29 June 2009
The Lawyer
A&O, Linklaters scoop Sainsbury's deal
Two magic circle firms secured lead roles on Sainsbury’s £445m capital raising.
Addleshaws goes back to school with phase three of Bradford refurb
Addleshaw Goddard has been reappointed by Bradford Council to advise on phase three of the £400m Building Schools for the Future (BSF) project.
Addleshaws PEP down a third as revenues dip by 11 per cent
Addleshaw Goddard has brought in £173.3m for 2008-09, a drop in fee income of 11 per cent from the previous financial year.
Appleby eyes new markets from outpost in Seychelles
Offshore giant Appleby is to target work coming out of the African, Asian and Indian markets with a new office in the Seychelles.
Ashurst lands banks role on Slovakian PPP project
Ashurst has won the instruction to help a 12-strong banking consortium reach financial close on the R1 Expressway, Slovakia’s first-ever road PPP project.
Beachcroft in volume push as it mulls B2 brand expansion
Beachcroft is considering expanding its volume business, called ‘B2 from Beachcroft’, into property and employment work.
Blackbourn & Bond
More and more firms are looking to capitalise on structural changes allowed under the Legal Services Act.
Brit’s bid for Chaucer brings in Macfarlanes, Norton Rose
Macfarlanes and Norton Rose have been called in to advise on the potential merger of Lloyd’s insurers Brit Insurance and Chaucer Holdings.
Buss Murton emerges from CVA with high hopes
After nine months of trading under a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), Buss Murton has completed a pre-packed administration.
Camerons cuts 73 jobs
CMS Cameron McKenna has laid off 73 staff at the end of its redundancy consultation.
Cleary throws caution to the wind with City push
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is in growth mode in London.
Cripps is latest to roll out four-day week
South East firm Cripps Harries Hall has become the latest to implement a four-day work week in a bid to stave off redundancies.
Dial M for Moir: Gordon Moir, BT Retail
With telecoms in constant flux, BT Retail GC Gordon Moir has had to ring the changes on an almost daily basis.
DLA Kuwait, Bahrain head to quit
The office managing partner of DLA Piper’s Kuwait and Bahrain offices - Alex Saleh - is to leave the firm.
EC3 firms outpace City rivals with record results
… and more to come as London’s leading insurance firms predict ‘tidal wave’ of litigation
Edwin Coe turnover edges up, profit drops by 20 per cent
Edwin Coe has seen average profit per equity partner (PEP) drop nearly 20 per cent during the last year.
Emerald ire
Ireland’s law firms are up in arms after Arthur Cox won arguably more than its fair share of recession-related roles, with some pointing accusing fingers at the firm’s cosy relationship with the government. Tom Phillips reports
Focus: David Greene, Touch of class
UK class action supremo and winner of The Lawyer Awards’ Outstanding Achievement prize, David Greene is determined that the positive side of US litigation reaches this side of the Atlantic soon
Hammonds creates firm network to boost cross-selling of practices
Hammonds has set up a partner and associate forum in its London office designed to aid business development and the cross-selling of practices at the firm.
Hard nut to craic
The Irish legal market is notoriously hard for foreign firms to break into. But this hasn’t stopped some from trying. Margaret Taylor reports
IBA stands up for lawyers in Russia
The International Bar Association (IBA) has waded into a growing row over the treatment of lawyers in Russia.
Italian lawyers quit UK firms as magic circle feels repercussions of mass cuts
A number of UK firms have been hit by a significant amount of defections from their Italian offices.
Italy chief joins Simmons' strategic board
Simmons & Simmons has appointed Italy chief Marco Franzini to the strategic board, replacing Pedro Rebelo de Sousa, who is spinning off the firm’s Portuguese operations.
Loss adjustment
?With leveraged finance hit hard by the credit crunch, Stuart Brinkworth considers what’s in store for the beleagured sector
Mayer Brown goes for Smoke
US firm in talks to fortify London in wake of sweeping governance changes.
Mining giants call on links, Freshfields
Linklaters and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer are advising Anglo American and Xstrata respectively on the proposed merger of the mining giants, which could result in a £41bn business.
Norton Rose, Lovells work on Bahrain sukuk
Lovells and Norton Rose have won lead roles advising the Government of Bahrain on the creation and listing of a $750m (£457.96m) sovereign sukuk.
Norton Rose-Deacons merger: UK firm pinpoints Asia without diluting profit
Norton Rose, which last Tuesday won Law Firm of the Year at The Lawyer Awards, announced a tie-up with Australian firm Deacons the same day in a bid to jumpstart its Asia expansion plans.
NQs face dole queue as retention rates drop
Newly qualified (NQ) retention rates for September 2009 qualifiers at a number of leading law firms have plummeted as worsening economic conditions hit the employment market.
Opinion: Crunch time for future of Digital Britain
I suspect even little green men in galaxies far, far away now know about Digital Britain. Ultimately, it is all about exploration.
People moves
Trowers & Hamlins has appointed Julien Allen as a partner in the real estate team.
SRA bristles as Law Society puts new chairman in place
The recent appointment of Charles Plant - a former Herbert Smith litigation partner and member of the Legal Services Consultative Panel - as the next chair of the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) (TheLawyer.com, 22 June) will pique the interest of many - apparently including those at the SRA.
The claim drain
In light of the Financial Ombudsman Service’s annual review, Michael Isaacs examines the dubious practices employed by some claims management companies
The hedge row
With hedge fund managers under scrutiny and regulation inevitable, the industry needs to practise effective self-regulation.
The pitch of the year: Apple seeks sole European legal adviser
Apple Retail, the division of the iconic computer manufacturer’s business that is responsible for all its stores, has launched a search for a sole external adviser for Europe, in what will be one of the hardest-fought tenders of the year.
The prudent path: merger lite
It was entirely coincidental, but last week’s announcement by Norton Rose that it was merging with Australia’s Deacons came on the morning of The Lawyer Awards, where the former won Law Firm of the Year. Nice timing.
Tulkinghorn at the Awards
What a night. Last Tuesday evening (23 June) the Great Room at The Grosvenor House Hotel witnessed arguably the most splendid - and certainly the funniest - awards ceremony The Lawyerhas ever hosted.
Ward Hadaway suffers as PEP diminishes by 53 per cent
Ward Hadaway has announced a 53 per cent decrease in average profit per equity partner (PEP) during the last financial year.
Weil Gotshal takes starring role in Trafalgar Square public art project
Weil Gotshal & Manges has advised the artist Antony Gormley on the groundbreaking Fourth Plinth project in Trafalgar Square.
Withers fails to prevent Forsters raid
Forsters has completed its four-partner raid on Withers despite legal wrangling over the departures.
Work Life Quiz: Shefali Talukdar, Clough & Willis
What do you do at weekends? Cook, eat, read, general pampering and being a taxi service for my teenage daughter.
Wragges’ office move put on ice by developer
Wragge & Co is to have its move into new Birmingham headquarters delayed by a year because the developer has yet to fill the rest of the building.
