7 March 2005
The Lawyer
7 Bedford Row head takes deputy chair role on Information Tribunal
David Farrer QC, head of chambers at 7 Bedford Row, has been appointed as a deputy chairman of the Information Tribunal.
A matter of life and death
Through the Mental Capacity Bill's 'living will', patients will be able to make advance decisions about the treatment they receive. Julia Abrey reports
A&O corporate dept cocks a snook at its banking critics
The corporate group says it has made a comeback
A&O corporate team sent home after Canary Wharf plan flops
Allen & Overy (A&O) has recalled its entire Canary Wharf-based corporate team after what one source called a "failed experiment" in building corporate relationships with Canary Wharf's investment banks.
Applicants face tough task to satisfy silk selection criteria
Architect of new scheme Robin Knowles QC speaks exclusively to The Lawyer
Ashfords launches Bristol team
Ashfords, comprising the former Exeter, London, Plymouth, Taunton and Tiverton arms of Bevan Ashford, is expanding its new Bristol office by establishing a corporate recovery, turnaround and insolvency team to be headed by partner David Pomeroy. He will relocate from Exeter to Bristol to lead the team and will be joined by associate Alan Bennett.
Ashurst, CC storm Abbey's City panel
European banking giant unveils massive shake-up of external legal advisers
Bear Stearns falls for Norton Rose romancing
Norton Rose is celebrating the close of its first deal for Bear Stearns after 18 months spent wooing the investment bank.
BLG beats off A&O and Norton Rose to land two IT deals for TUI
Norton Rose to land two IT deals for TUI" /Barlow Lyde & Gilbert (BLG) has closed its first two multimillion-pound outsourcing deals for new client TUI after it was chosen ahead of regular advisers Allen ...
Bruce almighty
Is there something going on at Skadden that we should know about? Probably. The firm's association with Chelsea FC and Roman Abramovich via megastar partner Bruce Buck has caused all sorts of nasty mutterings, none of which, of course, Tulkinghorn believes for one moment.
CC partners fly solo
What does Clifford Chance and Coca-Cola have in common? Ok, initials, yes, but what else?It emerges that CC's partners are so rarefied that, like the holders of the secret recipe, they were obliged to take different flights to the partner retreat in Paris last weekend. Presumably in case the plane goes down and they have to eat each other...
CC partners to elect new corporate chief as Childs resigns post
Clifford Chance corporate partners are to face a new management election following chief operating officer (COO) David Childs's move to stand down as global head of corporate - before the end of his official term.
CC wins hearing over associate's union status
Clifford Chance's Paris office has won its tussle with a junior associate over his status as a trade union representative.
Chambers at 3 Temple Gardens merge
The chambers of Donald Gordon and Paul Williams last week announced the completion of a merger. Both sets operated from 3 Temple Gardens, and will continue to do so under the same name, specialising in criminal, family and immigration law. Gordon and Williams are joint heads of chambers.
Clown court
For a spot of courtroom drama, all eyes turned last week to a battle of the titans. Two of the bar's greats - Lord Grabiner QC and Jonathan Sumption QC - are going head-to-head again in the battle of the vases: Taylor Thomson v Christie's.
Corporate deals round-up
Pinsent Masons (Roger Fink) advised the selling shareholders of Rubicon Retail, the owners of fashion chains Principles and Warehouse, on its sale to the Shoe Studio Group for £140m. The Shoe Studio Group was advised by SJ Berwin.
Cost-cutting drive results in redundancies at DLA Direct
DLA Direct, the volume business arm of DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, is embarking on a redundancy programme as part of an ongoing cost-cutting drive.
Court of Appeal plays supporting role to under-fire actuarial firms
A recent Court of Appeal decision has given actuarial consultancies a glimmer of hope amid an increasing trend for pension funds to sue their advisers.
DAC raids Stephenson Harwood, Manches to bolster insurance group
Davies Arnold Cooper (DAC) has made two senior partner hires from Manches and Stephenson Harwood.
Dewey hire signals push into China
Dewey Ballantine has joined the ranks of law firms piling into China by hiring its first Beijing partner.
Dutch giant hives off private client practice
Dutch heavyweight Nauta Dutilh is splitting with its Rotterdam-based private client team as the firm continues to pursue its corporate-focused strategy.The two-partner, five fee-earner team will establish a new boutique, the name of which will be announced later this year. The split has been described as entirely amicable, with Nauta commiting to refer its private client work to the new boutique.One of the two partners, Loes Gijbels, is particularly well known in the Netherlands ...
Earth to Talbots
It happens rarely, but Tulkinghorn was lost for words when faced with a recent message from Talbots Solicitors. So let's just print the joyous lot in full (and Tulkinghorn promises he is not joshing): "Please find enclosed the following attachment for our latest press release. This will increase the readership of your publication as readers will be attracted to the contents. Please bear in mind that we will take a very favourable view with advertising with your publication if this article ...
ECJ relegates WTO's rulings in Europe
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has dealt a blow to the hopes of international lawyers wanting to launch legal actions by exploiting World Trade Organisation (WTO) rulings. It has ruled that WTO decisions and agreements are essentially diplomatic and will have no direct effect on EU law.
EDS lawyer quits for Sun Microsystems
Senior EDS in-house lawyer Emma Courtney has moved to Sun Microsystems to take the top UK legal job.
End of the line for Eversheds' private client practice
Eversheds has shed the last of its private client-related teams after partner Neil Sparrow and his five-lawyer Norwich team agreed to join East Anglian firm Birketts.
Firm profile: Maples Teesdale
It has been a year of dramatic change at niche property firm Maples Teesdale.
Foot Anstey Sargent in takeover of six-partner firm
South West firm Foot Anstey Sargent is to merge with Somerset-based Alms & Young on 1 May this year.
Former Andersen man leads nine firms into global tax alliance
Nine independent tax firms have launched the Taxand alliance with 658 tax advisers spread throughout France, Germany, India, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.
Forsters moves into new Berkeley Square home
Mayfair firm Forsters last week relocated to new premises next to Berkeley Square. The firm, which was launched in 1998, has taken on 23,000sq ft at Hill Street. The move provides Forsters with an additional 8,000sq ft of space and has allowed the whole firm to be under one roof. The relocation coincides with one of the busiest 12 months for Forsters, which has predicted that revenues will rise above ...
Grapevine
Can Fleck reach the Gold standard at Herbies?
Hammonds' Leeds team defects to Addleshaws
Addleshaw Goddard is bolstering significantly its contentious construction practice with the hire of a five-partner team from Hammonds' Leeds office.
Hammonds partners face informal 14-month lock-in
Hammonds is considering asking partners to commit to an informal 14-month lock-in in an attempt to stem the tide of departures from the firm.
Heatons loses star managing partner to investment house
Niche Stoke-on-Trent firm Heatons has lost its managing partner to London-based corporate finance investment house Arev.
Herbert Smith finds fill-in for new COO role
Herbert Smith's executive partner Iain Rothnie has been selected to fill the newly created chief operating officer position while the firm looks for someone to fill the role permanently. The role, which is likely to be filled by a non-lawyer from outside the firm, was created by David Gold, who will become senior partner on 1 April.
Herbert Smith lands £1.1bn RAC disposal
Herbert Smith has scooped its first instruction from the RAC as the motoring insurance group announced this morning it is to be acquired by Aviva.
Hextalls joint tech chief ups sticks for Finnish firm Mäkitalo
Hextalls joint head of technology, media and telecoms has quit the firm and moved to Helsinki to join top 10 Finnish firm Mäkitalo Rämö Juutilainen.
Hogan boosts Paris with Winston coup
Washington DC-based Hogan & Hartson's Paris office has hired a labour and employment team from US rival Winston & Strawn.
Home rules
In an attempt to curb 'artificial' schemes that help people avoid paying inheritance tax, the Revenue is trying a new tack. But as Matt Wakefield reports, the revision needs revising
In brief
Law firms are becoming increasingly aware of quality issues, a survey from accountants Baker Tilly has found. Almost a third of small and medium-sized firms have the Law Society's quality mark, Lexcel. A further 61 per cent are planning to qualify.
In-housers rule the roost on MoD's IT outsourcing
In-house teams are dominating for the consortia bidding for the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) £4bn IT outsourcing deal.
It's fashionable to be conservative
Following last week's exclusive story in The Lawyer of Hammonds' woes, law firm financial management has never been such a hot topic.
Jenkens & Gilchrist NY office defects wholesale to Atlanta firm
Atlanta’s Troutman Sanders has made a dramatic New York debut after securing the entire 91-lawyer Manhattan office of Texan Jenkens & Gilchrist.
Jones Day joins $1bn turnover club
Jones Day's 2004 fee income has jumped by 5 per cent to $1.03bn (£540m), making it the latest US firm to smash the $1bn turnover ceiling.
Kirkpatrick lures Addleshaws star with US link
The London office of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham has poached experienced IT partner John Entstone from Addleshaw Goddard.
Landmark decision
Modernisation comes slow in barristers' chambers, but things are really hotting up now.Tulkinghorn was delighted to learn that Landmark Chambers has totally revamped its communications and moved to an ultra-modern, 21st century-style system. Or to put it another way, it has introduced internal mail envelopes.
London team finishes NGT project
Hammonds has comp-leted a £1.5bn contract for new construction, engineering and projects client National Grid Transco (NGT) after winning a competitive pitch.
Making contact
Protests by fathers' pressure groups have put child contact at the top of the political agenda. Margaret Simpson discusses the Draft Children (Contact) and Adoption Bill
Matrix barrister takes stand on same-sex marriage recognition
Matrix Chambers barrister Karon Monaghan is acting pro bono for human rights charity Liberty in an attempt to have a same-sex marriage recognised by the English courts.
Milbank sees Gatsby through £130m Sainsbury's disposal
Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy has sealed its first deal for Sainsbury's shareholder the Gatsby Charitable Foundation after advising on its disposal of £130m of shares in the company.
Minter Ellison picks external candidate for top job
Australian giant Minter Ellison has recruited the former managing partner of PA Consulting Group Guy Templeton to the post of chief executive. Templeton will work alongside long serving chief executive Phil Clark until 1 July when he formally takes the reins. At PA Consulting, Templeton was one of ten global managing partners as well as Australia country head. Last year, Minter Ellison reported revenues of £169.5m, making it the 85th largest firm in the world by turnover.
Nine more partners quit Shaw Pittman ahead of Pillsbury merger
Nine more partners are leaving Shaw Pittman following the five that left last week as the firm rapidly weeds out those conflicted by, or not enamoured with, the firm’s merger with Pillsbury Winthrop.
Nörr launches New York office
German firm Nörr Stiefenhofer Lutz is set to open a liason office in New York next week in order to strengthen its referral relationships with US law firms and target US law firms direct. The office will be headed up by Ronald Frohne who is currently joint managing partner of the firm. Frohne will be replaced as managing partner by Tobias Burgers, an M&A lawyer.
Opinion
Parents of unmarried children over 18 can now win compensation for clinical negligence
Orrick in fresh raid on Heller Ehrman Venture Law Group
Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe has made a second dramatic raid on Heller Ehrman Venture Law Group, securing a further four technology partners.
People
SJ Berwin has hired a senior patent solicitor for its IP group. Christopher Thornham joined the firm from Taylor Wessing on 21 February
Pillsbury-Shaw Pittman merger offloads litigation team to Hunton
Merging US firms Pillsbury Winthrop and Shaw Pittman have made their first bold moves to transfer unwanted practices, sending a 20-lawyer insurance litigation team to Hunton & Williams and three aviation lawyers to Hogan & Hartson
Pollock's record-length BCCI speech bettered by Stadlen's 80-day rejoinder
As Day 167 of the Bank of Commerce & Credit Inter-national (BCCI) trial dawned last Thursday (3 March), w QC found himself in possession of a new record.
Post-merger DLA plummets in 'best firm to work for' list
DLA has sunk 53 places in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For list.
Richards Butler given pre-merger profit ultimatum by Proskauer
Richards Butler's potential US beau Proskauer Rose has said Richards Butler needs to raise its profit per equity partner figure of £415,000 to nearer Proskauer's $1.1m (£580,000) per partner.
Rödl & Partner sees legal turnover hike
German multidisciplinary firm Rödl & Partner has reported a sharp increase in the turnover of its legal services arm. Global turnover generated from legal and tax consulting jumped by 16 per cent to E50m (£34.4m) in 2004. Meanwhile, global firmwide turnover increased by 3 per cent to E151m (£103.8m) for the same period. Co-founder and managing partner Bernd Rödl said that the firm had successfully promoted growth in its central areas of accounting, legal and tax consultancy. First revealed ...
Royal Wanstead School sues Macfarlanes to tune of £300K
Macfarlanes to tune of £300K" /Macfarlanes is being sued by a childrens' educational charity for damages of more than £300,000.
Salvaging the situation
Eversheds partner Eamon Moloney was happily celebrating his victory in the Best Lawyer Involved in Boats Award at a recent boating bash (extremely prestigious, but not as glam as The Lawyer Awards), when he realised his gong had gone missing.
Separated at birth
The quiff, the steely glint in the eye, the dawning realisation that he only has 24 hours to save the... er... deal. It can only be Adams Solicitors' business development supremo Sean Sydenham. The maverick lawyer has torn up the rulebook and ripped the firm out of the high street and into Canary Wharf, dodging bullets all the way. Of course, in an earlier incarnation Sydenham (aka Kiefer Sutherland) rode the wilds of the night hunting fresh blood on which to feed. He doesn't really ...
Shearman loses antitrust head to $3m Cadwalader sweetener
Cadwalader Wicker-sham & Taft has secured Shearman & Sterling antitrust star Steven Sunshine after tabling a dazzling annual remuneration package believ-ed to exceed $3m (£1.6m).
Shearman suffers loss of securitisation head
Shearman & Sterling's London head of securitisation Marke Raines has resigned following four years at the firm.
Signy loses his horn
Tulkinghorn's favourite corporate all-rounder Adam Signy thinks the hunting ban is "very depressing". The poor love has been in mourning ever since the evil Blair edict came into force.
Simmons tempts Little away from Kemp Little
IT boutique Kemp Little has lost name partner Jonathan Little to Simmons & Simmons. Kemp Little will retain the name that it has had since Kemp & Co became Kemp Little in 2001.
Takeover Panel extends director's incumbency
Richard Murley (right), the Director General of the Takeover Panel, has accepted the panel's invitation to extend his secondment until 30 November 2005. Murley, who works for Goldman Sachs, took up office in April 2003. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com, 28 February
Taylor Wessing boosts Paris real estate with Lefebure hire
Taylor Wessing has poached a real estate partner from French boutique Lefebure to boost its property offering in Paris.
Taylor Wessing partners vote for Euro expansion drive
Taylor Wessing partners have given the green light to roll out an ambitious European expansion strategy targeting Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.
TfL head of legal leaves position for non-legal alternative
Transport for London's (TfL) head of legal Betty Morgan has quit the government agency.
The way to win is in another's shoes
Matthew Solon provides a ten-point checklist to ensure you go into a client pitch armed to the teeth
The work-life quiz
What was your first ever job?
Tonucci looks to Franzosi tie-up in quest for IP elite
Studio Legale Tonucci is in advanced merger talks with Italy's pre-eminent IP practice with a view to creating one of the country's major independent firms.
Urning their keep
Taylor Thomson's fight with Christie's is going to appeal, bringing together Sumption and Grabiner for another round in the courtroom. Jon Robins reports on the ongoing battle over a couple of vases
Wilmer lures ex-EU health commissioner for EU work
Former EU Commiss-ioner for Health and Consumer Protection David Byrne SC has joined the Brussels office of US firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr
Wragge & Co stashes away £14m despite profit slump
Wragge & Co stashes away £14m despite profit slump" /Wragge & Co had £13.9m of cash at bank last year despite its worst profit performance for a decade, according to its first limited-liability partnership (LLP) statement, seen by The Lawyer.
Wragges private client team joins Mills & Reeve
Wragge & Co's 15-strong private client team is moving to the Birmingham office of Mills & Reeve. The team is led by partner Gary Barber and includes nine additional fee-earners and five support staff. Their arrival will double the size of Mills & Reeve's private client team in Birmingham, led by former Martineau Johnson ...
Z-heads
Oh the larks of public school. Ashurst's UK partner in Madrid Stephen Fox is nicknamed El Zorro. Even better, the firm also has a Spanish partner called Gonzalo Jiménez-Blanco. They call him Jimmy White.
