has added three new partners to its New York labour practice with a raid on New York’s Kelley Drye & Warren.
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Herbies lands breakthrough financing mandate on £3.5bn PSA bid
27-Jan-2006
Herbert Smith has scooped the £3.545bn debt finance mandate on PSA International's bid for P&O.
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Hunton & Williams widens UK offering
23-Jan-2006
HUNTON & Williams' London office has added a corporate recovery and insolvency practice with the hire of Clyde & Co's rated practice head Mark Fennessy.
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Imternational report: Jenner & Block
23-Jan-2006
Jenner & Block has long been a mainstay of the Chicago scene. The firm has a highly rated litigation practice, but it is now looking for a subtle change of focus as it aims to ramp up its corporate commercial practice.
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Independence play
23-Jan-2006
The independence of juries is a cause close to many lawyers' hearts, but few more so than Winchester-based Nigel Pascoe QC.
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International eye: France
23-Jan-2006
Joanne Harris on the month in France: Rambaud Martel partners go their separate ways US firms let bygones be bygones in Paris Privatisations gift UK, US firms with a hefty slice of French business A local bar for local lawyers
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Isle of Man: E-gaming
23-Jan-2006
Innovative legal reforms combined with a sustained marketing salvo have established the Isle of Man as the offshore capital of e-gaming. By Tim Casben
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Isle of Man: Space Industry
23-Jan-2006
The space industry has landed firmly on the Isle of Man. Andrew Corlett reports on how proposed changes to Manx law will encourage further investment from global companies
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Japan ushers in year of the whistleblower
23-Jan-2006
Foreign law firms in Japan are gearing up for a wave of new competition work following the introduction of new anti-monopoly laws.
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Jersey
23-Jan-2006
Answers to questions about the rise of real estate investment trusts and the fate of Jersey property unit trusts will have to wait until the Chancellor’s next Budget, write Mark Lewis and Christian Harran
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Jersey and Guernsey
23-Jan-2006
Jersey and Guernsey are increasingly popular jurisdictions for the establishment of vehicles issuing structured equity products for retail investors. Jonathan Rigby reports
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JMW unveils money laundering initiative
23-Jan-2006
Manchester firm JMW Solicitors has launched a money laundering advisory business with a partner from DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary as it embarks on a major expansion plan.
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Keeping up with Jones
23-Jan-2006
CBI chief Sir Digby Jones is enthusiastic - and vocal - about the potential for English law firms to flourish in the wake of the white paper on the reform of the profession. By Matt Byrne
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Law Society disbands training review group
23-Jan-2006
The future of legal education in England and Wales has been thrown into doubt following the Law Society's decision to abolish the Training Framework Review Group (TFRG).
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LawAlliance aims to improve personal injury case handling
23-Jan-2006
Sixty law firms have launched an alliance aimed at establishing better links with insurers in an attempt to cut costs and speed up the handling of personal injury (PI) claims.
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Legal Widow
23-Jan-2006
"Where have all the assistants gone?" The cry has gone up in the Lawyer's firm; dozens of lawyers bemoaning the modern age of choosy legal debutants.
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Linklaters lands HBOS in £11m sex bias action
23-Jan-2006
Linklaters is defending banking giant HBOS against the largest-ever sex discrimination claim to hit the City.
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London brawling
23-Jan-2006
Canada's largest firm McCarthy Tétrault has faced many obstacles trying to establish itself in the UK with a small three-partner office. But there is one hurdle no other Canadian firm in the City has had to deal with before - the confusion between London, Ontario and London, England.
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Lovells smashes lockstep
24-Jan-2006
Lovells has concluded its protracted lockstep review and has given the firm’s partnership council the power to move under-performing partners down its equity ladder.
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MBO sees Cripps Portfolio quit firm
23-Jan-2006
Cripps Harries Hall is set to see turnover drop by 25 per cent this year as its investment and wealth management arm completes a management buyout (MBO).
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McCarthy Tétrault expands in London
23-Jan-2006
CANADIAN firm McCarthy Tétrault has expanded its City office, adding a project finance partner to boost its expanding AIM-focused work.
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McGrigors raid for energy team cuts Ledingham in half
23-Jan-2006
McGrigors is poised to make a stunning entry into the oil and gas market by launching a raid that splits Scottish rival Ledingham Chalmers in two.
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McGuireWoods launches IT group with Chicago boutique acquisition
23-Jan-2006
VIRGINIA-based McGuireWoods has bolstered its information technology capability with the bolt-on of 15-lawyer Chicago IT boutique Gordon & Glickson.
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Miami powerhouse enters Boston with local merger
23-Jan-2006
Adorno & Yoss of Miami is merging with Fitzhugh Parker & Alvaro of Boston.
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Mills & Reeve bags senior GMC lawyer
23-Jan-2006
Mills & Reeve has snared senior General Medical Council (GMC) lawyer Peter Steel for its growing healthcare regulatory practice. Steel, a principal legal adviser at the council, is set to join the Norwich-based firm as a senior associate on 6 February. The departure comes as the GMC reviews its legal panel, with plans to cut its legal spend. Mills & Reeve is among the firms currently on the panel. The firm is set to battle it out with Field Fisher Waterhouse and Eversheds for a spot ...
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Mofo boosts antitrust team with senior DoJ hire
26-Jan-2006
Morrison & Foerster (MoFo) has boosted its antitrust practice with the hire of a senior Department of Justice lawyer.
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Monckton wins Hailsham EU law specialist
23-Jan-2006
Monckton Chambers has picked up a new tenant from Hailsham Chambers.
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Morgan Lewis to launch white-collar crime team
23-Jan-2006
Morgan Lewis & Bockius is launching a French white-collar crime practice with the hire of former Rambaud Martel partner Thierry Dalmasso.
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Nauta's PEP boosted by partner drop
23-Jan-2006
Nauta Dutilh has revealed a profits rise of 10 per cent for 2005 although revenues at the Dutch giant remained static.
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New York Bar Assoc asks firms to commit to 50 hours pro bono
23-Jan-2006
The New York bar is calling upon law firms in the city to sign up to ambitious pro bono targets in a new initiative to coordinate standards.
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Not Pullen his punches
23-Jan-2006
The January detox has become such a dull and predictable routine that it really takes something to surprise Tulkinghorn. And here it is. Legendary unfit bloke Mike Pullen, of DLA Piper Bloody Jim Cary, has not had a drink since Boxing Day.Not only that, Pullen has begun training to lose weight. And not only that. He's apparently hired 1980s boxer Errol Christie to whip him into shape. A slimline Pullen. What a tonic.
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Offshore cracks open the door
23-Jan-2006
The offshore world is one consolidated market. For the first time, The Lawyer reveals the top 20 offshore firms in the world. By Gemma Westacott
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Offshore roundup
23-Jan-2006
Lorraine Cushnie reports on the latest developments in the offshore sector: Offshore law firms target London in pursuit of growth Carey Olsen limits itself to legal services Applebys, Collas Day and Ogier institute personnel changes
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Opinion
23-Jan-2006
Google Book Search is in court for infringing copyright in the US; it will find UK law even more hostile
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Orrick raids White & Case for Russian team in Tokyo
25-Jan-2006
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe have raided White & Case to add a new Russian practice team to its Tokyo office.
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Outrage at plans to scrap Iraq bar board
23-Jan-2006
IRAQI lawyers are furious at moves by the country's Minister of Justice to disband the board of the country’s Bar Association.
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Pillsbury faces management shake-up as Cranston quits
27-Jan-2006
West Coast giant Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman is set for a full-scale overhaul of its management following the decision of charismatic chair Mary Cranston to step down when her term end in December.
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Pinsent Masons announces move to CityPoint
27-Jan-2006
Pinsent Masons is set to vacate its Dashwood House premises for new office space at CityPoint, in the first stage of the firm’s plan to unite staff under one roof after merging in 2004.
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Projects practices line up for bite of massive road scheme
23-Jan-2006
Projects practices across the City are gearing up for a lengthy bid process as five consortia vie for the lucrative £1.5bn M25 widening project.
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Projects problems signal demise of lockstep
23-Jan-2006
This marks a watershed for City firms' finance groups. If Allen & Overy (A&O), the UK's top project finance firm, is having to junk lockstep to make its practice pay, what hope for the rest?
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Revenue at Steptoe London skyrockets 45 per cent
24-Jan-2006
The London office of Steptoe & Johnson has posted a record 45 per cent surge in revenues for 2005.
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RFL overhauls legal panel
26-Jan-2006
THE RFL, the UK’s governing body for rugby league, is reviewing its legal panel, looking to appoint a specialist sports law team as it faces broadcasting and sponsorship rights negotiation to secure the future of the sport.
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Sabre buyout instigates counsel change at lastminute.com
23-Jan-2006
INTERNET travel company lastminute.com has named Sanjay Lobo as legal director following David Hickson's resignation following the July 2005 takeover by US travel technology giant Sabre Holdings.
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Separated at birth
23-Jan-2006
These days Dr Frasier Crane is enjoying life away from the glare of the media limelight. The radio psychiatrist hung up his headphones and said "goodnight Seattle" for the final time last summer. Since then he's been busy working on a radical career change and establishing himself as the head of his own law firm. Still, some things don't change. Tulkinghorn is delighted to report that Crane, who now goes by the name of Christian Berger, has lost none of his famous sense of humour. This ...
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SJ Berwin raids W&C, A&O for Italian job
25-Jan-2006
SJ Berwin has launched the recruitment process for its new Italian team following the opening of offices in Milan and Turin in December.
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Stephensons property ace joins Taylor Wessing
23-Jan-2006
Stephenson Harwood has lost one of the rising stars from its real estate team.
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Sumption and Nally bag Judicial Appointments roles
23-Jan-2006
Brick Court Chambers’ co-head Jonathan Sumption QC and former Law Society President Edward Nally have been selected as the two professional members of the new Judicial Appointments Commission.
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Sutherland and Freshfields land BNFL roles on £2.8bn Toshiba deal
25-Jan-2006
US firm Sutherland Asbill & Brennan and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have scooped instruction from British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) on the pending US$5bn (£2.8bn) sale of its US subsidiary Westinghouse to Japanese congolmerate Toshiba.
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Tesco sues Lovells over Czech property deal
23-Jan-2006
Lovells is facing a massive negligence claim from supermarket giant Tesco over work carried out in the Czech Republic.
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The Brussels experience
23-Jan-2006
Trainee Kathryn Carlile recounts her experience of a six-month secondment to the hub of the EU
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The lawyer garage star
23-Jan-2006
Scantily clad girls, fast cars and… er… lawyers. A seamless mix - at least in the eyes of one West Coaster.
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The Tom ap Rhys Pryce Memorial Trust
23-Jan-2006
Linklaters has set up a charitable trust in memory of its associate Tom ap Rhys Pryce, who was murdered on 12 January in London. In a statement, the magic circle firm said: "Tom's family and fiancée have decided that an appropriate memorial would be a charitable trust. Tom was himself a beneficiary of educational funding for which he was always grateful. It is therefore planned that any contributions will be used to enable individuals, who could not otherwise afford it, to achieve their ...
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The work-life quiz
23-Jan-2006
Franco Bosi, Basingstoke managing partner,Penningtons
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T-Mobile imposes legal budget cuts
23-Jan-2006
Telecoms giant T-Mobile has halved its legal spend and cut the number of law firms it uses in a company-wide bid to slash costs.
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Townsend's Microsoft settlement challenged
23-Jan-2006
West Coast IP boutique Townsend and Townsend and Crew has all but finished its seven-year, $1.1bn (£624.7m) consumer class action against Microsoft, which should reap fees of around $101m (£57.4m).
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UK Roundup: The bar
23-Jan-2006
Joanne Harris on the month at the bar: 199 Strand dissolves Busy times for regional chambers 2006: a promising year for negligence barristers
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US firms report strong 2005 with London branches pulling ahead
23-Jan-2006
The first crop of year-end results from US firms confirm that 2005 has proved to be a good year for most firms, both in London and globally, despite a slow first quarter.
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Waco looks to Linklaters on £500m private equity deal
23-Jan-2006
LINKLATERS has shored up its leading status in South Africa after advising on the country's largest private equity deal to date, a £500m sale of industrial services giant Waco.
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West Midlands merger creates top 100 UK firm
25-Jan-2006
West Midlands firms Cartwright & Lewis and Challinors have announced they will merge, in a partnership that is expected to push the new firm into the top 10 in the region.
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Winston wins Govt man for Paris expansion
23-Jan-2006
Winston & Strawn has made its second French partner hire in a month as it launches a Paris-based administrative law practice.
