24 January 2005
The Lawyer
2005: clash of the litigation titans
Grabiner and Sumption square up as the heavyweights of the bar prepare themselves for a raft of momentous litigation
Arnold & Porter in eight-partner swoop on Dorsey NY
Washington DC’s Arnold & Porter is dramatically beefing up its New York capability after a devastating eight-partner raid on Dorsey & Whitney.
Ashurst fills Paris managing partner role
Ashurst has chosen corporate partner Frédéric Pinet to replace outgoing Paris managing partner Christopher Crosthwaite. Pinet, 38, becomes one of the France’s youngest managing partners. Pinet is charged with consolidating Ashurst’s corporate presence in France, particularly in M&A work. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com 18 January 2005
Barlows puts ‘stay or go’ option to its banking staff
Barlow Lyde & Gilbert is to let its banking associates choose whether to stay at the firm or follow two departing banking partners to Winston & Strawn’s London office.
Beattie calls on Hill Dickinson to advise on Everton transfer
Hill Dickinson has scored a success for its sports department after advising on the £6m transfer of Premiership footballer James Beattie from Southampton to Everton .
Bird & Bird makes double partner hire
Bird & Bird has achieved a net partner gain after poaching partners from Linklaters and Simmons & Simmons but losing one to DLA.
Brobeck battle rages on as bankruptcy trustee seeks $275m
Ronald Greenspan, the trustee of Brobeck Phleger & Harrison’s bankruptcy estate, has escalated his attack on former Brobeck partners after launching actions to retrieve around US$275m in distributions and bonuses paid after the firm allegedly became insolvent. A portion of Brobeck’s debt to major creditor Citibank is also being sought from former partners.
Cadwalader lands P&G on Gillette acquisition
Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft has landed work advising consumer giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) on its $57bn acquisition of Gillette.
Careers: in brief
Mishcon de Reya announced last week that property partner Kevin Gillon had been awarded a UK diploma in anti-money laundering by the International Compliance Association. Gillon is one of the first ever solicitor Money Laundering Reporting Officers to gain this new and internationally recognised qualification, awarded in cooperation with the University of Manchester Business School and the ...
Careers: people
Moon Beever has hired Davis Arnold Cooper’s former head of business recovery Shashi Rajani as a partner in its insolvency and business recovery team. Rajani was formerly a barrister in both London and Tanzania and an insolvency manager with Coopers & Lybrand.
CC scoops first major deal for Shell since panel review
Clifford Chance has received a vote of confidence from Royal Dutch/Shell on its first major deal since the oil company’s law firm panel review last year.
Cerberus hands Milbank first UK work in Boxclever buyout
Boxclever acquisition by Cerberus
Chadbourne & Parke in five-partner raid on Dentons
Denton Wilde Sapte has lost five partners from its contentious insurance practice to US firm Chadbourne & Parke.
Coaching: freeing up latent potential
Coaching can help law firms to clarify present and future skills sets, says Peta Sweet
Cobbetts boosts German team
Cobbetts has added to its commercial group with the hire of a partner from German firm Busse & Miessen. Jan Becher will bolster Cobbetts’ German team, which operates across the firm’s three offices in Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds. He becomes Cobbetts’ eleventh commercial partner and will be based in Birmingham. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com 18 January 2005
Cobbetts raids Hammonds for construction splash
Hammonds has suffered a double construction loss as two Birmingham partners move to Cobbetts.
Collyer-Bristow in fraud fight
Collyer-Bristow is facing a High Court claim for its alleged involvement in a multimillion-pound fraud against Cable & Wireless (C&W) and subsidiary Pender Insurance.
Conflicts top the agenda -again
Another week, another set of conflict allegations. First, there’s Norton Rose being blasted by erstwhile trophy client Stelios on its work for Stelmar. Norton Rose is denying any conflict, but that hardly seems to be carrying much weight with the easyGroup chairman.
Damages awarded in Kendall Freeman’s ‘right to light’ fight
Kendall Freeman last week saw its ‘right to light’ upheld in the High Court, but was unable to prevent Land Securities from building opposite its Fetter Lane offices.
DLA Piper takes tax ace from Hammonds
DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary has delivered a blow to Hammonds’ London tax group by hiring partner Tracy Fisher.
DMH completes tie-up with Stallard Solicitors
South-East firm DMH has secured a London merger with Stallard Solicitors. The merger creates a 47-partner firm with an estimated turnover of £21m. It will practice as DMH Stallard,led by current DMH managing partner Tim Aspinall.
Enron prosecutor joins Morgan Lewis
Morgan Lewis & Bockius has hired Enron Task Force prosecutor John Hemann as a partner in its San Francisco office.
Exchange wins senior junior from 3 Temple Gdns
Exchange Chambers has hired criminal barrister Kim Whittlestone, a senior junior from 3 Temple Gardens. Whittlestone becomes Exchange’s 37th criminal barrister.She is currently acting as defence counsel in a large conspiracy to murder trial at Luton Crown Court.
Finance deals round-up
DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary (John Cutler, Richard Mann, Alex Dumphy) advised Barclays Leveraged Finance on the £75m debt funding of the secondary buyout of Tragus Group, owner of the Café Rouge and Bella Italia restaurant chains, among others.
Firm profile: Fenwick Elliott
A confident firm is one that can choose to turn away work. Fenwick Elliott is one such firm. The construction boutique, which moved into new premises on Aldwych just before Christmas, believes it is in the happy position of being the largest specialist construction law firm in the UK, following construction heavyweight Masons’ merger last year with Pinsents.
Forensic accountants press for quality mark
A group of accountants is calling for a quality mark to give lawyers reassurance that expert witnesses are capable of carrying out their job.
French independent De Pardieu lands Jones Day tax expert
French independent De Pardieu Brocas Maffei has snagged a leading tax lawyer from Jones Day in Paris.
Fulbright team defects to Arnold & Porter
Washington DC-based Arnold & Porter has bagged a team of six securities litigation lawyers from the DC office of Texas firm Fulbright & Jaworski. Michael Trager, who heads the team, joins Arnold & Porter as a partner and head of the firm’s securities enforcement practice. He is joined by partners Richard Jacobson and Charles Wenner and three associates. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com 18 January 2005
General Electric offers panel places to law firms that stay on-side
General Electric (GE) is forcing its external lawyers to sign an agreement prohibiting firms from litigating against any of the US giant’s group companies or affiliates in return for a place on its coveted UK panel.
Gide posts 15 per cent revenue hike as it bolsters London with Cadwalader lateral
French international Gide Loyrette Nouel has posted a revenue rise of 15 per cent for 2004.
Government overhaul leaves Portugal’s PFI sector in turmoil
The Portuguese PFI market, a source of rich pickings for UK lawyers, has hit a hiatus after December’s sacking of the centre-right government.
Grapevine
Camerons trying to make the (investment) gradeCMS Cameron McKenna can be thankful for Danske Bank’s European repositioning, as its December figures were boosted by not one but two hefty deals. National Australia Bank used the firm on its £967m disposal of Northern Bank and National Irish Bank in mid-December, when Danske tapped long-time advisers
Hammonds IP team suffers fourth partner exit
Shaw Pittman is on the verge of recruiting its first lateral hire since last year’s exodus of lawyers to Morrison & Foerster by taking Hammonds IP partner Phillip Rees.
Herbies taps into Scottish Water’s regulatory work
Herbert Smith has trumped the Scottish legal sector by scoring a place as the sole adviser to Scottish Water on its regulatory affairs.
Hudd tipped for Lovells’ finance head role
Lovells is expected to confirm capital markets veteran David Hudd as the head of the firm’s finance practice.Hudd, currently the leader of Lovells’ capital markets and securitisation group, was identified by the firm’s partnership council as the candidate with the most support during the consultation process. The appointment will be confirmed on 1 February once the return date for votes closes.
InBev lures Diageo in-houser to fill chief legal officer role
Inbev, the world’s largest brewer – whose flagship brands include Stella Artois and Becks – has raided drinks rival Diageo for a new chief legal officer (CLO).
James Liddiard: The Innovation Group
After cracking international expansion, insurance software company the Innovation Group is breaking into claims processing. Joanne Harris reports
Know thyself
Some partners say they have nothing to learn, but growing your knowledge is the best way to grow your firm. Jeremy Dutton on how the Rising 50 can reach the Top 100
Legal & General challenges FSA’s enforcement formula
Legal & General (L&G) is considering whether to press the Financial Services and Markets Tribunal to force the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to overhaul its enforcement procedures.
Linklaters loses Brussels IP head to Howrey Simon
Linklaters has lost its Brussels head of IP Carl De Meyer to US firm Howrey Simon Arnold & White.
Lovells Berlin partner quits to launch real estate boutique
Lovells is losing Berlin-based tax and real estate partner Nikolaus Ley.
Mace & Jones hires Hammonds insolvency star
Mace & Jones has boosted its insolvency team with the hire of Hammonds’ Manchester partner Dermot Preston. Preston is moving after five years as a partner at Hammonds. His clients include KPMG, Ernst & Young and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
NAO report into hospital PFI puts UK market on red alert
Ongoing refinancings stall in anticipation of damning report into hospital PFI. By Joanne O’Connor
New chief takes the reins at MoFo
Morrison & Foerster has named Larren Nashelsky, who chairs the firm's bankruptcy and restructuring practice, as the firm’s new managing partner for the US.
Nowhere to hide
One of the main changes a firm undergoes when converting to LLP status is the way in which it must present its accounts. David Furst and Steve Gale advise on best practice
OFT bolsters enforcement division with Lovells lateral
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has taken on Lovells associate Sean-Paul Brankin as a director in its competition enforcement division.Brankin replaces Simon Brindley who has moved to the consumer enforcement division. The OFT has also appointed a second standing counsel. Daniel Beard of Monckton Chambers will work alongside the current standing counsel Jon Turner, a member of the same set.
O'Melveny bolsters M&A after swoop on Wilson Sonsini, McDermott
O'Melveny & Myers is dramatically ramping up its M&A offering in San Francisco and New York after raids on Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and McDermott Will & Emery.
Opinion
The old QC selection system was not as bad as its press, but the new one should be better
Penningtons acts for Bank of India in BCCI appeal
South East firm Penningtons last week had its piece of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) pie as the Court of Appeal heard an offshoot of the case, which at the last count had generated more than £40m in legal fees.
PFI troubles hit Romania
Portugal is not the only European country where political instability has caused fallout for the PFI market. Romania’s nascent PFI market has been turned on its head with the news that the new government is to review £2.5bn in PFI contracts after it emerged the contracts were awarded by the previous administration without competitive tender.
Pillsbury merger to salvage Shaw Pittman NY
Shaw Pittman’s anticipated merger with Pillsbury Winthrop could shore up the Washington DC firm’s ailing New York office after two of the firm’s New York partners left for Morgan Lewis & Bockius.
Regulators ban non-lawyer from Nauta board
Regulators have barred Dutch giant Nauta Dutilh from hiring a non-lawyer for its management board.
Round two in legal privilege war
The battle between the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales (ICAEW) and the Law Society over legal privilege took a new twist last week when the ICAEW handed the Home Office an opinion from a second top Brick Court silk.
Sidley accused of age discrimination
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is suing Sidley Austin Brown & Wood for discriminating against 31 of its partners when it expelled them from its partnership in 1999. Under the US Age Discrimination and Employment Act, employers cannot discriminate against employees aged 40 or above; all the demoted partners were over 40. John Hendrickson, the EEOC regional attorney in Chicago ...
Simkins partners mull split
The partners at West End media and entertainment firm the Simkins Partnership are considering a split later this year.
Simmons in settlement deal with refusenik partner
Simmons & Simmons has settled an anti-Semitism claim with rebel partner Robert Schon. The City firm has stated that Tribunal proceedings are no longer continuing. It is understood that Schon will remain a partner with the firm. As revealed by The Lawyer last year, Schon, a tax partner, filed his claim against Simmons on Monday 19 July, in which he alleged anti-Semitism. As also revealed by The Lawyer, Schon is one of a tiny number of partners Simmons could not remove from the equity.
Simmons set for management rejig
Simmons & Simmons’ new managing partner Mark Dawkins is set to shake up the firm’s management as soon as he enters office.
Slaughter and May under fire for conflict on LSE bid
Magic circle firm in tactical gaffe as dual role gives Deutsche Börse ammunition on LSE battle
Spendlove elected managing partner at Fried Frank
Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson has announced a management reshuffle, with London partner Justin Spendlove elected to the managing partner post at the US firm.
Stelios attacks Norton Rose over alleged Stelmar conflict
Norton Rose over alleged Stelmar conflict" /Norton Rose last week denied conflict allegations levelled by easyGroup chairman and Norton Rose client Stelios Haji-Ioannou over work the firm has done for shipping company Stelmar.
Teacher Stern Selby elbows out Kendall Freeman to win Iraqi Airways work
London firm Teacher Stern Selby has become the third firm in as many years to win work for the Iraqi Airways Company (IAC) in its long-running dispute with the Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC).
The Lawyer Legal Summit 2005
The Lawyer Legal Summit – the premier event to focus on building long-term business relationships between external advisers and in-house lawyers – will this year be held in Barcelona at the Hotel Arts, between 10-12 November. It will bring together 120 senior in-house counsel with 90 lawyers from private practice. Kim Morgan, senior legal counsel at GE Consumer Finance, said of last year’s event: “Held in superb surroundings overlooking Rome, the Legal Summit 2004 was a great event for ...
The perfect partnership
Will the increasing popularity of LLPs and the introduction of Clementi’s recommendations spell the end for the traditional partnership? Robin Bloom reports
The Roundhouse receives free Latham performance
Lawyers at Latham & Watkins’ London office have found a way to combine their passion for theatre with their legal expertise, after forging a pro bono relationship with Camden’s iconic theatre building the Roundhouse.
The state of America
Sarbanes-Oxley is forcing UK companies to rethink their US strategies. Some are even considering delisting from the New York Stock Exchange. Jon Robins reports on the implications
The work-life quiz
Christine Berry, managing partner, Taylor Vinters
Tower Snow sued for $2.7m by Brobeck trustee
Iconic former Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison chairman Tower Snow has been sued for $2.7m by the trustee of the bankrupt Brobeck estate.
Ultraframe v Burnden in six-week extension
A dispute over conservatory parts’ patent rights in Ultraframe v The Burnden Group has reached epic proportions, with a further six weeks being added to the trial length.
Watson Burton signals Leeds intentions with new premises
Newcastle firm Watson Burton has signalled its commitment to its Leeds outpost by agreeing terms for new offices in the city.
Willkie Farr loses Frankfurt team
Willkie Farr & Gallagher’s Frankfurt-based employment team has quit the US firm to join German boutique Kliemt & Vollstädt.
