28 September 2009
The Lawyer
A&O, Sidley’s work on Lloyds RMBS deal gives hope to battered market
Residential mortgage-backed securities issue creates buzz in the market as investors flood in. By Catrin Griffiths
CC, Bakers, Hammonds brought in for Denso pensions buyouts
A trio of UK firms has scored lead roles on the buyout of three Denso Manufacturing Midlands (DMML) pension schemes.
Channeling your IP
Guernsey is forging ahead with plans to introduce laws offering greater protection and exploitation of IP rights. By Jason Romer
Childs: percentage of female partners at CC is ‘not good enough’
Clifford Chance is pledging to increase its percentage of female partners to 30 per cent.
Circle Anglia to reassess its roster of law firms
Circle Anglia, the social housing provider for London and the South East, has launched a root-and-branch review of its legal advisers.
CoL: modified LPC should replace training contract
The College of Law’s (CoL) Legal Services Policy Institute (LSPI) is calling for the training contract for solicitors to be abolished in a bid to “widen access to the profession”.
Dressed to bill
As the design capital of the world, Milan’s IP market is still thriving. But will the industry be forced to modernise in the near future? asks Tom Phillips
Drug wars
The European Commission wants to make pharmaceuticals companies’ IP rights less anticompetitive. Stefan Abel and Thomas Friede report
Ex-Slaughters and SJ Berwin chiefs team up
Former Slaughter and May senior partner Tim Clark and former SJ Berwin senior partner David Harrel are teaming up to launch a global investigative company called Proven.
Firms to fight for places on merged Lloyds-HBOS panel
Linklaters, A&O in line to win roles on coveted combined bank roster
Focus: Cole powered: Margaret Cole, FSA
The FSA’s new hardline stance is designed to make professionals in the potential firing line sit up and take notice - but will it work long-term?
Focus: DLA Piper: Bob slay?
DLA Piper’s finance and projects lawyers are going to have to prove their worth to incoming chief Bob Charlton - after all, they saw what happened at Freshfields
Herbert Smith trains staff to spot stress
Herbert Smith has launched a training scheme to help its staff recognise the symptoms of stress and deal with mental illness.
Herbies' head space
Can the law make you depressed? According to research by Nottingham Law School, it can. The school has found that studying law can lead to ‘emotional disturbance’.
HSBC and Deutsche Bank turn to Dentons for IDB sukuk issuance
Denton Wilde Sapte has advised HSBC and Deutsche Bank as underwriters on an $850m (£524.7m) sukuk issuance by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).
Lend Lease counsel joins council after Bovis merger
Lend Lease Projects head of legal Martin Hirst has left the company for a new post at Northamptonshire County Council.
May the law be with you
Not so long ago, in a courtroom far, far away, raged a fierce battle over a Briton selling replica Star Wars paraphernalia. Karen Fong sheds some light on the dark side of IP
Mishcon offers clients litigation funding packages
Mishcon de Reya is moving into the litigation funding market in a bid to cut costs for clients and ultimately boost its client list.
Morton Fraser
Edinburgh-headquartered Morton Fraser has managed to continue growing in spite of the recession. Last September the firm acquired Scottish firm Skene Edwards, which swelled its headcount by 24.
Nipping yarns: Janet Hood, BII Scotland
Janet Hood, as head of legal for BII Scotland, is helping pubs and clubs catch up with the country’s new licensing laws. By Corinne McPartland
Norton Rose, City Law drive BMW’s sale of F1 race team
Norton Rose and corporate boutique City Law have won instructions on a deal to secure the future of the BMW Sauber Formula 1 (F1) team.
Novartis cuts global firms in country-specific focus
Novartis has opted for a streamlined global panel following a major review of legal services at the pharmaceutical giant.
On the move
Former Chadbourne & Parke partner Konstantin Konstantov has rejoined the firm after defecting to Dechert’s Moscow office earlier this year.
Opinion: Kazakhstan – a litmus test for emerging markets
As banks worldwide were hit by the global financial crisis, they were increasingly supported through emergency measures launched by governments.
Pinsents’ legal outsourcing strategy moves up a gear
Pinsent Masons is gearing up to expand its outsourcing initiative with outsourcing company Exigent.
Possible sole adviser role for new LSB panel
The Legal Services Board (LSB) is to launch a major new panel with the possibility of a single law firm winning the pitch.
Procter & Gamble Euro GC joins Activision
Procter & Gamble (P&G) Western Europe general counsel Christopher Walther has left the company to become legal chief at a computer game publisher.
Quadrant boosts pupillage award
Quadrant Chambers is to raise its pupillage award by more than a third in a move that will intensify the war for talent at the bar.
Radcliffes continues to grow with Lithgow swoop
RadcliffesLeBrasseur has made its fourth bolt-on acquisition in two years, adding a team of four to the firm.
Recession sees fixed fees become par for the course
News that hourly rates have fallen by up to a third has reignited the debate about how companies pay for legal services.
Saudi firm Bafakih embraces alternative billing with yearly subscription strategy
Saudi Arabian firm Bafakih & Nassief is introducing alternative billing structures by offering its clients unlimited advice in return for a one-off annual fee.
Seddons rolls out commission-only pay
West End firm Seddons has become the latest firm to offer commission-only pay deals for lawyers as part of a trend that would have been unthinkable before the recession.
Shearman shores up beleagured Brussels office
Last year Shearman & Sterling sent New York M&A partner Creighton Condon to London to lead the firm’s European network.
Trowers and CC negotiate sale of The Stafford Hotel
The Stafford Hotel, home to the famous American Bar in Mayfair, has been sold to an Egyptian investment group, leading to instructions for Clifford Chance and Trowers & Hamlins.
Tulkinghorn: Hey, good hooking
The Taylor Root Law Society Rugby Sevens was the legal sporting event of the year.
Wachtell suffers crash backlash
Does the elite firm need to soften its aggressive tactics? asks Julia Berris
Weightmans commences with delayed promotions
Liverpool-based firm Weightmans has kicked-off its partner promotion process after taking the decision to delay any promotions from the spring to give it more time (The Lawyer, 18 May).
When the bubble went pop
A year ago, this was the week when it all went really wrong. Twelve months on and, in case you missed it, The Lawyer has been reporting the personal testimonies of partners who were there on 15 September 2008, when Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy.
Work Life Quiz: Bertie Hoskyns-Abrahall, Withers
What’s the toughest thing about your job?I can’t have a dog in the office.
