28 October 2002
The Lawyer
'I'm a CC associate, get me out of here'
The New York associates of Clifford Chance have slammed the firm's culture in a damning 13-page memorandum to the partnership
A sporting life
Northern managing partner and national litigation head for Pinsents Nigel Kissack is certainly not one to refuse a challenge. Matheu Swallow reports
Addleshaws lures Brunner Mond from Ashursts for property work
Addleshaw Booth & Co has poached Ashurst Morris Crisp client Brunner Mond, winning two new instructions in the process
Alleged TV rapist uses Davenports
In a rare move for a defendant media firm, Davenport Lyons is advising the TV presenter named by some newspapers as the alleged rapist of Ulrika Jonsson
Bar poised for flood of instructions as direct access rules are relaxed
A forthcoming rule allowing barristers to receive instructions from companies without the need for licences has led to an upsurge in targeting new direct access work by the Bar
Barents & Krans Brussels team defects to Houthoff
Barents to fight on with one lawyer left in its Brussels office; merger a possibility
Bill of health
The court's U-turn in Halloran has left happy insurers and infuriated PI lawyers at loggerheads. Norwich Union puts the case for the insurers to Jon Robins
Boyes Turner takes over as UK Lawrope member
Thames Valley-based firm Boyes Turner has been elected the sole UK representative of international law firm association Lawrope. The firm replaces Finers Stephens Innocent, which quit the alliance for Meritas in May 2002.
Brobeck turns to next suitor
Brobeck Phleger & Harrison is desperately attempting to forge links with another law firm after talks with Hogan & Hartson collapsed last week
Bryan Cave boosts international trade group
Los Angeles partner to transfer to Washington as Bryan Cave hires two to meet increasing client demand
Bush cyberspace fears inspire new B&M team
Baker & McKenzie's IT and e-commerce practice group is implementing a new three-pronged strategy focusing on security, privacy and outsourcing, which mirrors the Bush administration's IT security fears following the 11 September terrorist attacks. In September, the White House released a draft of its 'National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace'. While the proposals are not backed by law, they state that companies that fail to implement appropriate security measures ...
City lawyers act up in court
Tulkinghorn is always sad to lose hacks from The Lawyer newsdesk, and the lovely Caroline Davies was no exception. Obviously, Tulkinghorn was concerned she was a mentalist when she made a move into PR and has since been talking to Harley Street's top head doctors about a cure. It was to his great relief, then, when it recently came to his attention that Davies has actually been doing something productive. It turns out that Davies is to tread the boards to raise money for Children ...
Cloisters head joins High Court
Laura Cox QC, the head of Cloisters chambers and leading employment barrister, is to join the High Court Bench
Cobbetts breaks into Germany with AirPlus
Cobbetts has just completed a major commercial deal, acting for Frankfurt-based company AirPlus International in its joint project with British Airways to provide an upgraded cardless payment scheme for corporate travel
Cobbetts raids Addleshaws company secretarial unit
Former head of Addleshaws practice joins Cobbetts with two colleagues
Cooley-Pennie merger talks called off after money row
Merger talks between New York's Pennie & Edmonds and the West Coast's Cooley Godward have collapsed after the two firms came to blows over accounting differences
Costly disputes drive Lloyds insurance market to mediation
Mediation centre set up in Lloyds building
DEAL OF THE WEEK - Leicester City
Deloitte & Touche fields DLA on Leicester City administration
Dentons wins Bulgarian privatisation job
Linklaters and Camerons also involved in privatisation of Bulgarian telecoms industry
Doughty Street silk elected vice-chairman of Bar Council
Stephen Irwin QC to join new chair Matthias Kelly QC
Ecija & Associados hires internet bank in-houser
Spanish niche technology and corporate firm Ecija & Associados has taken on internet bank Bankinter's head of legal as a partner. Javier Espadas joins the firm as head of corporate, litigation and arbitration. Prior to working at Bankinter, Espadas was head of litigation at Garrigues' Canaries practice.
ECJ ctitisises French government
The French government has been censured by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for failing to write into its national laws an EU directive that would make it easier for lawyers to work across the EU
EU directive opens up legal aid access
The EU Council of Min-isters has reached political agreement over the passing of a new legal aid directive, which would ease access to legal aid for litigants in cross-border civil and commercial disputes
Finance deals round-up
Allen & Overy (Mario Jacovides) advised the European Investment Bank on its role as senior lender on the Japanese operating leases of two Airbus A340-300 aircraft which will be operated by Iberia. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised Iberia and
Finance law opens up capital markets in Spain
A new catch-all finance law has been passed by the Spanish senate, allowing a significant number of modern financial transactions to take place on the country's capital markets
Fire Brigade Union could fall foul of terrorism laws
Industrial action by firefighters could leave their union open to legal action due to badly drafted legislation in the Terrorism Act 2000, claimed a leading lawyer
Firms fight it out as Italian securitisation ups the ante
Can Clifford Chance clean up in the Italian securitisation market post-Grimaldi? Julia Cahill reports
For better or worse
The law says to be committed you have to be married, but Lord Lester says the UK is behind the times and plans to bring about change with his Partnership Bill. Jon Robins reports
Freshfields wins Cinven work on Kluwer auction
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has picked up the work on Cinven's latest foray into the publishing sector.Most of the private equity house's recent publishing acquisitions have gone to Ashurst Morris Crisp, but for the Kluwer Academic Publishers auction, the work went to Freshfields ...
Government creates first panel to cut bill by 10%
The government is attempting to reduce its annual £70m legal spend by 10 per cent by creating panels of law firms, but the process has been hampered by internal politics and bureaucracy
High Court orders Beachcrofts to repay £125K to former client
Beachcroft Wansbroughs has returned around £125,000 to a former client, Islington & Shoreditch Housing Association (ISHA), after its costs estimate rose nearly six times above the level it had originally projected
Howrey targets litigation with San Francisco hire
Howrey Simon Arnold & White is forging ahead with its aggressive global expansion plans after scoring a coup by hiring an intellectual property (IP) litigation partner from highly-rated US niche firm Keker & Van Nest
Inhouse lawyers slam firms for inflexible fee arrangements
US survey of 300 inhouse lawyers attacks stubborn attitude of firms
Jewellers sues Customs for £2m
Mayfair firm Gordon Dadds has become the third firm to be appointed by claimants in an action against Customs & Excise
Jones Day faces High Court for failure to disclose conflict of interest
US firm Jones Day Reavis & Pogue appears in the High Court today accused of professional negligence and breach of fiduciary duty
King of qwerty
Tulkinghorn has just discovered that Keith Schilling, Naomi Campbell's solicitor and general 'lawyer to the stars', has a hidden talent. Not only has this man almost singlehandedly battled for a new law of privacy and helped his firm, Schillings, win The Lawyer Award for Niche Firm of the Year 2002 - he has also completed a touch-typing course.Schilling is so proud of this achievement that the certificate proclaiming him a touch-typist worthy of any temping ...
KPMG loses another to Sonnenberg
South African firm Sonnenberg Hoffman & Galombik has taken another KPMG international tax partner, following the appointment of 14 KPMG lawyers at the end of September
Law firms face online bid to win Barclays Bank work
A Barclays Bank online auction process, used earlier this year for accountancy firms, may be extended to commoditisable elements of the provision of legal services
Leeds' second-tier play the field
It might not be very sunny at the moment, but Leeds' second-tier firms are certainly making hay.For the city's big six - Addleshaw Booth & Co, DLA, Eversheds, Hammonds, Pinsent Curtis Biddle and Walker Morris - the past six months have brought mixed fortunes. Hammonds has been the victim ...
Legal Widow
If there's one piece of advice I'd pass on to modern mothers, it is never do your test drives in half term
Liedekerke Wolters hires team from Bird & Bird
Belgian law firm Liedekerke Wolters Waelbroeck Kirkpatrick & Cerfontaine has recruited environmental law partner Bernard Deltour and his team of two associates from Bird & Bird. Deltour's practice area did not dovetail with Bird & Bird's technology-focused clients.
Linklaters offers IP lawyers payout to leave immediately
'Hard' IP drive sees magic circle firm trim lawyer numbers by a fifth; six months tax-free pay reward
Littman barrister moves in-house to BA
British Airways (BA) has recruited competition specialist Niamh McCarthy from Littman Chambers. The former barrister has previously worked in Paris and Brussels. BA head of legal Maria DaCunha said: "Given the forthcoming legislative changes in both the EU and UK competition law, it is vital that we have the expertise in-house to deal with these issues."
London confirms dominance in CC elections
UK partners take all bar one of global practice leader jobs
Lovells set for management shake-up as governance review bites
More representation for global businesses; Sleigh named as new London managing partner
Malta toughens up regulations to appease European investors
Malta Financial Services Authority gets serious in preparation for EU membership. Brendan Malkin reports
Mason partner is Kennedy's latest conquest
Kennedys has recruited employment partner Brian Gegg (left) from Masons. This is the firm's second partner hire in a month. Kennedys chief executive Ric Martin and head of employment Marc Meryon used to work with Gegg at Masons. Gegg joins construction partner Nick Carnell who joined the firm last month.
Mayer Brown improves government relations
Hire of former president of US Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform bolsters government relations practice
McGrigor’s senior partner becomes Klegal international chief
Robert Glennie replaces Dutch partner Bert Damstra
Midnight's children
Travelling home through the City last Tuesday night, following a splendid evening at Mrs Tulk-inghorn's favourite restaurant Cecconis, Tulkinghorn was horrified at the sight of Simmons & Simmons' building. As impressive as the building was - shining like a beacon to all those lost in their desperate search for a lawyer - this was mainly due to it being the only building in the City that night with all its lights on. Just who are they trying to kid - does anyone really ...
Milbank Tweed partner to chair SEC board
Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy partner William Webster has landed the role of chair on the new Securities and Exchange Commission's Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. Webster, a former FBI and CIA director, had the support of the three Republican members of the five-member commission that voted on the appointment, all of whom have had previous career ties to the accounting profession. The appointment is good news for the accounting profession, as Webster's rival ...
Monti throws Drauz to the lions to save reputation
Competition Commission faces scathing criticism as two more decisions overturned by the CFI
Opinion
Of solicitors who transfer from private practice, nine out of 10 strongly prefer working for local government. This is according to a survey conducted by the Local Government Group (LGG) of the Law Society, which questioned more than 150 solicitors who had transferred from private practice into local government
Osborne Clarke ramps up property and projects
Osborne Clarke has bolstered its property department with the appointment of SJ Berwin property development specialist Kathryn Almond, taking the number of property partners in the firm to 19. The firm has also taken on former Altheimer & Gray senior associate Cathy Harris to head its projects practice. Harris ...
Piecing together the evidence
Two more pieces to the Lovells building jigsaw. Unfortunately, there will not be space (and perhaps noparticular interest) to supply the remaining pieces in future issues. But if you'd like a complete Lovells building or Lovells boardroom jigsaw, then please send a stamped addressed envelope and a cheque for £100,000 - surely a snip for this once in a lifetime offer.
Pinsents lowers fees for Leeds Metropolitan
Pinsent Curtis Biddle has slashed its headline chargeout rates for new client Leeds Metropolitan University, which has just appointed the firm as its sole legal adviser
Pinsents represents John Laing on £297m sale to George Wimpey
An 80-strong legal team from Pinsent Curtis Biddle has advised John Laing on the disposal of Laing Homes to George Wimpey, for a total cash consideration expected to be in the region of £297m
Pump Court replaces senior clerk
Pump Court Tax Chambers has hired a new senior clerk after the departure earlier this year of Geraldine O'Sullivan
RBS picks Theodores for property financing
Theodore Goddard has scooped one of the largest property financing deals this year, advising Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) on Rotch Group's £340m refinancing of Shell Mex House.Banking partner Michael Black led the deal, assisted by property partner Andrew Hill and senior banking associate Geraldine Lord.Theodore Goddard, which is one of the bank's panel firms, advised RBS in May when it backed London & Regional's ultimately unsuccessful ...
Rollits handed Charity Bank advisory position
North East firm Rollits has been appointed as sole legal adviser to the newly-created Charity Bank
Stanbrook links up in China
Stanbrook & Hooper's Chinese practice has formed an alliance with Chinese firm East & Associates
Stevens & Bolton
Stevens & Bolton may want to move into the top 100, but it won't give up its culture
Swissair sale keeps lawyers fighting
After 10 months of painful negotiations between Allen & Overy (A&O), Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and Swiss firm Homburger, US private equity firm Texas Pacific Group is on the verge of completing its acquisition of Gate Gourmet.Swissair Group, represented by A&O and Homburger, will recoup $675m (£437m) for Gate Gourmet, the world's second largest airline ...
Tapping in
Company secretary and director of legal services at Carillion Richard Tapp has revolutionised both the in-house function and the external panel since his arrival. Emma Vere-Jones reports
The stuff of life
The divorce case of White has brought the concepts of fairness and equality into contention. David Ruck and Kathryn Peat look at the arguments used to gain the lion's share
Tug of law
Ten years after the Children Act, battles over child contact are still every family lawyer's can of worms. Jane Craig reports on how the courts are navigating the most sensitive areas
TV producers sue Farrers for breach of confidence
Farrer & Co, the Queen's law firm, is to be sued by a media lawyer and six producers of the Cook Report TV programme
Venture Law Group forced into capital call for lease payoff
Silicon Valley technology firm Venture Law Group (VLG) has been forced to make a capital call to pay its way out of a property lease
