9 August 2010
The Lawyer
The best-laid plans
The planning system is facing its largest shake-up for half a century. Simon Ricketts looks at what the Government has up its sleeve and how this willimpact on the industry
Ashurst makes rare senior appointment
Ashurst has made the first hire into its City corporate department since 2008 with the capture of Nabarro financial services regulation head Rob Moulton.
Breaks for the border
UK firms have reorganised, changed focus, sacked lawyers, merged and closed offices.
CC comes to rescue of last two City-based Halliwells trainees
Clifford Chance has offered training contracts to the two London-based first-year trainees left jobless after Halliwells went into administration last month.
Here comes the reign
Andreas Dietzel has been elected as Clifford Chance’s German chief after a cabal of younger rainmakers gave him their block vote. But can he raiseprofitability enough to keep London happy?
Kingsley Napley
Kingsley Napley is on an expansion drive.
Look before you lease
?The costs of securing the right or wrong lease on a premises can help make or break a business, and law firms are no exception. So what are the key points to remember when signing on the dotted line?
Mr Fixit
Director of legal at HomeServe Benjamin Scott found a rather haphazard legal function when he took over, but soon got to work on creating a single workable unit.
On the move
Leeds-based Walker Morris has poached the head of Hammonds’ commercial dispute resolution team in Leeds.
Optima reprimanded by the SRA over Capita investment
SRA comes down on Optima-Capita deal despite leading counsel giving green light to investment strategy
Pinsents staff: what I did on my holiday
When national firm Pinsent Masons convened meetings in July 2009 to offer staff the opportunity to take extended leave in return for 80 per cent pay, commercial property associate Paul Kenny and corporate associate Eleanor Tinnelly jumped at the opportunity.
Private equity houses set sights on LPOs and higher investment returns
Investors stick to what they know rather than backing law firms.
Santander institutes corporate asset roster
Banco Santander has launched a revamp of its external legal advisers with the introduction of a series of ’soft panels’ to sit underneath its main legal roster.
Singapore’s swing
The Singapore government has made the most of its natural ’middleman’ location by elevating its arbitration credentials to the very top.
Southwark and Lambeth set up joint chambers panel
Southwark Council is to radically overhaul how it uses the bar by teaming up with Lambeth Council to create a chambers panel.
The Govt is at cross-purposes over forced retirement
The age discrimination regulations came into force in October 2006, but contained a significant carve-out, the default retirement age (DRA), which allows employers to dismiss employees when they hit 65.
Top corporate practices fend off worst effects of slump
For the UK’s top corporate practices 2009-10 was very much a case of plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, with dealflow still in decline and competition for the work that remains as tough as ever.
Tulkinghorn: High rollers
It was Boris bikes all round last week as the London cycling revolution got into gear. Legions of lawyers could be spotted taking their lives in their hands by braving the rush hour on two, admittedly stonkingly heavy, wheels.
Work Life Quiz: Barry Russell, Bingham McCutcheon
What was your first-ever job? Working for a vending machine company during summer vacations.
Wragges hit hardest as Midlands firms suffer
There has been little revenue growth among Midlands firms over the past financial year, with four out of the five major Birmingham players reporting a fall in income.
