28 January 2008
The Lawyer
Maybe it's because we're Londoners…
In 1996 White & Case was one of the early starters among US firms training up young lawyers in London. Now the first of the firm's British whippersnappers has climbed all the way up the ladder to be invited into partnership at the US firm.
People
• Clifford Chance has promoted nine associates to counsel level. They are: Gregory Crookes, Quirine Eenhorst, Herke van Hulst, Sander Klaassen, Juliette Luycks, Timon Reijn, Nanette Rutgers, Robert Smits and Michiel Sunderman.
4 Pump Court unveils new chiefs
Commercial set 4 Pump Court has appointed Jeremy Storey QC and Nigel Tozzi QC as joint heads of chambers.
A&O installs new disputes chief, GC
The future direction and management of Allen & Overy's global litigation practice has been transferred to a new global steering group.
Actress gets £5m for superbug infection
Russell Cooke and Weightmans reached a settlement that will see actress Leslie Ash receive £5m compensation for contracting a superbug infection at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
Animal crackers
Tulkinghorn recently brought news of a surprising recruitment campaign by regional firm DWF, which sought to portray itself to trainees as 'down with the kids' by suggesting links between it and the 'rave' scene. (Following extensive research, Tulkinghorn can report that this was a 1990s phenomenon involving tea dances to the music of gramophone records, often accompanied by the possession of 'glow sticks' and a drug called 3, 4- methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine, often referred to as ecstasy.)
Arranged thinking
Irish M&A has broken with tradition and taken a fancy to court-approved schemes of arrangement
Bar Council chair slams LSC as strike looms
Bar chairman Timothy Dutton QC has warned that there is a risk of a second class system of legal aid in England due to the Legal Services Commission's (LSC) new contracts.
Barristers hunt for a creche
Female barristers at 39 Essex Street have launched pressure group Bar Nursery Association (BNA) to try and get a creche based in one of the Inns of Court.
Barristers spit their dummies
Barristers spit their dummies01-Feb-2008Tantrums, hysterics and feet stamping - and that’s just the barristers. The row over the Legal Services Commission’s new contracts is reaching boiling point and if the bar grapevine is to be believed - and it normally is - then we can expect striking barristers on our streets very soon.
Bevan Brittan moves to reverse exodus
Bevan Brittan chief executive Stuart Whitfield has moved to defend the firm's strategy following an exodus of partners and associates.
BLP swoop secures fraud partner from DLA Piper
Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has secured the services of fraud specialist Segun Osuntokan from DLA Piper.
Bristows promotes two to partner
IP firm Bristows has re-energised its partnership with the promotion of two associates.
Brown Rudnick makes up first Brits
US firm Brown & Rudnick has promoted its first UK associates to the partnership.
BT Global Services ups lobbying clout in run-up to US election
BT Global Services is on the verge of naming a new US general counsel after moving its legal chief into a senior lobbying position in Washington DC.
Carey Olsen partner hikes XXIV Old Buildings' offshore links
Commercial chancery set XXIV Old Buildings has firmed up its links with the Channel Islands with the hire of partner Nicole Langlois from offshore firm Carey Olsen.
Chadbourne sticks to London plan after WFW talks fail
US firm Chadbourne & Parke is continuing its programme of expansion in London despite the collapse of merger talks with Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) at the end of last year.
Champagne all round as a new generation of barristers take silk…
The champagne was flowing last Tuesday (22 January). Not only at The Lawyer's Hot 100 party at the Royal Exchange, but at scores of chambers across England and Wales - the silks list had finally been announced.
Christian Salvesen counsel set to leave following takeover
Global transport logistics company Christian Salvesen's group general counsel and corporate secretary Ed Peppiatt is to step down at the end of next month.
Cleary and Sullivan scoop $19bn Citi equity offering
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Sullivan & Cromwell scooped lead roles on the $19bn Citigroup equity offering. The transaction is the latest investment bank equity offering to see sovereign and domestic wealth funds invest into banks since market volatility hit global banks' profits worldwide ...
Clifford Chance launches in Abu Dhabi
Clifford Chance launches in Abu Dhabi" /Clifford Chance plans to open in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Cohen Milstein drops dairy price-fixing action
US Class action law firm Cohen Milstein Hausfeld & Toll has given up on its ambition to make the supermarkets and dairies price-fixing case its first collective action in the UK.
Connect more
Even lawyers have to face up to it: gaining and retaining clients is no longer something purely done by the business development people within your firms.
Contenders pledge 'no dirty tricks' in battle to lead A&O
The four candidates who are competing in February to lead Allen & Overy (A&O) have promised a clean fight.
Cotty Vivant sets up Korean desk in Asian push
French independent Cotty Vivant Marchisio & Lauzeral has launched a Korean desk in its Paris office as part of its focus on Asia.
DAC brings in Manchester property head
Davies Arnold Cooper (DAC) has appointed a new head of real estate in Manchester with the hire of Pinsent Masons senior associate Peter Williams.
Dechert snaps up Bakers partner
Dechert has snared a Baker & McKenzie London-based finance partner to bolster its finance team in the capital.
Dentons tries not to be left on the shelf for Sainsbury's work
Sainsbury’s’ establishment of its first formal panel in over a decade may be cause for muted celebration for appointee Denton Wilde Sapte.
DLA Piper launches Facebook for trainees
DLA Piper's graduate recruitment team has joined the YouTube generation and launched an internal social networking site for its future trainees.
Do you take this firm…
Having bedded down successfully in Leeds with insurance firm Ricksons a year ago, it is now being rumoured in the region that wannabe national player DWF has been actively seeking its next bride.
Donald Shaw: Dundas & Wilson
Who is your hero and why?Horatio Nelson - for innovation and indomitable spirit in sometimes doing the unthinkable when he knew he was right.
DZP reworks management to prepare for next generation
Poland's largest independent firm Domanski Zakrzewski Palinka (DZP) has overhauled its management structure and promoted seven partners as part of a new succession plan.
Editor's weekly: The joys of tax
I was flicking through some back issues of Lawyer 2B last week and stumbled across the perfect accompaniment to this week’s feature on how to survive your LPC tax module.
Edwin Coe forges ahead with Northern Rock claim
Edwin Coe forges ahead with Northern Rock claim" / Edwin Coe has gathered 6,000 Northern Rock shareholders and is still considering legal action despite the Government's bail out plan, which was announced last week.
Electric schemes
The all-island single electricity market puts responsibility for energy production firmly in the hands of the open market
Firm profile: Shulmans
Jeremy Shulman started up Shulmans Solicitors 25 years ago as a corporate and commercial boutique.
Fountain Court raids Old Sq for clerk director
Litigation and banking set Fountain Court has poached Old Square Chambers senior clerk John Taylor for the newly created role of director of clerking.
Freshfields outlines CSR policies in new report
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer claims to be the first international law firm to publish an externally-assured corporate social responsibility (CSR) report.
FSA guns for TTP duo for insider dealing
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has launched its first criminal prosecution for insider dealing, accusing the former general counsel at telecoms company TTP Communications of profiting from insider information.
God's word is law
It’s a well-known fact that the Lord loves all His creatures upon the face of the earth, but a slightly lesser-known fact is that God loves solicitors the most.
Governments v lawyers - an eternal struggle?
A great deal has been written about the future of litigation in this country, but rather less so on the role of the modern-day litigator.
Growth forecast inspires Withers' Hong Kong move
Private client specialist Withers is to open an office in Hong Kong.
Halliwells adds to City real estate expertise
Halliwells is hedging its bets on an upturn in the real estate investment market in the coming months, recruiting partner Amanda Crowe from Charles Russell to head the London investment team.
Herbert Smith
Having suffered a mass exodus of disputes associates a year earlier - with those leaving claiming that career progression at the firm was unclear - Herbert Smith created the role of counsel.
Hippy chic
For three years now Allen & Overy (A&O) has kept alive heathen practices that Tulkinghorn believed had been all but eradicated by Queen Victoria and were only still to be found in splintered cells of long-hairs and dissidents at musical festivals.
Ireland
Ireland's economy has been booming for several years now and even the effects of the global credit crunch have failed to put a serious dampener on its growth.
Irish pillars of strength
The Company Law Review Group has proposed sweeping reforms that will bring together Ireland's various Companies Acts. The new rules are expected to make life easier
King & Spalding in double London hire
US firm King & Spalding has bolstered its London office, hiring a new partner and counsel. Energy partner Jonathan Martin arrives from Watson Farley & Williams, having played a prominent role in its international corporate group.
Legal aid lawyers' group names director
The Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) has hired Carol Storer as its new director. Storer, currently a solicitor and legal services manager at Shelter Housing, also chairs the Access to Justice Alliance and sits on the board of the Advice Services Alliance. She replaces Richard Miller, who has joined the Law Society. Storer will officially undertake her new position in the spring. Until then acting manager Penny Mackinder will continue to deputise.
Linklaters helps squeeze £7.8bn from Carlsberg-Heineken
The Scottish & Newcastle (S&N) saga has finally come to a close after the £7.8bn offer by the Carlsberg and Heineken consortium was accepted.
Links and Ince & Co secure 15-year MoD job for Serco
Linklaters and Ince & Co have helped Serco Holdings win a 15-year contract worth £1bn from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Lovells leads as Land Securities Trust launches £1.14bn fund
Lovells has landed a role on a major Land Securities Trillium (LST) deal, advising on the launch of the £1.14bn infrastructure fund Trillium PPP Investment Partners.
Lovells revamps Beijing team with W&C hire
Lovells corporate team in Asia has hired merchant banking and structured credit partner Fred Chang from Wall Street firm White & Case.
Maples, Carey join forces to fend off Walkers-Mourant merger threat
Caymans-based Maples and Calder and Channel Islands-based Carey Olsen have responded to the threat of a Walkers-Mourant du Feu & Jeune merger by agreeing a best friends deal.
Media lobbies Govt to introduce libel cap
Twenty two media groups have joined forces to lobby the Government for a cap on the exponential costs in libel cases.
Mishcon de Reya guides Cubus Lux back to AIM
Mishcon de Reya has advised new client Cubus Lux on its readmission to AIM and reverse takeover of two Croatian companies that own development land on Croatia's Olive Island Resort.
MoJ undergoes restructuring
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is to restructure just seven months after its creation, the Justice Secretary Jack Straw announced today (29 January).
Nabarro converts to LLP
Nabarro's partnership has voted to convert to LLP status, with the change expected to take place during the first half of this year.
New partnership structure will see up to 25 leave Cobbetts
Cobbetts has embarked on a major overhaul of its partnership structure, which has left the futures of eight partners undecided and will see another 17 leave within the next five years.
Oath-taking causes some oath-making
No silk round would be complete without some kind of cock-up, and this time it's the arrangements for taking the oath.
Obituary: Anthony Jennings QC
Leading criminal defence barrister Anthony Jennings QC of Matrix Chambers has died following a long illness.
Official: Lawyers drink the most tea
A recent survey has revealed that people working in the law drink more cups of tea per day than those in all other professions.
Old Square instigates interim clerking measures
Old Square Chambers deputy senior clerk William Meade is to fill the position left by senior clerk John Taylor on an interim basis.
Olswang advises on sale of Channel 4 International
Olswang's corporate and specialist rights lawyers have advised 4 Ventures, the commercial arm of long-standing client Channel 4, on the sale of its international distribution business Channel 4 International (C4i) to Digital Rights Group.
O'Melveny loses third New York partner to Dechert
Dechert has strengthened its corporate group in New York with the hire of a senior partner from O’Melveny & Myers.
Pinsents and DWF pick off DLA Piper partners
DLA Piper partners" / DLA Piper commercial litigation partners Damian Crosse and James Haddleton have left the firm.
Privacy issues
On 20 November, to gasps from the House of Commons, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) had lost two CDs containing a copy of its entire child benefit database. This is one of the largest ever breaches of personal information security, anywhere in the world.
Reynolds cleans up in tissue brand sale
Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) advised Swedish paper products giant SCA, which has annual sales of more than £7.4bn, on the sale of its Softis tissue brand to Italian tissue company Sofidel.
Rockefeller Foundation takes NBC counsel as GC
The Rockefeller Foundation has hired a new general counsel, taking US media company NBC Universal's corporate legal head, Shari Patrick.
Russian roulette
In the UK, pitching for clients is a civilised affair.
Senior Clarke Willmott partner gets the chop
Clarke Willmott has expelled a long-serving partner after allegations of financial irregularities.
Separated at birth
Tulkinghorn is this week swapping his quill for a bow and arrow. Of course Tulkinghorn has no violent intentions. On the contrary, he is playing Cupid.
Short stories
Irish Ucits can now enter into physical short selling arrangements, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for investors
Siberian Coal counsel quits for Rusal
United Company Rusal, the world's largest aluminium producer, has snared BP's former Russian general counsel to head its legal team.
Simmons re-elects Dawkins for second term
Simmons & Simmons has re-appointed managing partner Mark Dawkins for a further three-year term.
Simpson Thacher's client care lesson: dedication, that's what you need
There's more to Simpson Thacher than just KKR and Blackstone - but not much
Slaughter and May: Saul power
Slaughter and May's new senior partner Chris Saul may be a breath of fresh air, but the firm's old-school strategy will remain
Slaughters' friends stay close
Slaughter and May's US best friends have given the UK firm's new senior partner-elect Chris Saul a unanimous positive endorsement.
Speechly, K&L gates take jet hirer to aim
Speechly Bircham and Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis (K&L Gates) have advised on the £73.4m AIM listing of a commerial jet hire company.
Stephensons woos CC competition star
Stephenson Harwood has boosted its corporate practice with the hire of competition partner Julianne O'Leary.
TAG law firms settle with insurers
Manchester-based solicitors Rowe Cohen and a raft of other personal injury firms have come to a settlement in The Accident Group (TAG) litigation.
The Hot 100 2008
Credit crunch or not, hundreds of the legal profession’s movers and shakers came out to quaff champagne and celebrate at The Royal Exchange for The Lawyer’s Hot 100 party
The swinging sixties
So there we were, having a quiet end-of-January Guinness in our local last night (Thursday 31 January), when we found ourselves spinning back 40 years to the Summer of Love.
The view from New York
Like the investment banks that last month paid out record bonuses just as they reported unprecedented levels of mortgage-related writedowns, the US law firm figures that have started to emerge have an element of unreality about them.
Travers nets hat trick with Derby deal
Travers Smith has landed its third top flight football takeover in two years, acting on the acquisition of Derby County FC.
UK law firms emerge as private equity frontrunners with £1.2bn fee windfall
UK law firms made an estimated £1.2bn from the private equity sector last year, according to new figures released by the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA).
UK Supreme Court gains chief executive
The senior civil servant in the Attorney General's Office, Jenny Rowe, has become the first chief executive of the new UK Supreme Court. Rowe, the Attorney General's director of policy and administration, will act as chief executive designate until the Supreme Court officially comes into being in October 2009.The Supreme Court will replace the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords and will mark a clearer degree of separation of the Lords from the legislature.
Vivienne King: The Crown Estate
Crown Estate legal director Vivienne King has a key role in realising the Government's wind power plans, but she has also been a breath of fresh air in the organisation.
Vos steps in to help clerks in dispute
Clerks and administrative staff have received Bar Council support in relation to unfair treatment they received at the hands of some chambers.
Web week
The Lawyer's Web Week is a weekly commentary on legal activity on the web. This includes an overview of the best of the week's blogs. If you want to direct us to useful links, email webweek@thelawyer. com.
Weil doubles profit as US firms excel in London
Weil Gotshal & Manges' London office has thrown down the gauntlet to its rivals by reporting a doubling of its profit in what looks set to be a record year for US firms.
Welcome return
A booming economy and political stability are making Northern Ireland an attractive proposition for young solicitors looking to specialise
Willkie Farr revenues, profits up 20 per cent
Willkie Farr & Gallagher today (Tuesday, 29 January) posted double digit increases in revenue and profits for the second year in a row.
Word of mouth gets Norton Rose the gig with Quorum Oil and Gas
Norton Rose has advised new client Quorum Oil and Gas Technology on its initial public offering and listing on the London Stock Exchange.
