3 October 2011

Tulkinghorn: Last house on the crest

There is a scurrilous rumour doing the rounds that DLA Piper is stuffed to the gills with overly competitive bigwigs.   Tulkinghorn wasn’t ­convinced until news reached him of events at the firm’s recent European real estate retreat at Keble College, Oxford. The idea was team-building. The result? Rampant rivalry between street gangs (in a […]

Will Robertson

Work Life Quiz: Will Robertson, Bond Pearce

What was your first-ever job?   Selling ice creams on a push bike. What was your worst ­experience as a trainee? ‘Helping’ a client whose elderly mother was being prosecuted for a motor offence, rubbing the CPS up the wrong way and then receiving a fax from the CPS adding further charges. I got her off […]

Tim Ryan

On the move

Clarke Willmott has netted Tim Ryan to spearhead its commercial law practice in London.  Move of the week Ryan was previously a consultant at Berwin Leighton Paisner and joins Clarke Willmott as a partner. He has experience in the media, sports and leisure sectors and previously advised on the commercial ­hospitality and ticketing rights […]

Eversheds manager on rough road to glory

What were you doing when you were three years old? Trying to shove square bricks into round holes? Drawing on walls? At three, Eversheds’ business support manager Nichola Anderson was already riding BMX bikes. And at seven she was British champion. During her career (that is, if you can call anything that a seven-year-old does […]

Thistle down

Apart from four standout performances, a tough year for Scottish firms was characterised by a static market.  Collective revenues across the top 20 Scottish firms rose by just 2 per cent in 2010-11, from £497.8m to £506.6m, with the firms in the top and ­bottom spots on the leaderboard holding on to their positions. Edinburgh-headquartered McGrigors was the largest […]

Court out

The modernisation of the Belarus economy could see commercial lawyers no longer being able to represent clients in court. Dale McEwan asks: is this just par for the course for an up-to-date legal system?  The legal profession in Belarus is facing a draft law that could see the representation of clients in courts – […]

Sale of the century

Kazakhstan is in the throes of speedy development along Thatcherite lines, and lawyers are trying to make the most of it, says Dale McEwan Kazahkstan’s lawyers are gearing up for a unique opportunity. In an environment where governments around the world are looking to privatise companies, Kazahkstan’s proposed so-called ’people’s IPO’ in 2012 is offering […]

Belinda Bradbury

On call: Belinda Bradberry, Cable & Wireless Communications

Telecoms is no industry for the faint-hearted lawyer. James Swift catches up with Cable & Wireless Communications head of legal Belinda Bradberry  Surely few industries can offer a lawyer the kinds of challenges that telecoms can? Rapidly evolving technology, fierce competition, ­frequent regulatory overhauls – the sector throws up a veritable thicket of legal issues and there is little forgiveness […]

Focus: Ashurst – Asian pairing

In their first interview since the Blake Dawson deal, Ashurst senior partner Charlie Geffen and managing partner Simon Bromwich claim that the tie-up will open up Asia and transform their firm into a major global brand For a firm traditionally averse to mergers, last Monday’s (26 September) confirmation that Ashurst was going ahead with a tie-up with […]

Uncertain times cast doubt on corporate growth

Big deals remain few and far between as the Greek crisis hits corporate hard. Who would choose to be a ­corporate lawyer? After years of plenty, partners at even the top firms now have to scramble for the big-money deals that seem to come around as infrequently as the fast train to Farnborough (far less […]

Bakers and Hunton lead on Thai telco funding deal

International firms Baker & McKenzie and Hunton & Williams have taken lead roles on the ­creation of a $1.63bn (£1.05bn) credit facility agreement for Thai telecommunications company True Corporation. The company plans to use the funding to expand its mobile phone network throughout Thailand, to refinance existing debts and as working capital for ­business operations.A […]

Links guides Carlyle on Haier investment

Linklaters has advised Carlyle Group on its recent investment into Hong Kong-listed Haier Electronics, with the Chinese ­company ­turning to longstanding counsel DLA Piper. Carlyle Group has agreed to invest $137m (£89m) through convertible bonds and warrants into Haier Electronics, a subsidiary of China’s largest white goods maker Haier Group. The deal provides Haier with […]