Three new private client special reports discuss topical issues affecting the sector. Read here for the details. In the first article Peter Baughan argues that a decade of high profile cases and escalating payouts has made London the “divorce capital of the world.” While the flexible laws have been beneficial in some cases, UK courts […]
Dechert has hired a former senior Bear Stearns in-house lawyer to bulk up its corporate and securities group. Former in-house lawyer and managing director at Bear Ken Masotti has joined Dechert’s New York office as counsel in the corporate and securities group. Dechert head of corporate finance Henry Nassau said: “[Ken’s] experience advising on a […]
K&L Gates and Chicago-based Bell Boyd & Lloyd confirmed the merger of the two firms following a partner vote today. The combination of the two US firms will create a 1,900 lawyer firm with 31 offices in Asia, Europe and the US. It also provides K&L Gates with its first office in Chicago, the world’s […]
Boston-headquartered Ropes & Gray has announced that it was laying off 106 of its support staff, the equivalent of around 10 per cent of its non-lawyer personnel across all departments in the firm. In a statement, Ropes chairman Brad Malt said his firm’s clients and marketplace had been “seriously affected” by the continuing global economic […]
Charles Russell moots four-day week to stave off redundancies” />Charles Russell has given lawyers the option of a four-day week as it starts redundancy consultations with an unspecified number of staff. The firm refused to reveal how many lawyers are in redundancy talks, although it did confirm that a number of partners, fee earners and […]
Tyco’s former EMEA general counsel Trevor Faure is to set to take on the global general counsel role at Ernst & Young, leading a team of 300 lawyers. Tyco’s former Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) general counsel Trevor Faure is to set to take on the global general counsel role at Ernst & Young […]
Commoditisation is a reality of 21st Century business – the only way to combat its effects is to accept it, says Michael Alden. In recent years there has been a sweeping tide of change in approaches and attitudes to providing legal services. Commoditisation has hit the legal world with a force which has struck alarm. […]
After a decade of high profile cases and escalating payouts, 2009 could herald the reform of arcane divorce laws, says Peter Baughan. These have been an interesting few years for divorce. We’ve had intense media interest following the spectacle of the McCartney divorce and, more recently, Madonna’s divorce. Slightly less glamorously, if of more relevance, […]
Olswang: second redundancy round, 45 to go” />Olswang has launched a second redundancy consultation and is proposing to cut 45 jobs. UK partners, fee earners and support staff, which number 618 including 55 trainees, are affected by the review, which will see the non-trainee headcount reduced by up to 8 per cent. The reductions will […]
US firm Nixon Peabody has launched an Israel practice group to advise on inbound and outbound Israeli transactions. The group, which will be based in the US, will be chaired by Washington DC partners Samuel Feigin and Mark Kass, who both joined Nixon Peabody from Mintz Levin in November 2008. The practice group will focus […]
US litigation firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges has reported one of the best sets of financial results for the 2008 financial year, with revenue up 15 per cent on the previous 12-month period. Revenue rose from $384.5m to $441.8m, while profit increased by 12.6 per cent from $248.2m to $279.5m. The firm’s equity […]
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is to launch an intensive two-week programme to reassure associates that they have a future with the firm. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, the only magic circle firm not to have announced a major redundancy consultation, is to launch an intensive two-week programme to reassure associates that they have a future with the firm. […]