3 February 2003
The Lawyer
3/4 South Square signs up French member
3/4 South Square has recruited its first member in France, signing up Cécile Dupoux (left) as an associate tenant. Dupoux practices at Paris-based firm Sonier & Associés, which like 3/4 South Square specialises in insolvency and restructuring. The set has an established working relationship with Dupoux and the firm. Dupoux is also a UK-qualified solicitor.
A striking difference
Trade unions are back with full force. Paul White reports on how new legislation is playing a part in the revival, giving the working bodies more power and responsibility
A&O scales back English capability in Paris
Derivatives partner Edward Murray to bolster City team; Paris to focus on French law capability
An age of reason
Before the Government brings in its age discrimination laws in 2006, those seeking fairness in the workplace are being forced to use existing legislation on indirect sexual discrimination in order to get their voices heard. Jon Robins investigates
Asia chief quits Freshfields
Freshfields' Asia managing partner Ruth Markland is quitting after 20 years at the firm
Bar Council chair slams university top-up fees
While speaking to fellow barristers in Newcastle on 27 January, Bar Council chairman Matthias Kelly condemned the Government's education white paper, which allows universities to charge top-up fees, as yet another factor that "will keep the poor out of the law". First revealed on www.thelawyer.com/lawyernews 29 January
Best seller
The legal director at the Institute of Sales Promotion, Philip Circus, does a pretty good job of selling himself. Husnara Begum reports
Birchams' investment practice gets the chop
Westminster firm Bircham Dyson Bell has axed its investment management department, citing changes in investment and regulatory environments as the reason for its closure
Brobeck: the desertions, the failed merger, the end
Within a mere 48 hours, Brobeck Phleger & Harrison has seen its 77-year history dissolve before its eyes
Burges Salmon scores Bank of Ireland contract
The consolidation of Bank of Ireland's UK operations has led to an exclusive employment law contract for Burges Salmon. The Bristol firm beat competition from three other firms in a rigorous two-month tender process
Camerons reels as star insolvency partner quits
In a crushing blow for CMS Cameron McKenna, restructuring star Stephen Foster is resigning to join Lovells
Charles Russell wins newsagent pay battle
Charles Russell has won an appeal for the National Federation of Retail Newsagents which clarifies the rights of child workers, after a paperboy tried to claim holiday pay
Citizen Smyth
He's no-nonsense, committed and just a little bit scary. Catrin Griffiths meets Clifford Chance's new head of public policy
Clifford Chance New York puts pro bono on associates' agenda
After being slammed in the infamous New York associates memo for a "deplorable" animosity to pro bono, Clifford Chance has made pro bono work one of seven central criteria for associate promotion in the office
Coming to terms
The effects of the Government's 2001 pro-conciliation report, aimed at taking the pressure off the UK's beleaguered employment tribunals, are about to be felt. Nicola Walker reports
Commercial litigation partner quits Addleshaws
Addleshaw Booth & Co commercial litigation partner Peter Cherry has quit after 26 years with the firm. Cherry, who left the firm last Friday (31 January), will pursue a career at the Bar with Leeds-based commercial and chancery set Chancery House Chambers.
Courts given extended corruption guards
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe have agreed an extension of the Criminal Law Convention on Corruption which should protect judges and jurors across Europe from corruption by their national governments in all legal cases
De Brauw dumped by KLM after Alitalia split
In a damning move, Dutch national airline KLM has severed its ties with chief adviser De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek over advice given by partner Pierre Nijnen on its alliance with Alitalia
DEAL OF THE WEEK - INDIGO CAPITAL
Weil Gotshal keeps its nose clean as Indigo faces wrath of Takeover Panel
Dentons makes quadruple hire in Hong Kong
Denton Wilde Sapte's Hong Kong office has bolstered its dispute resolution team with four hires. Mary Thomson, a partner at Paul Hastings' associate firm Koo & Partners, and Herbert Smith partner Doron Karliner will join the firm as consultants. Assistant solicitors David Goh, also of Herbert Smith, and Samuel Tung from Coudert Brothers will be joining at the same time. First revealed on www. thelawyer.com/lawyernews 30 January
EC cracks down on counterfeiting and piracy
The European Commission (EC) has proposed reforms to the EU's intellectual property (IP) rights regime which would force member states to incorporate best practice into their regulations against counterfeiting and piracy
Employers seek advice over army reservists
As the war against Iraq looks increasingly inevitable, employers, including a number of law firms, are seeking advice on the legal issues concerning the 15,000 reservists that have been called up by the Ministry of Defence
Eversheds wins MoD PPP work
Eversheds has beaten three other Ministry of Defence (MoD) firms to win its first piece of public-private partnership (PPP) work for the trophy client
Expelled partner fights Halliwells
Mark Dennis, the partner expelled by Halliwell Landau last October, has hit back at the firm's allegations that he misappropriated funds from its client account
Field Fisher bolsters employment practice
London firm hires Osborne Clarke's David Fisher
Finance deals round-up
Moore & Blatch (Roger Bailey) completed a third stage financing transaction for rubber products manufacturer Icon Polymer Group. It secured a total refinancing package including £12m facilities from Lloyds TSB. CMS Cameron McKenna advised Lloyds TSB.Nicholson Graham & Jones (Sheila Stewart, Richard Hopkinson-Woolley) advised the Bank of Scotland on its £109.5m funding of ...
Former SEC member to join Latham & Watkins
Latham & Watkins's Washington office is continuing its high-profile securities litigation recruitment drive after appointing a former member of the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Division of Enforcement
Four London law centres threatened with closure
Four London law centres providing free legal advice are facing closure after the Association of London Governments (ALG) withdrew their grants
Freshfields in litigation shake-up
Raj Parker to spearhead contentious insurance push
Gateley Wareing
Gateleys has no plans to expand out of the Midlands - at least for now
George Green loses its heads
Black Country firm George Green has lost the heads of its commercial litigation and employment departments
Gibson Dunn wins Westbrook deal
The London office of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has won Westbrook Partners as a client, having worked opposite the US property investor on an earlier deal. The firm acted for Westbrook on its £95m joint venture property purchase from Brixton plc and Equitable Life.Lead partner Alan Samson won the work because of his contacts among senior members of Westbrook's US operations.The transaction was Westbrook's second in the UK, the first being its £365m ...
Gouldens seals future with Jones Day
New transatlantic giant is born
Hammonds lays it on thick
Remember the whippets? After commissioning those Saatchi people to announce its arrival in London with an ad-fest featuring small Northern dogs, Hammond Suddards Edge has gone even more Yorkshire by restyling itself on a popular brand of brown sauce from the region.Can it be more than coincidence that the firm, now simply known as Hammonds, shares its name with Hammonds, the brown sauce from the North, a condiment so Yorkshire it once even had its own brass band in the region?
Hengeler makes Brussels push
Partner Christoph Stadler switches from Düsseldorf to Brussels
HIH director gives money back to save reputation
HIH director and former Blake Dawson Waldron partner Charles Abbott has repaid the A$181,000 (£64,000) that he was paid by the insurance giant on the day before its collapse
Inner Temple ends threeyear ban of Inns charity ball
A ban imposed by the Inner Temple benchers on one of the key fundraising events of London's social calendar, the Inns of Court Charity Ball, has been lifted after three years
Irvine picks new Legal Services Ombudsman
The Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine has appointed Zahida Manzoor as the new Legal Services Ombudsman for England and Wales. Manzoor, who is a director of her own management consultancy company, will assume the position on 3 March.
Irwin Mitchell wins ex-Shoosmiths partner
Irwin Mitchell's Birmingham office has appointed former Shoosmiths partner Glen Edney into its uninsured loss recovery division. Edney aims to strengthen the existing management team in preparation for significant growth in the firm's insurance law department.
It's my party and I'll spy if I want to
Any party hosted by The Lawyer tends to inspire outrageous behaviour, and last week's Hot 100 knees-up was no exception
Jnr counsel role getting the elbow
Senior counsel are increasingly doing work usually done by junior barristers, raising concerns among judges and chambers for the future of the lower end of the profession`
Judge clears Charles Russell in Hello! case
Charles Russell has escaped potentially damning criticism in the claim by Catherine Zeta Jones, Michael Douglas and OK! against its client Hello! after the judge found Hello! had falsified key evidence
Lawyer offers free advice!!!
Tulkinghorn’s scribes get rather bored with bland statements from firms wishing departing partners all the best as they leave the firm ’amicably’. So we were delighted to hear that one managing partner, upon receiving notice from a senior intellectual property partner, sent him packing with a cheery “F*** off and see a psychiatrist!” Tulkinghorn would be thrilled to hear of any other parting comments of similar vitriol or humour at the usual address.
Legal Widow
Subjudice recently won through to the finals of a kids' short story writing competition: the judges were moved by the harrowing story of how her father put her mother's entire jewellery collection in the food mixer during a bitter marital row over who had the car keys last
Lester Aldridge litigator quits for employment tribunal post
Partner Richard Byrne to become full-time chair of Reading employment tribunal
Lexindia launches in New York
Prominent Indian firm Lexindia, which has bases in London and Paris as well as New Delhi, has launched a New York office
Linklaters names new global real estate head
Linklaters has appointed Patrick Plant as the new head of global real estate. He will assume responsibility from Simon Clark who will oversee the firm's European property group from 1 March. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com/ lawyernews 29 January
Matheson Ormsby uses Chinese walls on MBO
Irish firm Matheson Ormsby Prentice erected Chinese walls in order to advise private equity group Alchemy Partners and the team pursuing a $376.3m (£228.6m) management buyout (MBO) of Irish software company Riverdeep Group.Mathesons partner Stanley Watson, who advised Alchemy, said: "It was a question of the efficiency of the deal and that turned out to be key. It was decided by all parties that the Chinese walls would be appropriate, but yes, it is a bit unusual."
McDermott set for competition drive
McDermott Will & Emery has poached Watson Farley & Williams' head of EU and competition law Ian Rose, leaving Watson Farley without a partner-level antitrust capacity
Merger creates Channel Islands giant
Olsens and Carey Langlois merge to create 120-lawyer firm
Morgan Cole in chairman showdown
Morgan Cole partners have just a few days left to choose their next chairman
Morgan Lewis in Brobeck raid
Agreement sees three offices and around 50 partners join former merger partner
Norton Rose fast-tracks Bahrain Eurobond issue
Norton Rose has helped the Kingdom of Bahrain to complete its first sovereign Eurobond issue. The issue was rushed through three days before chief UN weapons inspector Dr Hans Blix and Dr Mohamed El Baradei, the head of the UN’s nuclear agency, presented their crucial report on the progress of weapons inspections in Iraq to the UN Security Council.Norton Rose’s Bahrain managing partner ...
Norton Rose links up with ex-Eversheds friend Boekel
Norton Rose's fledgling Dutch operation is establishing referral relationships with local firms including Eversheds' former ally Boekel De Nerée
Opinion
The typical law firm knowledge management (KM) project scenario goes something like this: in phase one the firm will invest a huge chunk of money on search engines, document management systems, intranet portals and the review, refinement and categorisation of precedents to try to capture its internal know-how resources; in phase two, it will seek to extend the system's capability to search external KM sources, including business information news feeds and the ever-expanding volume ...
Peddie Smith bags contract for £15m Scottish housing scheme
Peddie Smith beats competitors including Conveyancing Direct in beauty parade
Pillsbury opens door to Brobeck partner
US firms continue to snap up homeless Brobeck lawyers
Privates on parade
It's no mean feat to bag an OBE when you're in private practice. Emma Vere-Jones gets the inside stories on two lawyers who have done just that
Radcliffes makes corporate cuts
Two fee-earners and one paralegal have been axed from the corporate department of RadcliffesLeBrasseur in the firm's second round of redundancies in the past three months
Religious discrimination
The Government is abdicating responsibility to the courts and tribunals to determine how religion or belief will be defined
Right to apply
From April parents will have the right to apply for special working arrangements. Jonathan Maude reports
Ruling grants release for Deacons partners
White & Case wins key case on restrictive covenant; Deacons set to appeal
Russell-Cooke overhauls management structure
New board created to streamline decision-making process
Serle Court lures St Philips silk to London
St Philips Chambers has lost one of its most high-profile silks to the London bar. James Corbett QC, a chancery commercial specialist, is joining Serle Court, where he has been an associate tenant for several years. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com/lawyernews 27 January
Shift in bondholder power creates urgency in the City
Julia Cahill discusses the struggle towards contractual subordination in the junk bond market
Silent witnesses
A new EU directive should see employees being given the lowdown about their workplace, but as Michael Burd and James Davies report, its effectiveness is already in question
Sonnnenschein takes four from LeBoeuf
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal has scooped four partners from LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae in a bid to expand its San Francisco regulatory practice. The Chicago-based firm has hired Kenneth Schnoll, Thomas McDonald, John Finston and Sanford Kingsley, all of whom specialise in insurance regulatory and transactional matters. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com/lawyernews 29 January
Survey reveals associate fee-padding
Padding of hours is rife among Australian associates of firms advising insurance companies and local government, according to a new survey
Swaziland courts in govt standoff
Swaziland's legal system is in disarray after the resignation of all six court of appeal judges and the refusal by the high court to hear any cases in which the government is a party
Takeover Panel appoints director general
The Takeover Panel has appointed Richard Murley, a managing director of Goldman Sachs, as its new director general. Murley will be seconded to the panel from 14 April for two years.
The $64,000 questionnaire
As the Employment Act 2002 takes hold, Lorraine Heard reports on its effect on equal pay claims
The Leader Column
Perhaps, in the end, it was a blessed release. Brobeck Phleger & Harrison's death rattle was drawn out long enough. Its vote for dissolution last week represents not only the biggest collapse of a professional services firm since Andersen, but probably the biggest collapse of any law firm since Finley Kumble in the 1980s.Unlike Finley Kumble, which famously paid out profits on projected future income rather than collected bills, Brobeck still had a viable business, ...
Theodores scores Van Morrison case
Johnsons link sees Theodores take over sexual harassment case from Clintons
UK business wants Time Directive opt out to stay
A massive 78 per cent of private and public sector businesses believe that the UK's current 48-hour opt-out provision from the Working Time Directive should continue, a survey has revealed
West Coast rot continues as Skjerven Morrill dissolves
Debt-ridden IP boutique folds after failed attempts to woo merger partner
Wragges defectors scoop Cap Gemini
The two former Wragge & Co associates who formed Technology Law Alliance (TLA) have won work from Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Wragges' biggest IT client
