25 January 2010
The Lawyer
£200K-a-year Lord Saville proves most hands-off SCJ
Supreme Court Justice Lord Saville sat on just one case in the Michaelmas term, making him the least active of the 11 Supreme Court Justices.
Access to justice: Jackson report is self-defeating
For lawyers, consumer groups and anyone who cares about the right of every person in the UK to have access to high-quality legal advice when they need it, Lord Justice Jackson’s report will have made for concerning reading.
Acquiring the funds
After running the gauntlet of Madoff and the recession, Ireland is banking on the funds industry to help it get back to winning ways.
Cheap trick
Lord Justice Jackson’s costs review allows for general counsel and their advisers to strike a happy medium in alternative fee structures. Richard Fields examines a shift in the economics of law
Clydes cherrypicks Shadbolt practices
Shadbolt is to disband next month, with the bulk of its partnership set to join Clyde & Co.
DLA Piper boosts IP knowhow
DLA Piper has hired Gareth Morgan from Taylor Wessing as a partner in its IP/IT practice.
Focus: Private Equity - Say hello to good buyouts
Although no one is banking on a return to the boom of 2006, the general consensus is that, at least as far as the buyout market is concerned, 2010 is a time to believe
Former judge joins third-party funder
Former High Court judge Sir Gavin Lightman has joined third-party funding group Harbour Litigation Funding as chair of the investment committee.
Goldsmith outlines Debevoise’s one-stop strategy
?Debevoise & Plimpton European litigation head Lord Peter Goldsmith QC was in a confident mood last Monday (18 January) as The Lawyer popped into Tower 42 for breakfast.
Guardian angel
In her first year at The Guardian Gill Phillips thrived on getting stuck in to one ruck after another.
Hammonds’ clients to grill wannabe lawyers
Hammonds is adding a client panel interview to its summer vacation scheme this year as it seeks ways to toughen up its recruitment process.
Herbies benefits from E&Y link with clutch of Nortel mandates
Herbert Smith’s ongoing relationship with Nortel administrator Ernst & Young (E&Y) has borne more fruit for the firm, with a multijurisdictional group of partners advising on the sale of several businesses.
Juridica invests £50m into UK-based litigation
Litigation funder Juridica Capital Management is to plough up to £50m into UK-based litigation.
Kalisch Rufus
?There cannot be too many firms fitting this description: a California-based outfit founded by a pair of English barristers operating out of Beverly Hills.
Keir Starmer: a radical lawyer gets tough
When human rights barrister Keir Starmer QC became director of public prosecutions (DPP) in 2008, he came up against a barrage of criticism that suggested he would not be able to step up to the plate as head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Kirkland: two heads better than one?
Norley might be gone, but Kirkland’s London co-heads have just won two major mandates
Latham and Taylor Wessing in for the long haul on back of Dubai govt work
Could debt fallout spell a ‘coming of age’ for the emirate? asks Luke McLeod-Roberts
Leathes Prior faced with £1.5m negligence claim over IP contract
Norwich firm Leathes Prior Solicitors has been landed with a £1.5m professional negligence claim from a company that takes new inventions to market.
Links to shake up US management
Linklaters Americas managing partner John Tucker will stand down from the role when his three-year term ends in April, with the firm believed to favour a return to a US-based partner at the helm.
LSE float predicted after Linklaters scoops $2.2bn Glencore bond issue
Linklaters has bagged a role advising commodities company Glencore on its $2.2bn (£1.35bn) bond issue - a deal that could pave the way for a flotation later in the year.
MoFo bags HMRC, NPIA and Tata sourcing work
Morrison & Foerster’s (MoFo) London global sourcing group has advised on a trio of deals, one apiece for clients HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), the National Policing Improvements Agency (NPIA) and Tata Consultancy Services.
Optima promotes five group heads
Volume firm Optima Legal has unveiled a series of promotions, installing various practice group heads as a means of creating accountability.
People moves
DWF has boosted its London office with the appointment of Catherine May as a partner in the insurance practice.
Pinsents adds Essex Uni to student digs client list
Pinsent Masons has won the University of Essex as a new client on a greenfield property development in Colchester.
Protection racket
December’s massive hike in professional indemnity premiums led to panic in the market, with some firms being forced out of the profession altogether.
Shadbolt leavers more than happy
Splendid news this week from the UK legal market. It seems that everyone The Lawyer speaks to is “delighted”. Well, if not everyone then at least anyone remotely connected to the Clydes-Shadbolt deal.
Simmons dumps bonus scheme after just one year
Firm applies new criteria after no one gets a penny from 2008-09’s budget-linked payouts
Simmons replaces Middle East chief
Simmons & Simmons has reshuffled its Middle East management, replacing regional managing partner Paul Simpson with Tim Field.
Stephenson Harwood snares Ashurst star
Stephenson Harwood has hired project finance partner Nick Avery for its finance practice.
Survey shows hours billed determines bonus levels
Bonus payments for partners below equity level are based more on recorded and billed hours than on business development and competency-based performance, according to legal recruiters First Counsel.
The Jackson report: PI claimant lawyers rue detrimental effect on access to justice
The personal injury (PI) claimant market has launched an all-out assault on Lord Justice Jackson’s report into civil legal costs, arguing that his proposals would actually impede access to justice.
The Lawyer Hot 100 2010
The great and the good of the legal profession turned out in force to celebrate this year’s Hot 100
UGGC builds on Doha move with launch of Ras Al Khaimah outpost
French independent firm UGGC & Associés has expanded into lesser-known emirate Ras Al Khaimah following its entry into Doha last year.
Walkers launches HK funds group
Offshore firm Walkers has set up a Hong Kong-based investment funds group led by M&A partner Carol Hall.
White & Case lawyer goes solo in Mexico
A former department head at White & Case has left the firm to set up a boutique with his two sons in Mexico.
Work Life Quiz: Mary Mackintosh, Freeth Cartwright
Where’s the best place to go if you want to find out what’s really going on in the office? Who cares?
WorldSpreads brings home Bacon as counsel
CMC Markets’ former group director of legal Dominic Bacon has joined spread-betting company WorldSpreads as general counsel and group head of compliance.
Wragges loots referral firm for Paris launch
Wragge & Co has raided its French referral firm Lefèvre Pelletier & Associés (LPA) to launch in Paris with a 10-partner team, reducing the French firm’s total partnership by a third.
