30 May 2005
The Lawyer
4-5 Gray's Inn Square raids Cadwalader for former Nomura legal head
Planning and commercial set 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square has followed a strong financial year with the hire of a new tenant.
A tale of two cities
Newcastle's Watson Burton is eschewing its single-city strategy, adding Leeds to its stable. But larger rival Dickinson Dees won't be following in its footsteps. By Matt Byrne
A&O ousted as Serco aims to slash £10m legal spend
New client win for Ashurst and Norton Rose; A&O, Herbert Smith, Nabarros and Simmons all dropped
Addleshaws' Leeds nous lands Fenner instruction
Addleshaw Goddard has completed its first significant corporate deal for Fenner after advising the listed rubber manufacturer on its £44.6m recommended offer for Wellington Holdings.
Amazon UK legal chief snares top European job
Market-leading internet retailer Amazon is restructuring its European legal department, resulting in the promotion of UK legal director Michael Miller to the position of European legal director. He will be based at Amazon's new European headquarters in Luxembourg.
Arthur Cox appoints new London chief
Dublin's Arthur Cox has appointed corporate finance partner Mark Saunders as the new head of its London office.
Ashurst, BLP and Linklaters buck City trend with assistant salary increases
After a strong financial performance in 2004-05, Ashurst, Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) and Linklaters have all raised their assistant pay rates, in contrast to most top City firms.
Bircham Dyson Bell ups the PR stakes with hire of journalist for its Westminster team
Parliamentary and planning firm Bircham Dyson Bell has taken its public relations venture a step further with the hire of its first journalist, forming an alliance of lawyers, PR experts and journalists for the first time.
BLP, Freshfields and Maclays turn to Lissack QC for advice
Berwin Leighton Paisner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Maclay Murray & Spens have turned to top silk Richard Lissack QC to guide clients through new corporate killing legislation.
Careers: People
West Yorkshire firm Last Cawthra Feather has expanded its private client team in Ilkley with the appointment of two assistants, Amanda Lee and Nicola Troyna. Lee was previously with Hartley & Worstenholme while Troyna joins from Leeds firm Gordons.
Caring for the profession
Staff shortages, MRSA and violence in the workplace keep the RCN's members in the media spotlight. Joanne Harris meets the man who is encouraging nurses to take legal action
CC revenues sink as profit rises
Clifford Chance's revenues have slumped for the third year in a row, with gross fees down to £915m. However, the magic circle firm has posted a profit rise of almost 15 per cent for the last financial year, suggesting that its war on costs, led by chief operating officer ...
Choosing the choicest chiefs
Organisations will pay a lot for a recognised leader. But as Simon Wilde says, money isn't everything.
Clarke Willmott swipes Pinsents property team
Clarke Willmott swipes Pinsents property team" /Clarke Willmott has secured the entire Bristol-based real estate practice of Pinsent Masons at the same time as unveiling a record set of financial results.
Coudert's London saviours fly into sunset
Coudert Brothers' emergency team to save London left the capital just a day after flying in from New York and Brussels, leaving the office's 30 associates high and dry.
De Pardieu scoops its first float on Alternext
French independent De Pardieu Brocas Maffei has advised on the first listing on Euronext's new exchange Alternext, which aims to rival London's AIM.
Deals round-up
Shearman instructed on Yates pub group acquisition
Dickinson Dees staff gifted £400 bonuses
Dickinson Dees has made a discretionary bonus of £400 to all its staff for the second time in four years as it announced its year-end results. Turnover at the North East firm rose 11 per cent last year to £43.8m, while average profit per equity partner hit £326,000, up 16 per cent on 2004.
Dorsey entices Taylor Wessing disputes head
The London office of Dorsey & Whitney has poached Taylor Wessing's head of UK commercial disputes Nick Burkill. Dorsey is hoping this is the first move of many as it seeks to broaden its successful tax litigation practice. Burkill is Dorsey's fourth litigation partner. His experience includes recovering the proceeds of fraud, pursuing and defending professional negligence claims and acting in shareholder ...
Dundas loses managing partner to lure of RBS
Dundas & Wilson managing partner Chris Campbell has quit the Scottish firm to join the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS).
Firm profile: Coffin Mew & Clover
In the last few months, Coffin Mew & Clover (CM&C), one of the largest firms in the South East, has concluded a major refinancing deal on behalf of the Royal Bank of Scotland for £115m and arranged a borrowing facility for £92m for the University of Southampton.
Gianni corporate trio defects to CC
Clifford Chance's search for a Rome-based corporate capability has ended with the firm securing a three-lawyer team from Italian powerhouse Gianni Origoni Grippo & Partners. The firm has hired Gianni senior associate Tiziana del Prete to lead its Roman corporate operation. She joins as a partner and brings with her a senior associate and a junior assistant. Del Prete advised on the Parmalat restructuring ...
Glazer debt could gift hedge funds huge share of Man Utd
Clause in offer document could see Glazer transfer 30 per cent of stake to US funds within five years
Gold Fields and Harmony fork out millions in takeover battle
Harmony’s unsuccessful £3.5bn hostile takeover of Gold Fields has left the rival South African mining companies with hefty legal bills.To date, Gold Fields’ lawyers – South Africa’s Edward Nathan & Friedland, Linklaters and
Grapevine
Ever-steady
Herbert Smith's COO hopefuls on shortlist of six
Herbert Smith has drawn up a shortlist of candidates to fill the newly-created role of chief operating officer (COO).
Invensys' legal vice-president quits for Lenovo
Mark Duesenberg has left Invensys for a new role as legal director at international technology company Lenovo.
Khodorkovsky legal team set to appeal
Robert Amsterdam, the Canadian human rights lawyer representing Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, has vowed to fight on after his client was today sentenced to nine years imprisonment.
L&G's £1.1m FSA fine is cut in half at tribunal
Legal & General (L&G) is claiming a moral victory after the Financial Services Authority (FSA) was ordered to halve the £1.1m fine imposed on the company for the alleged mis-selling of mortgage endowments.
Latham corporate partner hire delivers shock blow to Wachtell
Latham & Watkins has made an almost unheard of lateral hire from New York M&A powerhouse Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, securing corporate partner Barry Bryer for its New York office.
Law Soc investigation prompts Olswang's Julian Holy takeover
Olswang has swooped on the £5m practice of property legend Julian Holy just one month after he was struck off by the Law Society.
Lawyer team sets up animal welfare association
A group of lawyers involved in animal welfare has set up the Association of Lawyers for Animal Welfare (Alaw). The association's aim is to improve the current legal framework for animals and ensure that existing law is applied correctly. The association will be launched on 27 June 2005 by David Thomas, director of Alaw and chair of the RSPCA, and it hopes to build links with similar associations abroad.
LeBoeuf and Eversheds cash in on Adidas selloff
LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae and Eversheds have scooped roles on the sale of Adidas's winter sports equipment business Salomon to Finnish company Amer.
Ledingham Chalmers to open in London
Aberdeen-based oil and gas firm Ledingham Chalmers is to open an office in London to provide an additional service to its energy clients.
Leeds leaders
DLA Piper has reported record results and Addleshaws has broken the £400,000 PEP mark. Deborah Rothfield on how the national firms are doing from a Leeds perspective
Legal aid gone crazy
Unlike normal people who go on holiday, lawyers seem singularly unable to take two weeks off work and just lie on the beach. Or, like Tulkinghorn, sip on single malt and catch up on back copies of The Spectator.
Linklaters goes global with community pro bono effort
Linklaters is set to launch a month-long programme of volunteering initiatives throughout June to coincide with National Pro Bono Week. The series of events is designed to encourage as many people within the firm as possible to "step forward and volunteer". The events will follow on from the firm's 'Time to Volunteer' scheme, launched last year, where all Linklaters staff are allowed an extra day off every ...
Linklaters picks up US banking star from O'Melveny
Linklaters has poached a New York-based partner from O’Melveny & Myers.
Linklaters takes DLA Dutch banking star
Linklaters has hired its first banking partner for its growing Dutch office.
Little League
The epic research process for The Lawyer 100 Annual Report has begun. It's not out until September, but the reporting season is already well underway and Tulkinghorn's mind is turning to figures.
Lock stock and a smoking Kilpatrick
Congratulations to Kilpatrick Stockton for making it on to Serco's rejigged panel. It's a great coup for the US firm's revitalised London office, which was effectively reborn in 2003 with the hire of 14 partners and 25 lawyers from the defunct Altheimer & Gray.
Lovells beats rivals as it bags first Paragon securitisation instruction
Lovells has closed its first securitisation deal for Para-gon Finance after beating a raft of City rivals to the deal.
MBR&M loses securitisation icon to Paul Hastings
Securitisations expert Richard Ambery has left Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw to become Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker's corporate counsel. He will be based in London. Ambery has led on hefty deals such as the Formula 1 and Silver (UCB Healthcare) securitisations. He specialises in commercial mortgage securitisations and has expertise in structured finance and related capital markets issues.
McGrigors challenges UK VAT refund stance
A team of McGrigors tax litigation lawyers is bringing a test case against the UK Government following a landmark decision by the Euro-pean Court of Justice (ECJ).
Music maestros
"It's like the Romans, innit?" bellowed Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw (MBR&M) coach-for-the-day Ian Holloway. "When one moves forward, you all move forward."
New York-based rainmaker touted as next senior partner at Shearman
New York capital markets rainmaker Rohan Weerasinghe has emerged as the official candidate for Shearman & Sterling's forthcoming senior partner elections.
Northern light
Newcastle has been hailed the new capital of the North, with an increased interest from investors. Quite right too, says Jamie Martin
Online recruitment advertising worth £121 million in 2004
The Interactive Advertising Bureau's latest figures show that online recruitment advertising was worth £121 million in 2004, up approximately 50% from £81 million in 2003.
Opinion
With depolarisation looming, be on the lookout for truly independent financial advisers
Orrick backs Vivendi in renewed attack on Wilmer client Deutsche Telekom
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe client Vivendi Universal is continuing its assault on rival communications giant Deutsche Telekom with the launch of fresh proceedings in Paris.
Outer Temple duo halt Legionnaire's litigation
Two Outer Temple Chambers silks have helped to get a corporate man-slaughter case relating to a rare outbreak of Legionnaire's Disease dropped.
Pannones bolsters planning team
Weightmans’ former head of planning and environment John Holmes has found a new home at Pannone & Partners.
Richards Butler appoints six new partners
Richards Butler has announced the appointment of six new partners, five of which are in the Hong Kong office and one in London.
Shoosmiths turns in stunning forty-seven per cent PEP hike
Shoosmiths turns in stunning forty-seven per cent PEP hike" /National firm Shoosmiths has claimed its second year of stunning financial results, posting an increase in average profit per equity partner (PEP) of 47 per cent.
Simmons raids EY Law for Italian employment team
Simmons & Simmons is ramping up its Italian employment practice with the hire of a six-strong team from EY Law's affiliated firm Studio Legale Tributario.
SJ Berwin conflict hands British Land's Pillar offer to Freshfields
SJ Berwin conflict hands British Land's Pillar offer to Freshfields" /Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has muscled in on longstanding SJ Berwin client British Land after advising the property investment company ...
SJ Berwin's top equity partners hit £900K
SJ Berwin has posted an increase in average profit per equity partner (PEP) from £510,000 up to £575,000, with preliminary figures putting top equity partners on over £900,000, up from £780,000. Revenue is up from £110m to £122m on a like-for-like basis. Last year's revenues were £99m, but that did not include the £11m German turnover, which was not then integrated with London. Having beat budget by ...
Speechly puts in best-ever performance
Speechly Bircham has become the latest firm to post a record profit, based primarily on a stellar performance by its property team. Average profit per equity partner smashed through the £300,000 barrier, rising 40 per cent from £265,000 to £365,000, the firm's best-ever performance. Turnover rose more modestly, up 16 per cent to £29m. Revenues from the property group increased by just under 20 per ...
The work-life quiz
Michael Madden, managing partner, litigation dept Ashurst
Theatre of schemes
He lost, but he's still smiling. Freshfields star M&A partner Mark Rawlinson tells The Lawyer the story behind the defence of Manchester United. By Husnara Begum
Van Doorne in banking coup with Nauta swoop
Dutch firm Van Doorne has raided the London office of rival Nauta Dutilh and hired well-known banking and securities partner Dirk Blaisse.
