The Lawyer
31 March 2008
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People
31-Mar-2008
Reddie & Grose has hired two new associates for its London and Cambridge offices.
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A&O corporate co-head's wining bid
31-Mar-2008
Elections are always fun at Allen & Overy (A&O). Take the recent senior partner contest between managing partner David Morley and co-corporate head Richard Cranfield.
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A&O Düsseldorf hires Shearman M&A duo
31-Mar-2008
Allen & Overy (A&O) has ramped up its M&A corporate capacity in Düsseldorf with the hire of Shearman & Sterling M&A partner Birgit Reese.
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A&O, Freshfields bag £15m from Northern Rock
1-Apr-2008
A&O and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have made at least £15m in combined fees from the collapse of Northern Rock, it was revealed yesterday.
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A&P's NY focus aims to boost financial regulatory arm
31-Mar-2008
Arnold & Porter (A&P) is ramping up the investment to its New York office, with an additional focus on its financial institutions regulatory practice in particular.
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Addleshaws doubles promotions
4-Apr-2008
Addleshaw Goddard has promoted nine to the partnership, almost double last year's figure, with a major emphasis on making up female associates compared with last year.
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Addleshaws: managing associates
4-Apr-2008
The noteworthy fact about Addleshaws promotions this year wasn't that it promoted almost double the number it did last year, despite an economic downturn.
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All at sea
31-Mar-2008
Tulkinghorn associates the word 'cruise' with the word 'booze' or maybe 'Caribbean', but certainly not 'partnership meeting'.
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Andrew Carpenter: Addleshaw Goddard
31-Mar-2008
What car do you drive?Mercedes ML 350 - you never know when the Thames will flood.
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Apprentice barrister gets all fired up
31-Mar-2008
Aspiring barrister Nicholas De Lacy-Brown was the first to be booted off the new series of The Apprentice last week and spoke to The Lawyer's student publication Lawyer2B following his eviction.
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Ashurst promotes 17; best female count so far
1-Apr-2008
Women and corporate celebrate in Ashurst promotion round.
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Ashurst promotions: expectation management
1-Apr-2008
Ashurst may have made up a handful fewer partners than last year in this year’s crop of 17, but if you are a minority at the firm - e.g. you are a woman, are based outside London or, indeed, you are a barrister - you would have been laughing. See story.
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Ashurst reveals review of lockstep
31-Mar-2008
Ashurst's long-running partnership lockstep review has been completed.
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Burges Salmon and Halliwells advise in £46m Pontins sale
2-Apr-2008
Burges Salmon and Halliwells advised in the £46m sale of family holiday business Pontins to Ocean Parcs, an investment company led by Pontins' former chief executive, Graham Parr.
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Camerons' bull about China chop
31-Mar-2008
Doing business in China can be daunting, but fortunately the CMS network is here to help.
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CC New York facing $75m race discrimination suit
31-Mar-2008
Magic circle firm Clifford Chance is gearing up to contest a race discrimination case brought against it in New York.
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CC New York partner Kirsch to succeed Peter Chaffetz
2-Apr-2008
Clifford Chance New York partner Mark Kirsch is to become the firm's litigation and dispute resolution head, succeeding Peter Chaffetz on 1 May. Kirsch, who has headed the firm's US litigation practice for the past four years, stood uncontested for the global role. He will serve a four-year term. He said: "I look forward to working with partners and other practice area leaders across the firm to continue providing the high level of legal service our clients have ...
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CC's diversity credentials go up a notch
31-Mar-2008
Arcus is Latin for 'rainbow' and is hence an entirely fitting name for a law firm's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) network.
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Computer whizz
31-Mar-2008
In an exact reverse of the fate of global markets, alcohol consumption at this year's Mipim this year rocketed, fuelling one or two episodes of depravity.
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Cornwall County Council: One vision
31-Mar-2008
Cornwall's switch to a unitary authority will throw up a host of staffing and planning issues.
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Corporate promotions to the fore as Herbert Smith and Freshfields unveil partnership lists
31-Mar-2008
Corporate has led the way at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Herbert Smith - the two largest firms to have announced their promotions.
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Correction
31-Mar-2008
Last week (24 March) in the City column on retired judges, the photo was of Sir Anthony Colman, not Sir Gavin Lightman as stated.
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Davis Polk raids OMM for Beijing head
1-Apr-2008
Davis Polk & Wardwell has ramped up its China M&A capability with the hire of Howard Zhang, the former Beijing managing partner O’Melveny & Myers.
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Druces & Attlee
31-Mar-2008
"At one stage, 10-15 years ago, we were the recruiting ground for Linklaters, which irritated me greatly," says Druces & Attlee joint managing partner Richard Monkcom.
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Dundas promotes six again but women miss out
2-Apr-2008
Dundas & Wilson has promoted six lawyers to its partnership, with half of the new promotions in the corporate group.
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Ethics revamp sees Cuatrecasas limit itself to one bidder at a time
31-Mar-2008
Spanish independent firm Cuatrecasas has revamped its code of ethics, setting up an ethics board and banning the practice of advising two separate bidders on a single deal.
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Eversheds supports office with green bras
31-Mar-2008
Eversheds has hit on an uplifting way to be green by recycling the underwire of bras to support what it hopes will be the most environmentally friendly office in the City.
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Eversheds to run sheep pilot scheme at new City base - APRIL FOOL!
1-Apr-2008
In a bizarre turn in its campaign to create London’s greenest law office, Eversheds is to let sheep loose on the roof of its new building at One Wood Street.
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Fountain Court QC joins buddy at Cloisters
31-Mar-2008
Employment set Cloisters has raided Fountain Court for its star silk Brian Napier QC.
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Freshfields and White & Case: Outside influence
31-Mar-2008
Banking partners Maurice Allen and Mike Goetz are no strangers to building a business from scratch. But can they help Freshfields catch up with the rest of the magic circle?
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Freshfields corporate set for major shake-up
31-Mar-2008
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's incoming corporate head Mark Rawlinson is restructuring the department's management team to give responsibility to a wider group of partners.
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Freshfields makes friends with White & Case
31-Mar-2008
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer finance partners Maurice Allen and Mike Goetz are setting up an informal conflicts referral relationship in London with their previous firm White & Case.
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Gazprom turns to Hunton UK for TruRead investment
31-Mar-2008
The UK office of Hunton & Williams has won a mandate from trophy client Gazprom, advising its UK subsidiary on the purchase of an equity stake in smart metering company TruRead.
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Ginestié brings in extra partners to strengthen corporate practice
31-Mar-2008
French independent firm Ginestié Magellan Paley-Vincent has boosted its corporate practice with the hire of two new partners.
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GLA standards committee elects chair
31-Mar-2008
Claer Lloyd-Jones, a partner at legal consultancy Rockpools, has been elected chair of the Greater London Authority (GLA) standards committee.
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Goodbody, Covington secure ryanair stake
31-Mar-2008
A&L Goodbody and Covington & Burling have struck a blow for client Ryanair in its bitter dispute with Aer Lingus after the European Court of First Instance ruled it could not force Ryanair to sell its holding in acquisition target Aer Lingus.
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Hammonds hires to boost Birmingham
31-Mar-2008
Hammonds is ramping up its Birmingham office with the hire of Eversheds property partner Monique Sutherland.
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Hardwicke swoops on 5 Raymond for IP snr jnr
31-Mar-2008
Hardwicke Building has ramped up its IP capabilities with the hire of senior junior Madeleine Heal from 5 Raymond Buildings.
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Heuking launches Zurich outpost
31-Mar-2008
Denton Wilde Sapte's former German network firm Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek is opening an office in Zurich in April.
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Howrey banks on investment
31-Mar-2008
One firm that missed out on a spot in last week’s The Lawyer US Top 50 was Howrey.
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Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill is unethical
31-Mar-2008
'Monstrous attack on human rights', 'Frankenstein embryos', 'spare-part children', 'no need for a father' and free votes… What is the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill all about?
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Hunton & Williams: The London eye
3-Apr-2008
Dearbhla Quigley's promotion at the London office of US firm Hunton & Williams is further evidence that its good to be a woman in corporate.
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Hunton promotions plummet, London gets one
3-Apr-2008
US firm Hunton & Williams has promoted 11 new partners, including English-qualified AIM specialist Dearbhla Quigley.
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I want to eventually train as a solicitor and am thinking about taking a gap year between my A-Levels and university. What would be the best way to spend this time?
2-Apr-2008
As you’ve probably guessed – there’s no ‘right’ answer to this question – only suggestions. Focus on using your time well, making the most of the opportunity. Some time out is a great way to build some skills, whether it’s learning a language or gaining industry exposure. Given the diversity of law, you can then recall your gap year experiences as evidence of ‘initiative’, ‘enthusiasm’, ‘teamwork’, ‘communication’, and all those other buzz words, which transfer across easily as valuable ...
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ICC left reeling as arbitration court chairman Tercier resigns
31-Mar-2008
The resignation of Pierre Tercier as chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce's (ICC) International Court of Arbitration has given the impression that the organisation is in turmoil.
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Institute of Barristers' Clerks gets new chair
31-Mar-2008
Wilberforce Chambers senior clerk Declan Redmond has stepped down as the chair of the Institute of Barristers' Clerks (IBC) following a rejig of its executive committee.
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ITV installs new compliance chief as 30-year incumbent retires
31-Mar-2008
ITV managing editor and director of compliance Ian McBride is to retire in June after more than 30 years' service with Granada and ITV.
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Judge: There is no evidence of Diana conspiracy
31-Mar-2008
The Diana Inquest coroner said today (31 March) that Mohamed Al Fayed's lawyer, Michael Mansfield QC of Tooks Chambers, had to stop pursuing the Harrods owner's murder theories as they were "without foundation".
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Judges named for The Lawyer Awards 2008
31-Mar-2008
The Lawyer Awards 2008 will take place on 24 June at The Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane in London.
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Law firms fail to reach top of best employers league
31-Mar-2008
Law?firms?feature heavily in a survey of the best professional services firms to work for, but only two reached the top 20.
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Law Soc and LSC end Legal Aid feud
2-Apr-2008
Civil legal aid lawyers are to see current contract terms improve for a two-year period, it was announced today (2 April). Under a deal brokered by The Law Society, the Legal Services Commission (LSC) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) practitioners will, among other things, see fixed fees increase by 2 per cent from 1 July. The pact will also see the Law Society drop its judicial review against the LSC for inaction after a Court of Appeal judgment last year ruled ...
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Lawyers - not so hot at PR, are they?
4-Apr-2008
Lawyers - not so hot at PR, are they?04-April-2008This time last week we brought you news of Nicholas De Lacy Brown, the would-be barrister and Apprentice reject who managed to raise the hackles of Sir Alan Sugar, chavs, non-graduates, football fans and people with a 'B' grade GCSE in the course of 60 minutes.
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Lovells forges ahead with global IP expansion strategy
31-Mar-2008
Lovells has strengthened further its international IP practice with the addition of Wragge & Co patent litigation partner Adam Cooke.
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MacRitchie steps down as Shearman's London chief
1-Apr-2008
Shearman & Sterling's long-serving UK managing partner Kenneth MacRitchie is stepping down after six years in the role.
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Mcgrigors' valiant role on aim listing
31-Mar-2008
McGrigors has advised Valiant Petroleum on its £50m AIM listing, which gave it a market capitalisation of £200m on admission. Martin Finnegan, head of McGrigors' capital markets practice, led the team acting on the IPO, with Watson Farley & Williams partner Jan Mellman advising Oriel Securities as nominated adviser and Tristone Capital as joint broker and global bookrunner.
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Merited? Maybe. Heartening? No
31-Mar-2008
It's just a week into the partner promotion season and already some trends are emerging; the firms we feature are a fascinating cross-section of the market.
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Mum suing CC over sex discrimination
31-Mar-2008
Clifford Chance is facing a sex discrimination claim and is due to defend itself in a Budapest court next month.
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Nabarro promotes five to partner
3-Apr-2008
Nabarro has promoted five associates to the partnership this year, two down on last year's total of seven.
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Nabarro promotions down (under)
3-Apr-2008
So Nabarro continues with its cautious attitude towards internal promotions, making up a modest five this year.
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Nabarro victory saves FA Cup contenders from financial ruin
31-Mar-2008
Nabarro has landed a High Court ruling that has rescued Cardiff City FC from financial disaster.
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Nabarro, Hunton & Hosseini
4-Apr-2008
Those that have recently been promoted to the partnership must be letting out a sigh of relief. For it will have been a tough year.
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No bank deals in the UK? Try a slice of Turkey
31-Mar-2008
Clifford Chance and Cleary are already looking at the Turkish market
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Olswang closes Danny Boyle film deal
3-Apr-2008
Olswang has advised independent film company Celador Films on the new movie by Danny Boyle.
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Olswang doubles Berlin office with Links IP team
31-Mar-2008
Olswang's Berlin office has doubled in size after taking on Linklaters' highly rated IP team of two partners and six fee-earners.
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Patton Boggs snares top Iraqi lawyer in Qatar
31-Mar-2008
Iraq's most high-profile business lawyer Hussein Damirji has retreated from Baghdad to join the Qatar office of US firm Patton Boggs.
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PI lawyers hit back at insurers' claims of rocketing costs
31-Mar-2008
The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (Apil) has hit out at fresh claims of spiralling costs in the legal arena.
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Pinsents cuts promotions, projects group takes a third
31-Mar-2008
Pinsent Masons has cut the number of new partners in this year’s round of promotions, making up 17 new partners after 20 last year.
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Pinsents' Leeds' ladies take the lead
31-Mar-2008
Today was a good day to be a woman in Pinsent Masons’ Leeds office.
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Promotions kick off with rise in female partners
31-Mar-2008
The year’s partnership promotions round is shaping up to be the best ever for female lawyers.
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Property
31-Mar-2008
With the words 'climate change' on everybody's lips, addressing sustainability in its widest sense is perhaps one of the most important issues facing the property sector, as the following special reports illustrate.
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Property hotspot
31-Mar-2008
Demand for housing is keeping lawyers busy in the South West, says John Bosworth
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Pupillages nosedive by 20 per cent since 2000
31-Mar-2008
The number of Bar Vocational Course (BVC) graduates invited to take pupillage has dropped by 20 per cent since the turn of the century, with less than a third of graduates securing pupillages last year.
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Reed Smith hikes global shipping nous
31-Mar-2008
Reed Smith is upping its focus on its international shipping practice with the relocation of a lawyer apiece to Dubai and the associated Richards Butler office in Hong Kong.
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Reed Smith reunites ex-Freshfields finance duo
3-Apr-2008
Reed Smith Richards Butler has boosted its finance practice with the addition of Clyde & Co asset finance partner Siva Subramaniam.
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Reuters GC to become intelligence business CEO
2-Apr-2008
Reuters general counsel Rosemary Martin has moved to a new role as chief executive officer at legal market intelligence provider Practical Law Company (PLC). Martin, who is also Reuters' company secretary, leaves the media information provider after 11 years and will join PLC in the summer. She will be responsible for growing the company, which offers a range of legal know-how products to business lawyers. Martin said she felt that PLC was well positioned ...
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Rödl & Partner vows to hit 80 offices by next year
2-Apr-2008
German legal and professional services firm Rödl & Partner has begun a worldwide expansion drive that will include five new offices in the next 12 months.
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Sidley taps SJ Berwin for hedge funds expert
4-Apr-2008
Hedge funds and financial markets partner Bruce Gardner has left SJ Berwin after eight years to join the London office of US firm Sidley Austin.
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Simmons rebuilds Hong Kong team
31-Mar-2008
Simmons & Simmons Hong Kong has hired technology, media and telecoms (TMT) partner Damien Bailey from Minter Ellison, where he headed the Chinese TMT practice.
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SJ Berwin strengthens European presence
31-Mar-2008
SJ Berwin has made two lateral partner hires in Milan and Paris.
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Slaughters completes management overhaul
31-Mar-2008
Slaughter and May has appointed its first female head of corporate in the final round of management elections.
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Social climbers
31-Mar-2008
The social housing market is about to receive a massive shake-up, widening the gap between the larger and smaller housing associations.
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South west
31-Mar-2008
For those firms that spend time investing in the West Country, the rewards are bountiful. While the economy cools elsewhere, the South West continues to attract substantial outside investment.
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Stephen Lerner: 3
31-Mar-2008
Making the UK mobile phone market more competitive is just one of Stephen Lerner's goals as 3 general counsel.
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Stockbrokers in the clear following High Court win for Memery Crystal
31-Mar-2008
Memery Crystal has landed a High Court judgment that dismissed an investor's allegations of unauthorised trading.
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Support groups join forces on solicitors' welfare
4-Apr-2008
Support organisations the Solicitors Benevolent Association, Solicitors' Assistance Scheme and LawCare pledge to work together to support solicitors.
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Sweet and low down
31-Mar-2008
Sir Alan Sugar might have power and wealth but Tulkinghorn wonders why he never seems to be happy. It might be because he has to contend with three lawyers on the new series of The Apprentice.
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The corporate partnership: Superwomen only?
2-Apr-2008
So as it turns out, the new female corporate partners in the Leeds office at Pinsent Masons weren’t celebrating with a bottle of bubbly Monday lunchtime (see earlier post below: March 31st, 17.20). They were locked in client meetings in the final stages of a deal.
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The family seat
31-Mar-2008
Emilio Cuatrecasas heads one of the top firms in Spain and he's in no hurry to link up with the Brits
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Tods Murray appoints new executive partner
31-Mar-2008
Scottish firm Tods Murray has elected a new executive partner in the shape of corporate head David Dunsire, who takes over from incumbent Peter Misselbrook in June.
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Towering ambition
31-Mar-2008
The drive by developers to build ever-taller buildings requires expert scrutiny - including that of lawyers
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Travers Smith lands leading role on Dorset Cereals sale
31-Mar-2008
Travers Smith has bolstered its private equity roster after helping new private equity client Langholm Capital offload portfolio company Dorset Cereals to Wellness Foods.
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Trio make partnership at Skadden London
4-Apr-2008
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom has promoted a record number of partners to its London office this year, with three being made up out of a worldwide total of 25.
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Trowers creates new, Dubai-based international HR head role
31-Mar-2008
Trowers & Hamlins has appointed its first ever head of international human resources (HR), who will be based in Dubai.
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US firm smashes £100k pay barrier for City NQs - APRIL FOOL!
1-Apr-2008
US private equity law firm Bankes & Weschler has become the first firm in the City to offer newly qualified solicitors (NQs) salaries of more than £100,000.
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US unveils blueprint for modernised regulatory regime
1-Apr-2008
The Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson yesterday (31 March) unveiled his long-awaited shake-up of US financial regulation.
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Wealth and efficiency
31-Mar-2008
The introduction of Energy Performance Certificates looks set to have a profound impact on how commercial properties are valued.
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Web week
31-Mar-2008
The Lawyer's Web Week is a weekly commentary on legal activity on the web.
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What's happening over at Davis Polk?
2-Apr-2008
The elite New York firm seems to have gone on a wild lateral hiring rampage. Well, OK, it's hired a partner in Beijing (see story). But for Davis Polk, even one lateral is a marquee event.
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White & Case number one as bankruptcy cases soar
31-Mar-2008
The contenders for the title of 'leading US bankruptcy practice' were revealed this month in a new list showing the number of pending cases at year-end 2007.
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World-Check creates in-house role for former EMR GC
3-Apr-2008
Risk information provider World-Check has appointed its first ever general counsel, hiring Jonathan Beak from outsourcing company EMR Europe Insurance Services.
