The complexities of the BBC are a trial to many of us. So it’s no surprise that it was confusing. Your article headlined “BBC loses head of IP after shake-up announcement” (The Lawyer, 1 May) reported the departure of the BBC’s “head of the intellectual property and litigation department”. Fred Croft was the BBC’s legal […]
It’s official, there are a lot of lonely people in the world. In offices around the globe last week men and women eagerly opened an email simply because it said “I love you”, little realising that the virus attached would replicate within their computer, wiping data and sending itself automatically to other machines. Many firms […]
Hammond Suddards advised Beeson Gregory on a placing to raise £36.6m in investment funds for Incepta Group. Incepta will use the resource to finance part of an initial $58m (£37.2m) offer for the purchase of Sard Verbinnen & Co. Hammonds corporate finance partner Simon Killick advised on the deal. CMS Cameron McKenna acted for Incepta.
The e-revolution has created a minefield for lawyers and law makers. Simon Chalton reports on the inconsistencies of the new economy and how they can be resolved Legislators, both national and regional, are rushing to update existing laws and fashion new ones to suit the dotcom economy. Out of this flurry of activity major areas […]
Eversheds is shaking up its management line-up in its first step towards full profit sharing. As first revealed by The Lawyer (14 February), the firm will move from partial to 100 per cent sharing between its national offices later on this year. Leeds and Manchester managing partner David Ansbro will take on the newly-created role […]
Lords Coulsfield, Sutherland and Maclean finally began their sojourn in that part of The Netherlands that will be forever (or at least for the next year) Scotland. In the traditional garb of the Scottish court the Lords faced two men in the robes of venerated Libyans at the start of the delayed Lockerbie trial. Amid […]
As legions of local authority workers and tabloid editors scrubbed Churchill clean and tried to pick the hemp seeds out of Parliament Square, the Met was forced to admit that it had used illegal tactics during the ‘free Tibet’ demonstration last year. The Metropolitan ‘damned if we don’t intervene, damned if we do’ Police was […]
Monday 1 May. Thousands are massed in Trafalgar Square, among them a small delegation from The Firm. Chalmers: What do we want? An end to exploitation. When do we want it? Within a structured timeframe allowing for full appeal! Henderson: For god’s sake Chalmers. Stop acting like a lawyer. We’re trying to blend in. Pratchard: […]
Vigilante bus drivers. In a week that saw one driver (in his bus) chase a motorist through the streets after he had been cut up by a car, Mark Coleman was told that he would not be prosecuted for chasing an 11-year-old boy (not in his bus) and then holding him after the boy and […]
US firms are offering higher bonuses than ever before to UK lawyers. According to 2000 Survey of US Law Firms in London – carried out for The Lawyer by global recruitment specialists Taylor Root – the amount paid out in bonuses since last year has shot up. 94 per cent pay more than 6 per […]
Construction specialist Masons is attempting to break into the dotcom culture by launching a website aimed at new media start-ups. The venture, outlaw.com, will be run independently of Masons’ corporate site. It aims to provide legal advice for people who are sceptical of traditional law firms. IT partner John Salmon explains: “People are worried that […]
Allen & Overy advised the Radiocommunications Agency, which managed the 3G Spectrum licence auction. Head of corporate Richard Cranfield worked on the deal with a team of six.