7 April 2008
The Lawyer
A record year for Appleby's women
Offshore firm Appleby promoted eight lawyers to its partnership, with a record number of women being made up.
A&O brings in the cavalry to cope with UAE boom
A&O is looking for up to 20 associates and partners to man its booming offices in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and has launched a major internal recruitment drive.
A&O in the Middle East: one new partner, back-up on the way
Allen & Overy's official announcement on its latest partnership round reads that the firm has continued its 'investment in its international network, with over 70 per cent of the new partners coming from outside London'.
A&O promotes eight associates to counsel
Allen & Overy (A&O) has promoted eight senior associates to counsel status in London, less than a week after announcing its 2008 partnership promotions.
A&O, Camerons, Freshfields seal Welcome Break sale
Allen & Overy (A&O), CMS Cameron McKenna and Freshfields Bruckhaus ...
A&O, Cravath seal Nestle's $39bn Alcon sale
Allen & Overy (A&O) and Cravath Swaine & Moore have landed plum roles in Nestle's sale of eye care company Alcon in a two-step mega-deal worth up to $39bn (£19.5bn).
Addleshaws doubles number of legal directors
Addleshaw Goddard has promoted 10 lawyers to the post of legal director, after making up nine lawyers to partner last week.
Al Fayed calls lawyers off the Diana quest
Al Fayed's legal team has finally been ordered to stand down from pursuing avenues as to the reasons Princess Diana and Dodi died.
Allen & Overy: City promotions down a third
Allen & Overy: City promotions down a third" /Allen & Overy (A&O) has announced this year's round of partnership promotions, making up 28 new partners, falling just short of its 2007 bumper crop of 32 promotions.
Alliance defiance
There's a theme running through this week's issue: globalisation. After the magic circle blazed a trail of internationalisation in 1989, the likes of Nabarro Nathanson, Norton Rose and Simmons & Simmons played catch-up with mixed results. Remember Lovell White & Durrant and Denton Hall? They were the first UK firms go fully ...
Andrew Blankfield: Field Fisher Waterhouse
Who would you least like to be stuck in a lift with?I don't like lifts at the best of times, so the fewer people stuck in there with me, the better.
Ashurst and Pinsents announce 2008 promotions with 17 apiece
Ashurst and Pinsents announce 2008 promotions with 17 apiece" / Addleshaw Goddard, Ashurst and Pinsent Masons all announced their partner ...
Axiom hires for Amazon, Christie's
Secondee-based US firm Axiom Legal has boosted its ranks in London, placing lawyers in the legal departments of clients Amazon and Christie's.
Balancing the redress
European legislators may not be enamoured of US-style consumer class actions, but a new EU consultation is seeking to address the disparities between member states to improve consumers' chances of 'collective redress'.
Banking world at war over cheap debt buy-backs
The credit crunch has sparked a row between US and UK firms as sponsor and lender banking lawyers haggle over the secondary market for leveraged loans.
Beating the competition
Crossing the Atlantic can be risky, but by focusing on multinational competition work, US firms can tap into a burgeoning market.
Bedell to act in liquidation of Carlyle Capital Corporation hedge fund
Offshore firm Bedell Group has been appointed to advise on the liquidation of collapsed hedge fund, Carlyle Capital Corporation (CCC).
Berrymans Lace Mawer promotes six to partner
Berrymans Lace Mawer has promoted six new partners, one fewer than last year.
Bircham links up with HR consultancy
Bircham Dyson Bell has joined forces with an HR consultancy in a bid to up its employment capacity amid sweeping?changes?to discrimination legislation.
Bird & Bird launches Indian practice with White & Case hire
Bird & Bird has launched an Indian practice with the hire of White & Case partner Nipun Gupta.
Bird & Bird loses former chairman to FFW…
Bird & Bird has lost its former chairman and leading technology partner Hamish Sandison to Field Fisher Waterhouse (FFW).
BPE and Thomas Eggar win Evans Cycles buyout
BPE and Thomas Eggar have won places on the private equity buyout of High Street chain Evans Cycles.
Clifford Chance promotes 35 worldwide, banking top
CC has made new partners across the globe, with 35 partners spread across 12 different locations.
Clifford Chance: Popham puts his money where his mouth is.
Clifford Chance's senior partner Stuart Popham predicted at the start of the year that firms will have to follow work around the globe in 2008. See story. And Clifford Chance's promotions certainly reflect that.
Closing doors
New York firms Dewey Ballantine and LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae executed a near-perfect merger when they joined forces to form Dewey & LeBoeuf last October.
Consultancy offer sees IP guru Gold take Midas touch to LG
Senior IP lawyer and patent attorney Tibor Gold has taken up a role as a consultant at LG. According to senior partner Penny Francis, this will help open doors for the firm's burgeoning IP practice.
Correction
An article published in The Lawyer last week (31 March) suggested that Spanish firm Maniega & Soler had signed an alliance agreement with Australian and Hong Kong firm Deacons.
Costume designer strikes back in Star Wars IP rights test case
Litigation boutique SimmonsCooperAndrew will cross light sabres with Harbottle & Lewis in a High Court battle of galactic proportions over who owns the IP rights to the stormtrooper costumes from the Star Wars films.
Credit where it’s due
It’s high time the beneficial effects of private equity houses on the UK economy were appreciated more widely – especially now they have been officially acknowledged by the Government.
Crutes scores role on £17m JJB Soccer Domes sale
Newcastle's Crutes has assisted the Powerleague Group in its £17m asset purchase of JJB Soccer Domes indoor and outdoor football pitches across five sites.
Dentons, SJ Berwin strike property deal
Denton Wilde Sapte and SJ Berwin won roles on a £1.2bn property venture between British Land and Sainsbury's Supermarkets, which will run 39 stores on sites owned by British Land.
Dewey & LeBoeuf closes three US offices
Dewey & LeBoeuf is to close three of its US offices in a bid to focus its practice on major capital markets.
Diageo gives global IP team regional focus
Diageo has restructured its global IP team to focus on regions rather than product lines in order to align the team more closely with the rest of the business.
Diana verdict: Gross negligence not conspiracy to murder
Mohamed Al Fayed's legal team yesterday were considering their options after the jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing.
DLA Piper launches NY patent team with former Clifford Chance IP chief
DLA Piper launches NY patent team with former Clifford Chance IP chief" /DLA Piper has snared former Clifford Chance America IP head to lead its IP practice group in the New York office.
European unions
Following Slaughters' best friends model, alliances are back in fashion. But they don't always run smoothly
Eversheds female promotions dwindle
As the likes of Slaughter and May get a pat on the back for promoting more women than men to their partnerships, female lawyers at Eversheds probably feel they’ve had a kick in the teeth.
Eversheds makes 30 up to partnership
Eversheds_office.jpg" alt="Eversheds makes 30 up to partnership" /Eversheds has matched last year's record promotion round making 30 associates up to its partnership.
Eversheds scales back litigation heads in revamp
Eversheds is set to radically overhaul its litigation management, cutting the number of department heads from 10 to four.
Ex-InBev GC joins drinks brand owner Constellation
Former InBev European general counsel Deepak Malhotra has resurfaced as general counsel of the European arm of US drink brands owner Constellation.
Finance and global reach key as magic circle seeks inroads into US
Cracking the US legal market has been one of the toughest challenges faced by the UK's magic circle.
Firm profile: Grundberg
Both Grundberg Mocatta Rakison's identity and its business are strongly international in their flavour.
Fools' paradise
Our other bit of April fun concerned the sheep grazing on the grass-covered roof of Eversheds' new London office. The trial scheme, if only we hadn't made it up, would see four sheep used to maintain the grass on the building's flat eco-roof, a newly recruited animal welfare officer and ...
FSA ups stakes in Fox Hayes negligence fight
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is seeking permission to appeal a tribunal verdict that overturned an earlier FSA ruling on Leeds firm Fox Hayes.
Gherson boosts team with new partner
Immigration and litigation outfit Gherson has hired Nichola Carter as a partner from human rights boutique H2O.
Group's launch gives junior lawyers a voice
The newly formed Junior Lawyers Division (JLD) is gearing up to take the legal profession by storm, with president and Nortel in-house counsel Kat Gibson preparing to give the younger generation a distinct voice.
Halliwells lands town centre scheme
Halliwells has advised new client Glossop Land on a town centre regeneration scheme at the Howard Town Mills site in Glossop, Derbyshire.
Herbies and Weil seal £126m Boosey & Hawkes deal
Herbert Smith client Imagem Music has won an auction to acquire classical music publisher Boosey & Hawkes from private equity house Hg Capital.
Herbies strengthens Middle East with exclusive Saudi tie-up
Herbert Smith has set up an exclusive association with Saudi Arabian firm Al Ghazzawi Professional Association (GPA).
High Court: Serious Fraud Office acted unlawfully
The SFO acted unlawfully when it dropped its corruption investigation of BAE Systems’ Saudi arms deals, the High Court ruled today.
Indian salaries rocket as UK firms poach talent
A full-blown salary war has erupted in India in response to increased local and international competition for talent, resulting in pay increases of more than 50 per cent at most top Indian law firms in the last year.
Integrity survey pinpoints bribery, corruption fears
A survey of European in-house legal chiefs has revealed that nearly half are most worried about bribery and corruption.
Kind date
Mrs Tulkinghorn can rest assured that while Tulkinghorn is very happily married and has never considered himself unlucky to have missed out on this internet dating lark, he understands that sex sells and that every now and then it can be for a good cause.
Law firm bosses meet for transatlantic summit
UK and US lawyers discussed the challenges and benefits of the Legal Services Act at the Legal Leaders Forum in the US last week.
Law Society of Scotland set to revamp 60-year-old constitution
The Law Society of Scotland is gearing up to overhaul its governance structure for the first time in its six-decade history.
Linklaters veteran quits for Shepherd & Wedderburn
Scottish-headquartered firm Shepherd & Wedderburn has landed a major hire for its London office with Linklaters corporate partner Steven Turnbull due to come on board in May.
Lovells loses third private equity chief as Simmons pounces...
Lovells' Italian private equity head Andrea Accornero will leave the firm at the end of the month to join Simmons & Simmons' Milan office.
Lovells promotions plunge to 18
Lovells has promoted 18 associates to its partnership, a significant drop on last year's bumper crop of 31. The year before that the firm promoted 18.
Macfarlanes delivers Vin & Sprit deal to Pernod Ricard
Macfarlanes has landed a leading role in the e5.6bn (£4.5bn) acquisition of Absolut Vodka producer Vin & Sprit by French drinks giant Pernod Ricard.
Macfarlanes helps Kroenke build Arsenal interests
Macfarlanes has landed a role advising sports mogul Stan Kroenke on his acquision of a 50 per cent share in Arsenal Broadband.
McGrigors finds new UK corporate chief
McGrigors has named London-based partner Patrick Martin as its UK-wide head of corporate.
McGrigors installs first full-time lawyer in Manchester with Addleshaws addition
McGrigors has boosted its fledgling Manchester office with the addition of an Addleshaw Goddard partner as its first full-time lawyer.
Moves roundup
Dechert has made a key lateral hire for its financial services group in New York. Former Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe partner Kevin Scanlan will focus on the structuring and formation of international and domestic private investment funds.
New appeal judge named
Mr Justice Stanley Burnton has been appointed a Lord Justice of Appeal, replacing Lord Justice Pumfrey, who died last Christmas Eve.
New corporate manslaughter act in force
The biggest shake-up of health and safety law in more than 30 years came into effect at midnight on Sunday 6 April with the introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter Act.
New immigration regime is chaotic, confusing and costly
On 5 December 2007 the UK Home Secretary announced significant changes to our immigration regime.
Norton Rose hires Linklaters team
Norton Rose has hired a three strong capital markets team from Linklaters in Frankfurt.
Norton Rose raids Chadbourne for real estate team
Norton Rose has raided US firm Chadbourne & Parke to add a quartet of real estate lawyers to its Warsaw office.
OFT cartels director takes on criminal enforcement
The Office of Fair Trading has promoted its director of cartel investigations Simon Williams to senior director of cartels and criminal enforcement.
Panel conference brings Sainsbury's XI together
Sainsbury's has hosted its first panel conference in a bid to increase firms' knowledge of the supermarket chain and gauge their commitment to the client.
Profile: Baroness Scotland: Role revision
Baroness Scotland's first task as Attorney General was to throw open debate about the future of the role in the wake of criticism over the failed BAE investigation
Profits picture tells another story
Last month The Lawyer broke new ground when it ranked the leading 50 US firms by revenue for the first time.
RJW bounces back with five promotions
Russell Jones & Walker (RJW) has made up five senior associates to salaried partners following last year's count of zero.
Russell Jones & Walker: More to the core
The Russell Jones & Walker (RJW) new quintet of partners has added growth to the firm’s core areas of personal injury, clinical negligence and private client. No surprise there then.
Semple Fraser set for London office launch
Scottish firm Semple Fraser is preparing to extend its reach south of the border with a London office launch planned for late summer.
Share of US firms' revenues confirms City's pre-eminence as a financial hub
London's position as one of the world's leading financial centres is underlined today by the 2007 revenues of the top 30 US firms in the capital.
Shearman swaps chiefs in UK office
Shearman & Sterling's UK base is to gain a new managing partner, with acquisition finance lawyer Anthony Ward filling the gap left by Kenneth MacRitchie.
Simpson Thacher advises WaMu on private equity bail out
US bank Washington Mutual (WaMu) has become the latest financial institution to turn to the private equity industry for investment in the wake of the credit crunch.
SJ Berwin partners to rate each other
SJ Berwin has fine-tuned its partner appraisal system by allowing partners to rate the performances of their colleagues anonymously.
Slaughter and May: ladies, long hours and longevity
Slaughter and May: ladies, long hours and longevity" / Thursday, April 10th, 2008, 17.35Slaughter and May: ladies, long hours and longevity
Slaughters bucks tradition with female corporate head
The Women's Liberation Movement has come a long way since Millicent Fawcett's campaigning days - so much so that barely an eyebrow is raised when a top boardroom job is filled by a woman.
Slaughters promotes four to partnership
Slaughter and May has elected four new partners in the latest promotions round, with three quarters of the partnerships being handed to women.
Stephenson Harwood looks east with new international strategy
Stephenson Harwood has launched a fresh international strategy, dubbed the 'New Silk Road', which aims to ramp up its Asian offering and unite it with the firm's UK office.
Suffering the fools gladly
US firm Bankes & Weischler has smashed the £100,000 pay barrier for its City newly qualified solicitors (NQs), www.thelawyer.com reported last Tuesday (1 April). Not entirely truthfully.
Sullivan boosts London with Shearman hire
Sullivan & Cromwell has boosted its London tax practice with the hire of rated specialist Michael McGowan from the UK arm of Shearman & Sterling.
Tatiana Desjobert: Habitat
As group legal counsel at Habitat, Tatiana Desjobert has added her business acumen to the creative mix.
Treasury secretary unveils new US financial regulatory blueprint
The treasury secretary Henry Paulson last week (31 March) published his long-awaited shake-up of US financial regulation.
Trowers brings in public sector expertise
Trowers & Hamlins has continued its recruitment drive with the lateral hire of Nabarro partner Karen Andrews to its public sector practice.
UGGC bags French rival's Asia offices
French independent firm UGGC & Associés has launched a series of offices in China, taking over the Asia practice of fellow French firm Adamas.
U-Haul of fame
Tulkinghorn understands that smaller firms might not have access to the resources boasted by the national and international powerhouses. But this picture of Leeds IP boutique Virtuoso Legal moving offices has taken him quite by surprise.
University offers combined 'British law' degree
The University of Dundee is introducing a bachelors law degree enabling dual-qualification in Scots and English & Welsh law.
Uría Menéndez raids Sérvulo to launch Portuguese public law practice
Spanish firm Uría Menéndez has launched a public law practice in Portugal with the hire of a six-strong team from Sérvulo & Associados, headed by partner Bernado Ayala.
US firms in london
US-style class actions. With the UK widely seen as fertile ground for the import of US-style litigation, these simple words are enough to strike fear into the hearts of many a major corporate.
US litigation head takes up global role
Clifford Chance New York partner Mark Kirsch will become the firm's litigation and dispute resolution head, succeeding Peter Chaffetz on 1 May.
Web week
The Lawyer's Web Week is a weekly commentary on legal activity on the web.
Why Lovells is like buses...
Why Lovells is like buses...11-April-2008... You wait ages for a Lovells story then two come at once. (Boom boom). First up, Italian private equity head Andrea Accornero is leaving to join the Milan office of Simmons & Simmons.
Wragges in 'advanced stages' of new HQ deal
Wragge & Co is in the "advanced stages" of negotiating a deal on its move to a new, 200,000sq ft office in Birmingham.
