5 April 2010
The Lawyer
7 Bedford Row head quits post to join bench
Civil and criminal set 7 Bedford Row has elected a new head of chambers after incumbent Kate Thirlwall QC left to join the bench.
9 Gough Square appoints new chief exec
Common law set 9 Gough Square has appointed Ron Smith to succeed John Kerr as chief executive of chambers.
A tale of two clans: ABS row divides legal profession north of the border
The Scottish legal market has long been divided on the question of alternative business structures (ABSs), with the so-called big four firms supporting them while many of their Scotland-only counterparts are against them.
A&O, Eversheds, Lovells in on Cable & Wireless pension brief
Allen & Overy (A&O), Eversheds and Lovells are advising on the pension issues thrown up by the recent demerger of Cable & Wireless Worldwide from the Cable & Wireless Group.
A&O, Freshfields each gain 18 partners
Allen & Overy (A&O) and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer have made up 18 lawyers apiece to their partnerships in this year’s promotion round.
Addleshaws plumps for female chair
Litigation partner Monica Burch is to take over as chair at Addleshaw Goddard, making it the second firm in the UK top 20 to have a woman in a senior partner role.
Apology: Sheikh Abdullah Alhamrani
In an article in the issue of 22 February entitled ’Carry on in court’ about a complex trust case in Jersey by one of the Jersey advocates in Bedell Cristin instructed by the plaintiff beneficiaries, the nature of Sheikh Abdullah Alhamrani’s defence was not adequately conveyed.
Assigned risk pool hit by Quinn failure
The collapse of Irish insurer Quinn could bring about the end of the professional indemnity assigned risk pool (ARP), a leading insurance broker has warned.
Beachcroft ups insurance nous with City boutique WHCG
Beachcroft is to acquire specialist London insurance boutique Williams Holden Cooklin Gibbons (WHCG).
BLP’s deal with Thames Water creates non-City platform
Partnership gives impetus to firm’s FTSE managed legal services plans. Luke McLeod-Roberts reports
Building competition
The commercial property sector is about to be exposed to the full force of the Competition Act 1998. Michael Grenfell examines the implications
City firms tie up Yorkshire private equity transaction
Addleshaw Goddard, DLA Piper and Hammonds have completed an all-Yorkshire private equity transaction for Phoenix Equity Partners.
East Mids authorities shuffle advisers
A group of 50 East Midlands local authorities has reviewed its advisers, expanding its joint panel to include DLA Piper and Anthony Collins Solicitors, while kicking off Ashfords.
Eversheds on eggshells over Easter treats
Eversheds’ plan to present its staff with Easter eggs had to be put on hold after concerns that it might offend employees who do not celebrate the Christian festival.
FFW advises House of Fraser on first franchise in Middle East expansion
Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW) has advised Dubai retailer investor Retail Arabia International (RAI) on a franchising deal to open the first House of Fraser in the Middle East.
Focus: M&A, Spreading the load
The M&A market is yet to show signs of a full recovery, but what work there is is now being spread more evenly between the magic circle and its rivals
Freshfields creates alumni pool for overflow work
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is set to tap into its network of alumni to handle an anticipated upturn in work levels later this year.
Freshfields steers through Chinese Volvo acquisition
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer grabbed a prize mandate advising Chinese company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group on its $1.8bn (£1.21bn) acquisition of Volvo from the Ford Motor Company.
George Davies
George Davies’ managing partner Mark Hovell describes his firm as a mix of old and new.
Hogan partner heads ‘reverse spin-off’ to service larger clients’ international needs
The new managing partner of what will be Hogan Lovells’ Berlin office has said he chose to stay with the firm despite most of his colleagues setting up alone, arguing his practice needs the backing of an international firm.
Jomati hires ex-Links global business boss
Former Linklaters global business manager Jenny Jones has joined Jomati Consultants, the legal consultancy fronted by former Clifford Chance managing partner Tony Williams.
Kirkland restructuring partner in GTM U-turn
One of the restructuring partners due to join Greenberg Traurig Maher (GTM) from Kirkland & Ellis has decided to stay where he is.
Legal Ombudsman recruits in Birmingham
The Legal Ombudsman has marked the opening of its new Birmingham office with the announcement of a recruitment drive that will see 300 new staff join the newly formed independent public body.
Legal stars come out for The Lawyer Awards
?The countdown to The Lawyer’s annual awards has begun and, having received a record number of entries, we can now reveal our stellar list of judges.
Libelled lawyer sics Carter-Ruck on site
A consumer website that claims to “name and shame” underperforming lawyers is being sued for libel by a personal injury lawyer who was criticised on the site.
Lovells promises post-merger push in spite of closure
Lovells US managing partner Marc Gottridge has vowed to continue building the firm’s New York presence following its May merger with Hogan & Hartson, despite the UK firm closing its Chicago base last week (TheLawyer.com, 30 March).
Lucky strikes
The opening of new oil fields has sparked fresh interest in Africa from international law firms. By Tom Phillips
People moves
Rosenblatt Solicitors has announced the appointment of Robert Guest as a partner and head of the firm’s funds and financial services division. He joins Rosenblatt from Beachcroft Solicitors, where he was a partner in the financial institutions group.
Rock of Aegis: Simon Zinger, Aegis Media
Simon Zinger brings an American can-do attitude and a passion for commerce to his GC role at Aegis Media - and a horde of acquisitions on the horizon will truly test his mettle.
Scottish big four to defect to England over ABS row
Top firms’ ultimatum escalates regulatory crisis north of the border
SFO? FSA? We need an all-new City crime-fighting agency
There is a certain irony that on the day the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced the discontinuance of its five-year criminal investigation into the activities of the Union of Democratic Mineworkers and the world’s largest personal injury compensation scheme, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) was busy raiding the offices of three leading financial institutions in connection with its largest ever criminal investigation into insider dealing.
Steady Cleary grows organically with a series of Hong Kong and US laterals
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is making Hong Kong its strategic focus for the current financial year with a series of lateral hires planned for the jurisdiction.
The oldest proofreader in town
Reg Frary is 90 years old. He has survived the Second World War, seen man land on the moon and watched the first-ever television broadcast.
The Scottish showdown
It’s all kicking off north of the border. Just as the Scottish government was getting tantalisingly close to enacting an amended Legal Services Bill, a massive spanner has been rammed in the works, with the Scottish Legal Agents Society (SLAS) demanding that the Law Society of Scotland (LSS) drop its support of the bill.
Tulkinghorn: Cold mountain
According to Tulkinghorn’s contacts in Germany, the annual partners’ retreat for Berlin-based firm GSK Stockmann & Kollegen is a skiing trip to Germany’s snow-capped mountains.
Work Life Quiz: Gary Howes, Fasken Martineau
Where’s the best place to go if you want to find out what’s really going on in the office? If I find it, I’ll let you know.
