Apple Computer’s general counsel has left the company, leaving Peter Oppenheimer, the chief financial officer, in charge of Apple’s legal department while the company searches for a successor. Apple general counsel Nancy Heinen sold more than $8m in shares in the months leading up to her departure, leading to the presumption that she left to […]
The Law Society has won a House of Lords victory which allows it to pursue its fight against an accountancy firm accused of negligence. Yesterday morning (10 May) the Lords ruled that the society is able to bring its case against Sephton & Co despite having filed the claim 14 years after the actions under […]
Kennedys has raided Australian firm Minter Ellison for a four-partner insurance team in order to launch a Sydney office. The firm is hiring partners Mark Doepel, Adrian Howie, Tony O’Reilly and Patrick George along with a team of around 20 lawyers to set up the new office, which will be in operation by July. Senior […]
Hill Dickinson has broken the £50m turnover barrier for the first time, posting a 16 per cent income rise to £52.5m. The North West firm saw impressive growth in a number of areas, particularly professional services, employment and company and commercial. But the marine and claims management departments suffered. Hill Dickinson lost a team of […]
Veteran corporate partner Alan Paul has been elected to replace Mark Wippell as co-head of the magic circle firm’s corporate group. The role has been given the new title – client development partner – to emphasise the client relationship builing focus of the position. Paul, who took the reins on 1 May, will work alongside […]
Herbert Smith has secured the first mandate to advise on the creation of a real estate investment trust (REIT), acting for long-standing client Hammerson. Hammerson has announced it would make the conversion in January following favourable announcements in Gordon Brown’s budget earlier this year, making it the first major UK listed property company to signal […]
One of Linklaters‘ rising star London tax partners is leaving the firm to join Morgan Stanley.Andrew Beverley, a former British Army soldier and a partner at Linklaters since 2000, is moving to the investment bank in a non-legal role. The corporate tax specialist, who also qualified at the magic circle firm in 1993, will become […]
Apple Computer has won its High Court trade mark battle against The Beatles’ record label Apple Corps. Mr Justice Mann ruled that Apple Computer did not breach a 15 year old agreement with the record company because it uses the Apple trade mark in association with the online store and not the music it sells. […]
SJ Berwin partner Jonathan Metliss is leaving to join London-based Rosenblatt Solicitors. Metliss is leaving the City firm after 25 years to became a consultant at Rosenblatt. He specialises in corporate finance. In a prepared statement Metliss said: “This move takes me back to the business that I love – right at the coalface of […]
Weightmans has emerged from several years of low profitability with a stunning 25 per cent increase in average profit per equity partner (PEP) and an 18 per cent income rise. The North West firm is predicting PEP to hit £265,000 following a strong financial year, a rise of 25 per cent from last year’s £211,000. […]
SJ Berwin has joined the slew of firms increasing newly qualified lawyers’ salaries to match the new market-wide figures. The silver circle firm confirmed that it has increased NQ salaries to £55,000, up 10 per cent from £50,000 last year. This follows a spate of salary increases across the City, after Linklaters kicked off the […]
In the biggest shake-up in legal education since the launch of the LPC, the College of Law has become the first non-university-affiliated law school to win degree-awarding powers. From September 2006 students completing the college’s GDL and LPC will graduate with a law degree (LLB) rather than a diploma. It also has the power to […]