7 June 2010
The Lawyer
ACC conference gets to grips with professional privilege bombshell
The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Europe’s seventeenth annual conference was held in Vienna last week - and it rained. A lot. But even on the few occasions when the downpours gave way to sunshine, a faint gloom seemed to hang around.
Bet noir?
Malta has become a leader in the internet gambling industry. But as James Swift reports, a recent ECJ judgment has resulted in some trepidation over the sector’s future
Big thinkers
Man Investment is poised to go up a league in the fund management stakes. Gavriel Hollander meets the men running the legal team, Stephen Ross and Jasveer Singh
BLP picks two firms for Thames Water work
Ashfords and Pannone have signed a deal with Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) to pick up the referral work from the Thames Water outsourcing deal.
Bovis Lend Lease faces discrimination action
Construction giant Bovis Lend Lease is facing an age discrimination and unfair dismissal claim from a former in-house lawyer.
Boyes Turner
Later this month Thames Valley firm Boyes Turner will find out if it is to become The Lawyer’s Regional/ National Law Firm of the Year 2010. But as one of the few UK firms to have made no layoffs, and with successive years of revenue growth throughout the recession, the firm already considers itself a winner.
City quartet grab a share of £800m Phoenix Group float
Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Hogan Lovells and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett have snared top roles on the proposed £800m flotation of zombie life assurance fund Phoenix Group.
CMS partners home in on European strategy
Partners from the nine CMS network firms will discuss how they can consolidate their position across European markets when they meet for their annual partner conference this month.
Desperately seeking fusion
There really must be something in the water. Just last week Denton Wilde Sapte chief executive Howard Morris, flush with the excitement of his firm’s impending merger with Chicago’s Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, predicted there would be a clamour of firms looking to follow their example.
Eversheds and Olswang sniff out tissue tie-up
Eversheds and Olswang have acted for the two sides in a tie-up that will see the creation of Europe’s second-largest tissue producer.
Ex-Schillings chief to open media firm in London
Celebrity lawyer Simon Smith is to launch his own practice in London six months after quitting Schillings.
Firm leaders evenly split over ABS issue
Almost half the managing partners who attended a high-level private summit held by banking group Investec are committed to investigating the use of alternative business structures (ABSs) in their businesses.
Freshfields pinpoints referral firms ahead of upturn
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has started informal talks with ’two or three’ national firms about establishing a referral framework to improve efficiency ahead of an uptick in dealflow.
From firm to foundation
After you finish work tonight how about heading down to London’s hottest new private members’ lounge?
HFW’s turnover nudges up in 2009-10
Holman Fenwick & Willan (HFW) has reported a marginal rise in turnover at the 2009-10 year-end following a year of investment at the firm.
Howes Percival boosts private client team
Howes Percival is forging ahead with plans to treble its private client team following the arrival of two lawyers.
Kraft fallout threatens M&A landscape as Takeover Panel flexes its muscles
Will one consultation paper equal a rewrite of the takeover rulebook?
LPO project sees Pinsents create enterprise role
Pinsent Masons has appointed dispute resolution head Nigel Kissack to the newly created role of head of enterprise as it steps up the outsourcing project he has overseen.
Mayer Brown courtship of Simmons founders
US giant undeterred by failed talks as search for City ally continues
Must do better
BPP Law School got less than top marks in the BSB’s recent report. So what has the dean Peter Crisp done to tackle the manifold problems facing one of the biggest legal education providers in the country?
One rule for them
The financial crisis highlighted the need for regulatory reform, but the EU has seized the opportunity to make other changes, notably what appears to be a step towards the creation of a single European regulator.
People moves
Linklaters has appointed Paul Lignières as managing partner of its Paris office for a four-year term.
Pinsents, Slaughters seal Asda’s £778m acquisition of Netto
Pinsent Masons and Slaughter and May have helped Asda in a major acquisition that could see it become the UK’s second-largest supermarket chain.
Prudential rejigs UK legal function
Prudential has launched a revamp of its UK legal team with the creation of a new head of legal role.
Speechly Bircham files High Court claim over unpaid fees
Speechly Bircham is the latest firm to launch a High Court claim against a client for unpaid fees.
Telegraph brings in legal-chief-in-waiting
The Telegraph Media Group has hired Associated Newspaper’s group litigation adviser to work alongside its most senior lawyer Arthur Wynn-Davies as he prepares for retirement.
The mystery of Mayer Brown and Simmons
Is it something in the air or does every firm out there want to merge at the moment?
Trowers expands local govt offering
Trowers & Hamlins has boosted its local government practice with two new hires.
Tulkinghorn: Rock chicks
Later this month, on 24 June, the legal market battle of the bands Law Rocks returns. The event - that’s so good it’s happening twice in as many months - will see a brand-new roster of acts step up to show off their musical chops.
US firms consider mergers to facilitate global reach
The surprise announcement last week by Sonnenschein and Dentons of their proposed merger reinforces a number of trends that we in the US and our strategic alliance partner Jomati Consultants in the UK have seen emerging over the past year.
Ward Hadaway hire secures schools project
Ward Hadaway partner Karen Andrews has helped secure a mandate advising on a £350m schools project two months after arriving at the firm.
Watson Burton’s troubles continue with more exits
A tough year for North East firm Watson Burton looks set to continue with news that two heads of department could be set to leave the firm and warnings that more could follow.
Work Life Quiz: Jo Keddie, Winckworth Sherwood
?What was your first-ever job? Hay baling (aged eight). The national minimum wage didn’t apply but my Post Office account started growing.
XXIV Old Buildings aims to raise its Chinese profile
XXIV Old Buildings has devised a five-year plan to raise its profile among Chinese law firms after the lengthy Danone/Wahaha dispute showed there is a place for the bar on disputes between Eastern and Western companies.
