8 April 2002
The Lawyer
2 Harcourt boosts environmental with hire of 4 Breams' Kingsland
Highly-rated environmental silk Lord Kingsland QC has left 4 Breams Buildings for the more specialised set of 2 Harcourt Buildings
A home from home
On the subject of interior design, one of Tulkinghorn's scouts was chatting to US firm Thacher Proffitt & Wood recently, which seems to have undergone a slight change of strategy brought about by its new home. The firm's offices used to be in the World Trade Center, and while it looks for new offices it is lodging in premises that used to be the base for that bastion of US domestic style - the magazine Martha Stewart Living.Apparently, rumours that the firm has set ...
Barrister convicted of ABH on journalist
An employed barrister at Bedford Borough Council has been granted a conditional discharge and fined after attacking a reporter
Bridewells barrister faces slander action from clerk
A barrister at Bridewell Chambers is being sued for slander by a solicitor's clerk over remarks about her alleged conduct in a fraud case
Brodies
Scottish firm Brodies' path to further growth is all about balance
BTG hires first general counsel from T-Mobile
Technology company BTG has lured Robin Saphra as its first general counsel from T-Mobile International, the mobile division of Deutsche Telekom
Burges Salmon duo quit to join the bar
Two Burges Salmon lawyers have joined two Bristol chambers in order to specialise in advocacy
Carphone Warehouse moves to Osborne Clarke with Bott
Olswang former head of corporate Adrian Bott is moving to Osborne Clarke, taking Europe's largest mobile phone retailer, Carphone Warehouse, with him as a client
City firms split on Queen Mother's silence
The legal world will be brought to a halt at 11.30am on Tuesday 9 April
Clarification
In last week's Fiona Callister Interview (1 April), it was written that Laura Cox QC was a pupil of Stephen Solley QC. It should have read Stephen Sedley QC.
Cleary Gottlieb shakes up European partners
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has shuffled a number of partners in Europe as part of a policy of dispersing senior US lawyers throughout its overseas offices
Cleary partner to take up SEC general counsel role
Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton partner Giovanni Prezioso has been appointed general counsel at the US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)
Deal of the week - Cantrell & Cochrane
Dicksons and McCanns tuck into C&C flotation
Deals summary
Addleshaw Booth & Co (Richard Lee) has advised George Wimpey on the £16.5m sale of Alfred McAlpine Homes Cumbria to Senator Homes. Senator advised by Eversheds. DLA advised the Royal Bank of Scotland, which provided finance.Nicholson Graham & Jones (Kevin McGuiness, Richard Woolich, Warren Phelops) advised boxing promoter Frank Warren on a £10m joint venture with Sports ...
Deals summary
Ashurst Morris Crisp (Mark Vickers) advised the Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays Bank on the debt funding for the merger between Ambion Brick Company, majority owned by Royal Bank Private Equity, and Chelwood Brick Group, majority owned by Cinven. Cinven advised by Macfarlanes. Royal Bank Private Equity advised by ...
Deals summary
Carson McDowell (Alan Reilly) advised Tesco Property Holdings on the sale of Bow Street Mall Shopping Centre in Northern Ireland to Bow Street Mall for £30.5m. Mills Selig (Brian E Ham) advised the purchaser.Berwin Leighton Paisner (Carol McCormack, Mike Gibson) advised the Home Office and HM Prison Service on a public-private partnership contract worth £311m with ...
Dechert brings UK partners' pay in line with US
Dechert has caught up with its peers among the transatlantic merged firms by overhauling partner remuneration in London to bring it in line with the US
Deloittes courts Garrigues as part of Andersen link
Garrigues, the Andersen Legal Spanish firm that cut its ties with the accountant last week, has been asked to join the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu network
Dickinsons boosts private client
Dickinson Dees has recruited divorce lawyer Margaret Simpson from Archers to head its private client department in the Tees Valley office
DTI pays out £17m to Thompsons to cover costs of miners' claims
Thompsons Solicitors has received a £17m payout from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for its work on emphysema and vibration white finger (VWF) claims
EMI in-house lawyers win promotion
EMI Group and EMI Recorded Music have promoted two senior in-house lawyers
Ex-SJ Berwin assistant found guilty of forgery
A former SJ Berwin assistant pleaded guilty last week to forging work permits for clients
Football League holds fire on suing ITV Digital owners
Despite threatening to sue ITV Digital owners Granada and Carlton for failing to deliver on a £315m rights deal, the Football League has not yet instructed its lawyers
Freshfields appoints bengoshi to top spot
Management shake-up in Asia; Singapore's managing partner steps down
Fried Frank man joins Mayer Brown Paris
Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw in Paris has hired Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson of counsel Thomas Moore
Fulbright opens German office in European debut
Houston-based Fulbright & Jaworski has opened an office in Munich, giving the firm its first presence in Continental Europe
Gibbons joins forces with Cobrin & Gittes
Gibbons Del Deo Dolan Griffinger & Vecchione has merged with New York niche intellectual property (IP) firm Cobrin & Gittes
Herbert Smith to handle complex debt restructuring for Eurotunnel
Herbert Smith is advising its long-term client Eurotunnel on a massive debt restructuring, which includes a £740m bond issue in part to fund a tender offer to buy back some of the company's debt.According to lead partner on the deal James Slessenger, because the Eurotunnel operation is now extremely successful, there are a lot of opportunities to benefit both the company and its lenders.Herbert Smith has acted for Eurotunnel since the mid-1980s when the Government put the ...
Insurance
The insurance industry has become the latest bunny to be stunned by the oncoming headlights of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and its cavalcade of regulators. Since assuming its full powers at the end of November 2001, the FSA has publicly avowed to ramp up regulation of the UK's insurance industry.Regulatory costs are anticipated to rise 10 per cent this year, with the same again the next, as FSA resources are redirected towards the insurance market and away from ...
IPA launches mediation services
The Insolvency Practitioners Association (IPA) has set up a mediation service to help insolvency practitioners resolve disputes along with the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution
IR fails to implement new policy on lower-end fraud
The Inland Revenue (IR) has not prosecuted a single lower-end case arising out of black market tax fraud, despite recommendations that it should do so made nearly two years ago
KPMG dumps Dutch legal arm as £12m handout goes down the drain
KPMG is reducing its legal capability in the Netherlands after pulling the plug on loans of millions of euros to its Dutch legal practice Steins Bisschop Meijburg & Co
Latham bucks the market trend with revenue jump
Latham & Watkins has ridden the downturn to post revenue figures for 2001 up 19 per cent on the previous year
Linklaters wins top spot in M&A tables
Freshfields ranks 17th, while Norton Rose sees off competitors to come fourth
Lovells powerless over unpaid £1m
City firm faces massive fee shortfall as client assets are frozen in court battle
Lovells steers Ford Credit loan issue
Lovells was able to involve its own German and Dutch arms for the first time on this latest in a series of securitisations for long-standing client Ford Credit.The loans were originated by Ford Bank, the German branch of Ford Motor Company subsidiary FCE Bank.Capital markets partner David Harris and senior lawyer Simon Schiff led the team from London. Capital markets partner Oliver Kessler and tax partner Joerg Siegels advised in Germany, while corporate partner Gerrit-Jan ...
Masons secures IBM contract for Invensys
Masons has advised Invensys on the outsourcing of its global IT systems to IBM in a 10-year deal worth up to $100m (£69.6m) a year.The transaction initially involves the provision of IT services to 18 countries and the transfer to IBM of 700 Invensys staff worldwide.Masons advised Invensys from the initial procurement phase to the execution of a global framework agreement, spanning almost a year. IT partner David Isaacs led with Bridget Fleetwood and Ed White, while Michael ...
McNeives buddys up with Friends Reunited
Specialist media firm McNeive Solicitors has been appointed as sole adviser to Friends Reunited, the website that allows people to get in touch with old school friends
Mediate action
Mediation is not always the best solution. Michel Kallipetis QC and Colin Manning describe how the Court of Appeal's process needs to change if it is to become standard practice
Opinion
Events since 11 September have caused pharmaceutical companies to question their intellectual property (IP) rights and the power of governments to override those rights in times of national emergency. On 24 October, the US Department of Health & Human Services and the Bayer Corporation announced their agreement for a significant new federal purchase of the Anthrax antibiotic Ciprofloxacin (trademarked 'Cipro') at a much lower price than prior to the terror attacks. Even ...
Oury Clark launches UK Enron class action
White collar crime specialist Oury Clark has become the first UK firm to launch a class action on behalf of Enron shareholders
Panic stations
FSA chairman Sir Howard Davies's recent attack on lawyers' reactions to the new market abuse rules has prompted a return volley of fire from practitioners. Jon Robins reports
Partner dispute leads to division of Qi Lin
Taiwanese corporate firm Qi Lin International Law Offices has split into two as a result of internal partner disputes
Private chancer
Anne Baldock has been a PFI pioneer, is on the A&O board and has even revolutionised the office layout. But she's not the iron lady she may seem
Risk drive
Title insurers may not be the most popular US import among UK lawyers, but First Title's legal and underwriting director Philip Oldcorn believes there is room for all. Helen Power reports
Rosenman-Katten Muchin merger creates New York-Chicago giant
New York-based Rosen-man & Colin is to merge with Chicago firm Katten Muchin Zavis
Shaw and Croft name new senior partner
Shaw and Croft has elected shipping finance partner Richard Coles as its new senior partner
Shoosmiths moves out of Oxfordshire market
Equity partners split from Midlands firm as Shoosmiths ditches matrimonial work
Smooth as a silk
In swapping her role as a public law silk to become a mediator, Presiley Baxendale QC has found herself becoming ever more evangelical about her work. Matheu Swallow reports
Southampton City Council picks Steele & Co for main adviser role
Steele & Co has triumphed over a range of City and national firms by winning a three-year contract to advise Southampton City Council on a whole range of disciplines, from litigation to planning inquiries
Stanbrooks combines forces with Platteeuw
Brussels corporate and competition boutique Stanbrook & Hooper has merged with Belgian firm Platteeuw De Witte & Grisar
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The best alternative
The battle between lovers of litigation and those who espouse ADR has become more intense, with some high-profile cases upping the stakes. Dominic Spenser Underhill investigates
The downturn is over, claim buoyant firms
The Lawyer's latest business confidence survey reveals high hopes for 2002
The Lawyer Awards
Now in their eighth year, The Lawyer Awards are the benchmark for excellence within the profession
The Leader Column
Cast your mind back to 2000 and consider the merger talks between Ashurst Morris Crisp and Latham & Watkins. Comic, isn't it? Goodness knows who thought the merger would have made sense, especially since both firms are protective to the point of obsession about their culture. Here's Ashursts - hugely traditional, overwhelmingly male and utterly posh. And here's Latham - not quite a bunch ...
Water and May
Slaughter and May has just moved to swanky new premises in Bunhill Row, which are all terribly modern and designed. The reception area is enhanced by a rather attractive water feature of a shallow pool, which is level with the rest of the floor.Presumably, the architect managed to convince Slaughters that this was terribly fashionable at the moment, but the feature has its drawbacks.
White & Case and Linklaters bag largest Nordic merger in history
White & Case and Linklaters Lagerlöf have advised Finnish telecoms company Sonera and Swedish telecoms company Telia respectively on the largest merger in the Nordic region to date.The involvement of White & Case is expected to develop following the various stages of approval. The firm also advised Sonera’s major shareholder, the state of Finland.The merger requires approval from ...
