The Lawyer
31 October 2005
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2 Temple Gardens targets media work
31-Oct-2005
2 Temple Gardens is launching a specialist media and entertainment practice group.
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4 Pump Court senior clerk jumps ship to Atkin
31-Oct-2005
4 Pump Court is losing senior clerk Simon Slattery to construction specialists Atkin Chambers, as Atkin clerk John Wiggs moves to Maitland Chambers. Slattery will move next April. In turn, 4 Pump Court is bolstering its clerking team with the hire of Essex Court Chambers clerk Jon Robinson. Wiggs, an executive clerk at Atkin, will start at Maitland at the end of November.
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A storm in a tea cup
31-Oct-2005
Today may be Halloween, but there are some things scarier than ghoulies. Such as email howlers. Everyone's been there. You press 'send', the message goes, and your hands make their way to your head.
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A&O in Peacock hedge fund coup
31-Oct-2005
Allen & Overy (A&O) has leveraged its role on the Glazer bid by scooping the mandate to advise Och-Ziff and Perry Capital on the first UK leveraged buy-out by hedge funds. The funds are making a £410m bid for retailer Peacock.The magic circle firm advised the same two US hedge funds that helped finance Malcolm Glazer’s controversial takeover of Manchester United Football Club earlier this year. Ashurst and Macfarlanes acted for Peacock and the management buyout team respectively.
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A&O scoops Ericsson work after Slaughters conflict
31-Oct-2005
A Slaughter and May conflict has gifted Allen & Overy (A&O) a mandate to advise Swedish telecoms equipment company Ericsson on its £1.2bn cash deal to buy the bulk of Marconi's assets. Slaughters, which is retained as corporate legal adviser to both Ericsson and Marconi, is acting for the latter company on the deal. The magic circle firm had to vet lawyers on the Ericsson deal to ensure they were not involved in the high-profile Marconi restructuring. Marconi will use £700m of the sale ...
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Addleshaws advises on Travelodge's Little Chef sale
31-Oct-2005
Addleshaw Goddard has strengthened its relationship with Travelodge after advising the budget hotel group on the £52m sale of roadside restaurant chain Little Chef to The People's Restaurant Group.
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Advantage West Midlands saves Hammonds from panel chop
31-Oct-2005
Hammonds is the only firm to retain its position on Advantage West Midlands' legal panel following a competitive beauty parade by the regional development agency.
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Ashfords sparks Plymouth expansion with hire of General Motors in-houser
31-Oct-2005
West country law firm Ashfords has snared a lawyer from General Motors' (GM) in-house legal department as it looks to double the size of its Plymouth office during the next three years.
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Ashurst abashed by misdirected email
31-Oct-2005
Ashurst was left red-faced after a misdirected email led to a dispute with its client over an underestimated fee arrangement.
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Associated British Ports lands new counsel
31-Oct-2005
Former First Choice Holidays general counsel Andrew Garner has moved to take the helm of Associated British Ports' (APB) legal functions. Garner had been with First Choice for four years and will join ABP on 1 November. He succeeds Stephen Walsh, who served as the group's general counsel for three and a half years. Walsh is leaving to join Global Aerospace Underwriting Managers as global general counsel. Garner qualified at Linklaters and moved in-house to Unigate before joining First ...
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BA counsel goes before the Lords to defend DVT claims
31-Oct-2005
British Airways (BA) general counsel Robert Webb QC was in the House of Lords earlier this month to defend the airline's record on deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
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Bar president says French must adapt
31-Oct-2005
The president of the French Bar Council last week demanded legislative change to enable French law firms to compete on the international stage.
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BCCI ends as Deloitte, Lovells call halt
2-Nov-2005
The epic and costly court battle between the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) and the Bank of England sensationally ended this morning when the Chancellor of the High Court held it was “no longer in the best interests” of creditors for the litigation to continue.
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Beachcrofts to investigate international relationships
31-Oct-2005
Beachcroft Wansbroughs has commissioned outgoing managing partner Bob Heslett to launch a sweeping review of its international strategy.
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Bird & Bird secures patent win against SKB for client Synthon
31-Oct-2005
Bird & Bird has won a major House of Lords victory for Dutch pharmaceutical company Synthon against SmithKline Beecham (SKB) (now GlaxoSmithKline).
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Brodies is main beneficiary as Fyfe Ireland splits
31-Oct-2005
Scottish mid-sizer Fyfe Ireland is splitting in November, with the bulk of the firm set to join larger rival Brodies.
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Careers: In brief
31-Oct-2005
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs Lord Falconer and former US Assistant Attorney-General Eldie Asheson are to address an International Policy Summit on Judicial Diversity later this week. The summit, arranged by the Commission for Judicial Appointments, is being held for senior members of the judiciary, government and legal profession in London on 2 November. Lord Falconer will open with a keynote address. Contributions will also be made by judges ...
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Careers: People
31-Oct-2005
Haarmann Hemmelrath has strengthened its London energy practice with the hire of Field Fisher Waterhouse's (FFW) head of wind energy. Stefan Schmitz joins as a partner, having been a senior associate at FFW, where he spent five years specialising in wind energy, geothermal and solar projects.
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CC Asia head returns to London
3-Nov-2005
Clifford Chance’s regional head of litigation and dispute resolution in Asia is returning to the firm’s London office.
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CC in pole position to bag Siemens' offer for Legrand
31-Oct-2005
Clifford Chance looks set to secure an instruction from German engineering and technology conglomerate Siemens, which is interested in buying French electrical equipment producer Legrand from Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR). It is understood that Siemens recently held talks with KKR, the private equity group that led the buyout of Legrand in 2002, in conjunction with French investment group Wendel. Legrand has an estimated value of almost €7bn (£4.76bn). Clifford Chance has a longstanding ...
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Christmas puddings
31-Oct-2005
Nice to see that Skadden's PR department has got its priorities right.After spending 10 minutes of being passed around on the phone last week, Tulkinghorn finally spoke to a helpful assistant, who offered a timely: "Sorry, it's a bit confusing here, what with the Christmas party and everything."
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Cleary hires Cravath heavyweight for Beijing launch
1-Nov-2005
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has poached Cravath Swaine & Moore senior securities and capital markets partner Clayton Johnson, for its new Beijing office.
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Collapse of BCCI trial fuels costs row
2-Nov-2005
A row is brewing over the cost of the collapsed Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) trial, with each side blaming the other for the time and money spent fighting the case.
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Collins & Aikman assets sale sees Euro firms gear up for work
31-Oct-2005
Can the US firm build a UK client base with its pure energy practice? By David Middleton
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Dewey boosts global offering with two partners
31-Oct-2005
Dewey Ballantine has hired two new partners for its international practice.
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DWS helps Citigroup triumph in domain name damages row
31-Oct-2005
Denton Wilde Sapte (DWS) has won its first IP deal for Citigroup as a result of its Taylor Wessing hires earlier this year.
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Epstein hires in NY despite $4m lawsuit
31-Oct-2005
US firm Epstein Becker & Green has continued its expansion with the hire of two corporate partners in New York, despite the firm facing a lawsuit for almost $4m (£2.3m).
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EU Commissioner calls for litigation reform
31-Oct-2005
EU competition commissioner Neelie Kroes has called for wholesale reform to encourage private litigation of competition abuses.
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European Commission simplifies its rulebook
31-Oct-2005
THE EUROPEAN Comm-ission is set to overhaul its rulebook, with plans to simplify or abolish 1,400 EU rules on a variety of topics, ranging from company law to the EU Customs Code.
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Express counsel takes up position with The Sun
31-Oct-2005
The Sun newspaper will gain a new deputy legal adviser later this year as Justin Walford joins from the Daily Express. Walford, who will be deputy to Tom Crone, legal manager for The Sun and News of the World, starts his new role in December. Walford will leave his current position in November. He commented: "The move isn't a reflection on the Daily Express. I've been here 20 years and it's time for a fresh challenge."
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Falconer urges solicitors to apply for the bench
2-Nov-2005
Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer has urged solicitors to become judges in an effort to boost judicial diversity.
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FFW boosts PI team with RPC swoop
1-Nov-2005
Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW) has snapped up Reynolds Porter Chamberlain’s Jill Greenfield as partner to strengthen its personal injury and clinical negligence department.
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Finers poaches Lewis Silkin corporate partner
3-Nov-2005
Finers Stephens Innocent has recruited corporate partner Paul Glassberg from Lewis Silkin.Glassberg is Finers’ second lateral hire in the space of a month. Property partner Mark Johnstone recently joined from US firm Kilpatrick Stockton.Glassberg has experience in private equity and M&A, and undertaking corporate transactions for clients in the property sector. Finers has grown from 30 to 33 partners during 2005. Banking partner Graham Reid also joined from McClure Naismith.
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Fiona Stark: Eon UK
31-Oct-2005
There is no shortage of energy at Eon. With rapid growth and acquisitions it is now the UK's second-largest power company. David Middleton reports
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Firm profile: IBB Solicitors
31-Oct-2005
Managing partner: Steven Booth Turnover: £12m Total number of partners: 26 Total number of fee-earners: 100 Main practice areas: Commercial, community legal services and private client Key clients: Bellway Homes, Frontier Estates, Norwich Union, Renault Retail and Renault UK Number ...
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Firms warm up for Gadget Shop battle
31-Oct-2005
Bevan Brittan, Hammonds and McGrigors will be in court this week to argue on behalf of the various owners of the collapsed Gadget Shop, one of the most highly-charged cases of the year.
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Floods of tears
31-Oct-2005
Nature is taking its toll on insureds, insurers and local authorities alike as floods cause a wrangle over the availability of insurance and liability costs. Carys Oatham reports
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For the record...
31-Oct-2005
In the 10 October edition of The Lawyer, it was incorrectly stated that Uefa lawyer Richard Verow would be replacing Urvasi Naidoo as the in-house lawyer for the International Cricket Council (ICC). In fact Verow's role is in addition to Naidoo's and she remains at the ICC.
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Former client sues Princess Di's lawyer
31-Oct-2005
Former Mishcon de Reya managing partner Anthony Julius is being sued by a former client as part of a wider dispute between the executives of an offshore metals business.
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French cheese
31-Oct-2005
Used to the soothing tones of Vivaldi as hold music, Tulkinghorn was delighted to be treated to a much more upbeat tune when calling French firm Caubet Chouchana Meyer the other day.A pity that the song on offer, Sex Bomb, wasn't the recent Tom Jones cover but an even more camp version.Still, points for effort - and for an attempt to update the faded image of law firms.
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Freshfields, Linklaters win settlement for lenders
31-Oct-2005
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters have won a full settlement for a group of financial institutions in a case that threatened to derail cross-border restructurings.
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Gide picks up EdF IPO for French government
31-Oct-2005
Gide Loyrette Nouel is set to carry out its second IPO for the French government this year in the long-awaited partial privatisation of Electricité de France (EdF).
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Ginestie launches academic team
2-Nov-2005
French independent Ginestié Magellan Paley-Vincent & Associés is launching an academic team with the hire of law professor François Testu as a partner.
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Grapevine
31-Oct-2005
Now that's a turn-up for the books. Clifford Chance's former joint Italian managing partner Luigi Chessa has rejoined the magic circle firm's Rome office as of counsel just two years after quitting.
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Hackney to create its first barristers panel
31-Oct-2005
The London Borough of Hackney is preparing to set up its first barristers panel in an effort to rationalise the number of chambers it instructs.
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Hassans bags Camerons' HK managing partner
31-Oct-2005
Gibraltar firm Hassans has snared CMS Cameron McKenna's Stephen Foster, formerley a managing partner of the firm's Hong Kong and Hungary offices. Hassans senior partner James Levy QC said: "Stephen's international experience and track record in corporate transactions will help us develop and support our international client base." Hassans is the largest law firm in Gibraltar with 56 lawyers, 20 of whom are partners, and focuses primarily on advising multinationals on cross-border matters.
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Herbies asks associates to stay as more jump ship
31-Oct-2005
Herbert Smith litigation associates are continuing to resign from the firm despite the moves put in place by department head Sonya Leydecker to boost the team's morale.
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Hunton hopes for domestic bliss with London energy push
31-Oct-2005
Cna the US firm build a UK client base with its pure energy paractice? By David Middleton
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Jackalawry
31-Oct-2005
What have those crazy West Coast cats at US firm Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton been reading? Too many Elmore Leonard thrillers, thought Tulkinghorn as he skimmed the firm's blogs (how US can you get?) the other day. Or does just living in California do this to you: "The year was 1927. A brave young aviator named Charles Lindbergh took off from a dirt airstrip in San Diego, flew east to New York and then into the pages of history. Meanwhile, three men in Los Angeles, pioneers in their ...
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Judge surprised by collapse of BCCI trial
3-Nov-2005
It has emerged that neither Mr Justice Tomlinson nor the Bank of England were aware that the liquidators of the Bank of Credit & Commerce International (BCCI) were planning to discontinue their 12-year claim until it was revealed in Court this morning.
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Law firm trainees set to remain poor cousins to barrister pupils
31-Oct-2005
3 Verulam Buildings' pupillage pay to top £40,000 next year; guaranteed earnings and interest-free loans on increase
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Lawrence Graham acts for Grundon on energy project
31-Oct-2005
Lawrence Graham has advised Grundon Waste Management on its £180m project to develop an energy-from-waste facility at Colnbrook, near Slough. Grundon's plans for the new facility will be realised through Lakeside, a company established by Grundon, which recently became a joint venture between Grundon and Viridor Waste Management. Lakeside will build and operate the plant, with commissioning scheduled for mid-2008. Allen & Overy acted for lead arranger Bank of Ireland, while Manches ...
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Lawyer gets just desert
31-Oct-2005
Alex Haslam, a corporate finance associate at Norton Rose, is planning to run six marathons over six days through the Sahara Desert. Alex, if you want to leave, just go. There's no need to go mad.
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Linklaters boosts New York with Cravath swoop
3-Nov-2005
Linklaters has continued its New York hiring spree, capturing capital markets specialist Adele Hogan from Cravath Swaine & Moore.
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Linklaters wins Crossrail project
3-Nov-2005
Linklaters has won the mandate to advise the Department for Transport on the Crossrail project.
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Lovells slashes management in international executive overhaul
31-Oct-2005
Lovells has completed a radical overhaul of its central management by slashing its international executive and reconfiguring its international operations committee (IOC).
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McClures hikes projects with Beachcrofts raid
31-Oct-2005
Scottish firm McClure Naismith has hired Beachcroft Wansbroughs partner Ashok Ghosh for its London projects team. Ghosh will strengthen McClures' banking capability in addition to adding PPP and PFI expertise. He moves to McClures after three years at Beachcrofts, joining the firm from Altheimer & Gray in 2002. Steven Brown, head of projects at McClures, said the hire was in response to client demand.
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McDermott hires US corporate partner to boost Europe
2-Nov-2005
McDermott Will & Emery has hired Attila Bodi as a corporate partner in the firm’s New York office from mid-size Manhattan firm Golenbock Eisman Assor Bell & Peskoe.
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Mind your business
31-Oct-2005
Lawyers who provide real commercial advice are the most sought after by clients. By Jim Hever
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Motorola slashes legal spend to tune of $200m
31-Oct-2005
In-house team halved, external advisers cut back and City firms dismissed as poor value for money
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National IP firm created by merger
31-Oct-2005
US IP specialists Merchant & Gould and Welsh & Katz are set to merge, creating a 160-lawyer firm with six offices.
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OC hires Lovells finance partner
1-Nov-2005
South West firm Osborne Clarke has recruited financial services specialist Paul Anning from Lovells.
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Olswang hires Khodorkovsky defender following expulsion from Russia
31-Oct-2005
Canadian lawyer Bob Amsterdam has relocated to London as a consultant with Olswang following his eviction from Russia for his role representing Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
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Opinion
31-Oct-2005
The AIT ruling shows how seriously the courts take offences against the financial markets
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Passing the taste test
31-Oct-2005
A gold star for effort goes to XXIV Old Buildings.
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Pay hikes are the sugar rush of the HR world
6-Nov-2005
No fee-earner in their right mind is going to say they don’t want the sort of pay increases that have recently been announced by certain firms. We could all do with a little extra money. But in firing the opening salvos in the latest round of knee-jerk pay hikes, firms are storing up ‘double-trouble’ for themselves.
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Prudential potential
31-Oct-2005
The ability of local authorities to access prudential borrowing has changed the way councils can provide commercial services. By Peter Keith-Lucas
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Public liability
31-Oct-2005
Should private schools provide the same human rights as those in the public sector? Two recent cases highlighted the issue. By Gemma White
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PwC offshoot Schindhelm plans foreign expansion
31-Oct-2005
German firm Schindhelm is preparing to launch offices in Shanghai and Bucharest just weeks after it announced its separation from PwC Legal (formerly Landwell Germany).
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Roschier makes double hire from Cederquist for new Swedish office
31-Oct-2005
Finnish firm Roschier Holmberg has raided Swedish firm Cederquist for two partners to launch its new Swedish office in Stockholm.
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Sandelson becomes CC London chief
31-Oct-2005
Clifford Chance London litigation head Jeremy Sandelson (left) has been confirmed as the firm's new London managing partner. His appointment will start from 1 January 2006 following the announcement of the result of a partnership vote last week (26 October). Sandelson will now have a seat on the management committee and will also run the strategically important ...
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Sapped by Dentons
31-Oct-2005
Poor old Taylor Wessing. Every time it comes up against Denton Wilde Sapte (DWS) it seems to lose out. First DWS raids Taylor Wessing's IP practice - not once, but twice - taking five lawyers, including Citigroup relationship partner John Linneker. Then, to add insult to injury, it beats Taylor Wessing 3-1 at footy in the London Legal League. It's enough to have you crying into your IT outsourcing contract.
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Separated at birth
31-Oct-2005
Raquel (aka Sarah Lancashire), the wannabe model and barmaid formerly of Coronation Street, has branched out considerably since leaving Weatherfield. Although happily ensconsed with vineyard owner Armand and his daughters in their French chateau, Raquel occasionally turns her hand to advising businesses on what makes them successful and profitable. These skills were ...
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Shearman creates single finance group in New York
31-Oct-2005
Shearman & Sterling has overhauled its New York banking and finance capabilities, combining them into a single practice area in an effort to bolster profitability.
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Simmons wins plum role on O2 takeover
31-Oct-2005
Simmons & Simmons has scooped the largest M&A deal in the UK so far this year, advising Telefonica on its £17.7bn takeover of O2.
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Sleaze the day
31-Oct-2005
Bates Wells & Braithwaite (BWB) is celebrating its move into posh new premises.Apparently, the chaps that designed the interiors (Metro Design Consultants, should you be after a refit) did the same for the Conservative Party's new headquarters. The designers claim that BWB's new space is like a "sleek city hotel".Presumably, then, it has a bar peopled by wannabe models and ladies of dubious reputation on the hunt for lashed and loaded footballers?
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SPBG identifies in-housers as valuable pro bono patrons
31-Oct-2005
A pro bono initiative for lawyers is targeting in-house legal teams as a new and relatively untapped market.
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Taylor made
31-Oct-2005
Taylor Wessing made staggering progress up The Lawyer's top 100 list this year. But do the figures truly reflect a unified firm? Matt Byrne reports
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TFR debacle overshadows Law Soc training progress
31-Oct-2005
The Law Society's latest proposals in its controversial review of education and training have been broadly welcomed by the legal market. However, the new plans have been overshadowed by continued criticism of the Training Framework Review (TFR) and the way in which the Law Society has handled its training reforms.
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The work-life quiz
31-Oct-2005
Adrian Clark, head of corporate, Ashurst
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Thring Townsend takes on Laytons' Bristol arm
31-Oct-2005
Laytons has hived off its Bristol office to South West firm Thring Townsend, spelling the end of the firm's presence in the region after a string of departures.
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UK, US firms target Middle East market
31-Oct-2005
A host of law firms is launching in Dubai in a bid to cash in on the booming Middle East energy and projects sectors.
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United states
31-Oct-2005
The annual Association of Corporate Counsel Conference was held in Washington DC the other week, but delegates could be forgiven for thinking they had landed at some weird legal Olympics.
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Wragges advises on 3i's sale of Eat stake
31-Oct-2005
Birmingham giant Wragge & Co has advised 3i on the sale of its stake in sandwich and coffee company Eat. Penta Capital has acquired the stake in a £39m refinancing, to which Barclays has committed £18m. Private equity head Maurice Dwyer and associate Sarah Massey handled the deal, working closely with 3i portfolio managers Eamon Nolan and James Cox. Wragges has advised 3i on more than 50 deals this year, including the £116m disposal of BetterCare Group.
