Private life
Mark Evans used to be general counsel at Enron, but is now living the quiet life at Hammonds. Kathryn Hobbs talks to a survivor
Seroxat users call on Hugh James
Cardiff firm Hugh James has been instructed to act for the Seroxat Users Group on its lobbying of the Department of Health. The group wants an investigation into the increasing number of reported illnesses connected with the antidepressant drug Seroxat, produced by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.Partner Mark Harvey is leading the now 400-strong group. He won […]
I'm still standing
In his first interview since Andersen collapsed, Tony Williams reveals to Catrin Griffiths the nightmare of the past few months – and how not everyone played fair Well, the last few months haven’t been much fun, says Williams, whose recollections are punctuated by the odd bark of mirthless laughter. Still, for a man whose world […]
Legal Widow
“It’s outrageous to accuse lawyers of wanting to eke things out,” said the Lawyer, carefully arranging the peas on his plate into a neat figure of eight.The children, who wanted their pudding, started a slow handclap.“What?” demanded the Lawyer. “What have I done?”Because, in spite of all the profession’s protests against the Audit Commission’s findings, […]
Contract killers
The European Commission wants to harmonise contract law across all boundaries. But will this hinder the export of legal services? Jon Robins discovers that many UK lawyers are less than happy with the proposal “A single European law of contract for a single market” is the latest big idea from Brussels to deal with what […]
Football's got CC in motion
Tulkinghorn expects that a few events and marketing people will be breathing a sigh of relief when the World Cup is finally over. Keeping staff and clients happy can be a logistical nightmare – which is why Tulkinghorn prefers to just pack everyone off to the pub.Clifford Chance invited 150 clients in for the England […]
European Trends
Times of economic depression test the market and precipitate emerging trends. With this in mind, now is a good time to take a look at the European market. While the deal flow may not be as robust as it was this time last year, the consolidation process among law firms is still underway and there […]
Air fair
The Court of First Instance has overturned the European Commission’s rebuttal of the Airtours-First Choice merger. Simon Taylor reports on the implications of the decision The judgment of the Court of First Instance (CFI) in Airtours • Commission was handed down on 6 June 2002. The ruling catalogues a series of errors of fact and […]
Banking Act under siege on Isle of Man
Lawyers are currently awaiting a decision by the Isle of Man’s Manx Appeal Court in the case of Re Atrium Trading. If the appeal is upheld, the decision could have serious ramifications for the jurisdiction’s current banking legislation.Atrium was wound up by order of the Manx High Court on 22 November 1999. It was then […]
Corporate Summary
CMS Cameron McKenna (Anthony Loring, Louise Wallace) advised Bridgepoint Capital on the proposed sale of its interest in Golden Wonder Group. Most of the Golden Wonder brands will be purchased by Longulf, advised by Denton Wilde Sapte. The Wotsits brand will be sold to Frito-Lay, part of PepsiCo International and the owners of the Walkers […]
Gleiss acts for Karlsberg in huge selloff to Heineken and Paulaner
Gleiss Lutz, Herbert Smith’s German best friend, has advised Karlsberg on the sale of 45 per cent of its alcoholic beverages division to Heineken and Paulaner. Allen & Overy’s (A&O) Frankfurt office acted for the purchasers.The two companies reportedly paid around e100m (£63.9m) for the stake in Karlsberg. Heineken and Paulaner bought the stake through […]
EC wants company law to go electronic
A REFORM of European company law legislation has been formally proposed by the European Commission (EC) to ease the filing of company documents and registrations via electronic communications.The aim of the tabled changes to the EU’s First Company Law Directive, according to an EC statement, is to make company information more easily and rapidly available […]