27 February 2012
The Lawyer
All abroad for English courts
The PrimaCom case has extended the reach of English courts when it comes to schemes of arrangement
Case of the week: Civil procedure
Simcoe v Jacuzzi UK Group plc. (2012) EWCA Civ 137. Court of Appeal (Civil Division). Lord Neuberger MR; McFarlane LJ; Hooper LJ. 16 February 2012
Client cares
A professional negligence claim is a headache for any lawyer - and as companies try to recoup their losses, there are plenty out there right now
Creative thinking required
Good business models are more likely to solve copyright problems than bad laws
Discerning learning
Measuring training’s efficacy, how it influences culture and whether it can tackle unconscious bias are some of the issues tackled by this week’s panel
Even US firms leave associates cold
Bonus freeze hits ’New York rates’ in London
Fee enterprise
It’s always been odd that the hordes of City lawyers and consultants bemoaning the relative lack of profitability of UK firms compared with that of their US rivals forget the existence of the bar.
Job Watch: Middle East
Although the economic crisis and the Arab Spring have slowed workflow in the Middle East there is rising demand for legal expertise in a number of areas, notes Louise Wall, managing consultant at Laurence Simons.
Judgment call: 27 February 2012
In determining whether payments made by a settlor into a settlor-interested trust were capable of being assessed for income tax, the first-tier tribunal was constrained by the words of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 s.660A(1) despite the fact that it appeared to lead to an absurd conclusion, namely that a settlor could be subject to tax on a payment that he himself had made.
Know your contractual limits
Advisory firms must understand the restrictions that apply to potential recruits
Kuwaiting game
Kuwait is instituting reforms with the aim of becoming the trade centre of the Middle East, but only a handful of global firms have grasped the nettle
Lateral damage: failed hires cost London dear
With attrition rates for lateral hires running at 31 per cent, firms need to improve their City recruitment strategies. By Mark Brandon
Move On Up: Stewarts Law
A loyal partner base is the hallmark of this fast-growing litigation boutique, perhaps due to the high rewards available
Moves: 27 February 2012
Number crunching: Sullivan & Cromwell
The credit crunch bit the London offices of US firms hard when it comes to M&A deals involving British targets. Last year the level of deals involving UK targets was the lowest by value since 1996, but Sullivan & Cromwell London partner Tim Emmerson is predicting a European uptick.
Pacific Rim mergers: oceans apart?
Will cultural differences introduce a spanner to the King & Wood-Mallesons deal?
Safer bet
Iraq’s legal market is showing signs of stability following a decade of turmoil, and with energy featuring, highly international firms are beginning to take note
Science meets the art of law
Alternative structures such as Riverview could spark true innovation in the legal industry
The bear and the bar
Representing a Russian oligarch is a high-pressure gig - but the fees a top QC can charge are even higher
The Lawyer Management: Brabners Chaffe Street
Janet Pickavance is chief executive of North West corporate and property firm Brabners Chaffe Street. Pickavance has been with Brabners for almost 25 years and has overseen its growth from 47 employees to a workforce of nearly 400.
Tulkinghorn: A lesson from prehistory
Bristows may claim it isn’t an IP dinosaur, but the metrics don’t lie. Bristows – you are a diplodocus (as shown in Move on up, The Lawyer, 6 February):
UK firms’ funds work slips away
US firms in London grab lucrative contracts from silver circle
Uncomfortable chair vote
Norton Rose partners force extension to nomination period for chairman
Work ethic
Ecotricity legal head Tom Cowling went from watching football to working at the forefront of the green energy movement
Work Life Quiz: Eleanor Temple, Kings Chambers
