24 November 2008
The Lawyer
Appeal judges face meddling accusation
High Court judge Mr Justice Peter Smith has slammed the Court of Appeal for its level of intervention in the case management ;of ;long commercial trials.
Ashurst, Dentons, Gibson land roles on Kroll MBOs
Denton Wilde Sapte, Ashurst and the London office of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher have scored the lead mandates on the two management buyouts of consulting company Kroll’s UK corporate advisory and restructuring practice.
Aussie firm Blake Dawson opens in Singapore
Australian firm Blake Dawson has opened an office in Singapore as part of its expansion into South East Asia.
Bar divided over latest diversity requirements
A row has erupted over Attorney General Baroness Scotland’s equality and diversity expectations for Treasury counsel, with members ;of ;the ;bar claiming it could lead to chambers being forced to quit the Government panel.
Bar Standards Board elects new chair
The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has selected a chair and vice-chair to succeed Ruth Evans and George Leggatt QC.
Berryman lays off 12; Berrymans hiring 12
Nottingham firm Berryman has made several redundancies.
Bevan Brittan helps councils chase Icelandic cash
Bevan Brittan has been drafted in to help local councils reclaim millions of pounds tied up in Iceland's crippled banks.
Bevan Brittan hooks up with Kent Council
Bevan Brittan is set to launch a groundbreaking partnership with Kent County Council’s (KCC) legal team to target work from the healthcare sector.
Bevan Brittan income up 1 per cent at half-year
Bevan Brittan's half-year results show turnover growth of only 1 per cent on the same period last year.
Birketts
Being a regional firm can have its advantages, as Birketts in East Anglia discovered this year. The 38-partner firm benefited from the closure of Eversheds’ Norwich office and has seen its total lawyer headcount in the town rise from six in 2004 to more than 50 fee-earners today.
Blackstone wins pesticide battle with Government
Blackstone Chambers has won a long-running battle with the Government over the use of pesticides near residential homes near Chichester, West Sussex.
Blake Lapthorn chief wins new term
Blake Lapthorn has re-elected its senior partner Jonathan Lloyd-Jones for a further three-year term.
BME partners remain in a minority
Just six of the 41 firms that participated in the Black Solicitors Network’s (BSN) latest diversity table had black partners.
Cadwalader clutches rainmaker as strategy crumbles
The rumour mill on Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft has gone into overdrive in recent weeks, with estimates on the firm’s drop in profit ranging from 20 per cent right up to 65 per cent.
Cadwalader will not keep any City NQs in spring
US firm Cadwalader Wikersham & Taft will not offer jobs to any of the trainee solicitors who are due to qualify into its London office next spring.
Camerons seeking bigger Square Mile HQ
CMS Cameron McKenna has begun the search for a new office in the Square Mile to replace its Mitre House premises.
Claiming up
Apparently the reason that some consultations are dragging on is because of the number of grievance procedures in place.
Clifford Chance, Wong go separate ways as Singapore opens up to foreign firms
Clifford Chance, Wong go separate ways as Singapore opens up to foreign firms" /Clifford Chance and Singaporean firm WongPartnership have announced the termination of their joint venture arrangement, as Singapore liberalises its legal market for foreign law firms.
Comet dumps panel in Eversheds switch
Eversheds switch" /Electronics retailer Comet has ditched its informal legal panel and appointed Eversheds as its sole UK adviser.
Covington, Fulbright to review Bush’s DoJ
Covington & Burling and Fulbright & Jaworski are among the firms appointed by President-elect Barack Obama to review investigations shelved during the Republican administration.
Cravath cuts special bonuses for associates
Cravath Swaine & Moore has cancelled the special bonus element of its 2008 year-end payments to associates.
Davis Polk advises Citigroup on US government bailout
Davis Polk & Wardwell has scored another credit crunch-related mandate, advising US bank Citigroup on its $20bn (£13.4bn) government bailout.
Davis Polk advises NY Fed on $200bn loan facility
Davis Polk & Wardwell has snared the lead role advising the New York Federal Reserve Bank on a $200bn rescue loan facility for the ailing asset-backed securities market.
Dishonesty and rule breaches force rise in SRA interventions
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has had to take control of significantly more law firms this year than last, with the number of interventions rising by over 70 per cent year-on-year.
DLA to retrain 20 for restructuring work
DLA Piper is set to boost its insolvency practice by retraining 20 lawyers from other departments to meet soaring demand for restructuring advice.
Employment special report: Rights on the money
The Court of Appeal’s rulings in a series of recent equal pay cases may force the Government and other employers to rewrite their policy documents.
Employment special report: Takeover troubles
The global credit crunch has left large financial institutions vulnerable to takeover bids on a scale that has never been witnessed before. The structuring of these acquisitions requires a number of considerations, none more so than in relation to employees, says Simeon Spencer
Employment special report: Tupe or not Tupe?
Firms that swooped for individuals previously employed in Heller Ehrman’s London office run a minimal legal risk under Tupe. But the picture for groups of employees isn’t quite so straightforward, warn Ann Bevitt and Suzanne Horne.
Eversheds helps Lloyds TSB tackle HBOS takeover
Lloyds TSB and its takeover target HBOS have turned to Eversheds to deal with the employment law issues that will arise if the banks combine.
Field Fisher lawyers freed from Mumbai terror ordeal
Mark Abell and Christopher Jackson, the Field Fisher Waterhouse partners trapped in a Mumbai hotel siege, have been evacuated.
Field Fisher partner trapped by Mumbai terror attack
Field Fisher international head Mark Abell is trapped inside a Mumbai hotel room after being caught up in the terrorist attacks city.
Freshfields shores up Mena offering
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has sent corporate rainmaker David Higgins to the Middle East to co-head the firm’s regional practice.
Freshfields' Terry stands down as disputes head
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer disputes resolution head Ian Terry has stepped down from the role with Chris Pugh due to succeed him.
Freshfields, Linklaters advise on Woolies administration
Linklaters advise on Woolies administration" /The administrators of Woolworths have called on Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters to help wind up the stricken retail giant.
Furnival barristers launch breakaway chambers
Fourteen barristers from Furnival Chambers have split from the set to launch a new chambers dedicated to credit crunch-related practices.
Hammonds faces former partners in High Court
Hammonds was up in the High Court today for a £3m profit dispute hearing with former partners.
Hammonds promises layoffs are a ‘one-off’
Hammonds chief Peter Crossley has vowed that there will be no more redundancies at the firm once the current consultation affecting 95 staff is completed.
Harris sees off Seisler to keep Lovells crown
Lovells managing partner David Harris has beaten off competition from Continental Europe head Harald Seisler to secure a further four-year term as managing partner.
Hausfeld to link up with former firm in UK
The London office of Cohen Milstein Hausfeld & Toll is in talks to join with breakaway firm Hausfeld in the UK.
iLaw adds lawyer number 10 to roster
Start-up IP boutique iLaw now employs 10 lawyers following the hire of former DLA Piper commercial lawyer Rachel Laurent.
Irwin Mitchell elects PI head as new chief
Irwin Mitchell personal injury (PI) head John Pickering has been elected unopposed to the post of managing partner.
Judicial Office tinkers with tailors tradition
The judicial Office has ditched bespoke tailoring for off-the-peg after it emerged that, in a break with hundreds of years of tradition, new judges’ robes are factory-made.
Karp Diem: Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison
Come 1 January, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison litigator Brad Karp will take on a major challenge.
Kind of magic: Colin Armstrong, Merlin Entertainments Group
Working for a theme park operator sounds like the best job in the world. But Merlin Entertainments Group is not your average operator.
Linklaters, Slaughters on £1.78bn Standard Chartered rights issue
Slaughter and May and Linklaters have sewn up the lead roles in Standard Chartered's £1.78bn rights issue to existing shareholders.
Links posts 3 per cent revenue rise for first half
Magic circle firm Linklaters has posted a £20m increase in revenues at the half-year stage compared to the same period last year, with fee income increasing to £653m.
Litigation: Before the storm
Way back at the beginning of August, the head of litigation at one of New York’s most prestigious law firms admitted that litigation levels during the calendar year 2008 were “not hugely up so far”. Then September happened.
Lovells’ Seisler steps down as Euro chief after bid for top spot fails
Lovells Continental Europe head Harald Seisler has stepped down after an unsuccessful campaign to become managing partner.
Magic circle takes prudent approach to US bonuses
Magic circle firms have vowed to take a conservative approach to this year's round of US associate bonuses as economic conditions continue to worsen.
Mathys & Squire opens Manchester outpost
Patent and trademark attorney firm Mathys & Squire has launched a Manchester office with the hire of two directors from rival firm William A Shepherd & Son.
Matrix grows to 60-barrister outfit
Matrix Chambers has passed the 60-barrister mark with the hire of four new members as the former Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Ken Macdonald QC returns to the set.
Moves roundup: 25 November 2008
DLA Piper UK has hired Andrij Jurkiw (left) as a partner in its London regulatory and litigation practice.
Nabarro staffing review to hit London, Sheffield
Nabarro staffing review to hit London, Sheffield" /Nabarro has become the latest in a long line of firms to start a redundancy consultation, reviewing a total of 22 jobs across its offices in London and Sheffield.
No Mo'vember
As the end of the month draws near, it is time to bring Tulkinghorn’s Movember odyssey to a close.
Norton Rose bags Treasury sukuk instruction
Norton Rose has clinched an instruction to advise HM Treasury on its first-ever Islamic bond issue.
Norton Rose’s political investment pays off with Treasury Islamic bond
Norton Rose’s political investment pays off with Treasury Islamic bond" /Advising HM Treasury on its first-ever Islamic bond issue is a choice mandate. For Norton Rose, besting
Opinion: Privacy rulings don’t jeopardise investigative reporting
Daily Mail boss Paul Dacre accused Mr Justice Eady of imposing a privacy law on the UK’s press. As a former journalist, now solicitor, I believe Dacre is off on a frolic of his own.
Practice management special report: Partners' right to work
The dissolution of a partnership may have unforeseen insurance consequences that could prevent a partner from being able to work, says Andrew Cromby.
Promotions down at Mayer Brown as two make partner in London
Mayer Brown as two make partner in London" /Mayer Brown has responded to the economic slump by making up just two new partners in London, in contrast to the 10 promoted last year.
Revealed: the firms making the most money in global litigation
Exclusive research by The Lawyer highlights the US-UK litigation gulf as only four UK law firms reach the top 50 turnover league.
RPL league turns tables on Skadden
Skadden" class="inline_image inline_image_left" src="/pictures/web/images/15003_davidallen-MayerBrown90.jpg" /The litigation table published by The Lawyer shows which firms generated the most revenue from disputes last year. But reorder the table to rank firms by revenue per lawyer (RPL) and a different picture emerges.
Safety in numbers
It was Cravath Swaine & Moore that set the bonus trend last year with special awards for associates. This year the firm may well be setting trends again – but for very different reasons.
Simpson Thacher cuts associate bonuses
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett has joined the growing number of US firms that are cutting associate bonuses this year.
SJ Berwin scoops CPC Barracks mandate
SJ Berwin advised CPC Group on its sale to the Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company of Project Blue (Guernsey) Holdings, the joint venture company redeveloping the Chelsea Barracks site in London.
Special report: employment
There's nothing like an economic slump to bring employment lawyers back into vogue. The CBI expects the UK to suffer its sharpest economic contraction in almost 20 years in 2009, and unemployment could hit three million before 2010.
Speechly Bircham wins MFI administration mandate
Troubled furniture chain MFI has gone into administration, despite a last-ditch rescue attempt by its management, with Speechly Bircham getting the call from administrators MCR.
Speechly consulting on real estate, corporate jobs
City firm Speechly Bircham has launched a redundancy consultation with eight fee-earners.
Sterner stuff
Despite having officially entered into recession before the UK, the inbuilt flexibility of Germany’s lawyers across practice areas means firms are still willing to put a brave face on things.
Taylor Vinters reveals names of incoming management team
Taylor Vinters has named the management team that will succeed current managing partner Christine Berry, who is set to step down next year.
Time to forsake comforts of home
This week The Lawyer publishes the first-ever investigation into the relative sizes of litigation practices on both sides of the Atlantic. By extension, it’s a crucial indicator as to which firms may be the busiest in the coming year (see story).
TLT in redundancy consultation with 20 staff
Southwest firm TLT Solicitors has become the latest firm to launch a redundancy consultation, talking with up to 20 staff.
Trio takes on £1bn Lucite acquisition
Hammonds, Macfarlanes and Paul Weiss have lined up on a rare £1bn M&A deal as Mitsubishi Rayon swoops on UK chemicals company Lucite.
Tulkinghorn: 'taches. tenses and the 'it' factor
Regular readers will be aware of Team Tulkinghorn’s mission to grow moustaches for prostate cancer charity Movember.
UK lords at US firms: Lords on board
The arrival of a couple of UK Law Lords at two US firms, when set against the cataclysmic events of the past couple of months, may seem small beer.
Way to go
As TheLawyer.com reveals today, the number of jobs likely to be cut from the UK 200 law firms has now passed 1000. But there are almost as many ways of going about making redundancies as there are law firms. Today’s post examines the most popular.
Weil London gains one new partner
Weil Gotshal & Manges has gained one new partner in its London office as part of a promotions round that has seen its partnership headcount increase by seven.
Work Life Quiz: James Wood, Penningtons Solicitors
Penningtons Solicitors" class="inline_image inline_image_left" src="/pictures/web/images/14973_14_jameswood.gif" /What was your first-ever job?A paper round earning a meagre £3.50 per week.
