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The Apprentice analysed...
"Team members were without exception prejudiced against people in the country, affecting mock 'country' accents and wondering if any of them might have seven chins. Surely such discriminatory behaviour would not be tolerated in the boardroom or, indeed, on the job at all."
A&O faces costs post-mortem after BlackBerry judgment
"Is this just another lesson for all disputes, regardless of jurisdiction, settle if the other side is richer or, is it a simple matter of piling on the hours and get as many people involved at the same time so you can justify the fee you decided to charge?"
"The implications of the case could have been huge for RIM. "Investing" £5 million in legal fees may have seemed like a good move for the firm, particularly given the potential dent from licencing costs or even losing parts of what makes RIM unique."
Why pay off your debt when it's cheaper to owe it to yourself?
"Tim Polglase is, of course, right in saying that one must examine what the loan agreement says - particularly in an era of ‘covenant lite’ loans.
However, a well drawn document will normally define ‘transferee’‚ as meaning a bank or other financial institution‚ to which a transfer is sought to be made. The borrower and its associates may fail to qualify as a financial institution and therefore be ineligible to take a novation under a Transfer Certificate."
Indian salaries rocket as UK firms poach talent
"Indian law firms have operated with unrealistic high margins by underpaying lawyers and charging premium rates from foreign clients over the last several years. The salary correction is only the first sign of reform. Very soon Indian law firms will have to start competing with foreign law firms on work-life balance, personal development, and other frills hitherto underheard of in the Indian market. Understandingly there is severe opposition from the larger Indian law firms since they have benefited most in the last few years. The younger and smaller firms are relatively relaxed about foreign competition."
De Lacy-Brown: Securing a pupillage was harder than confronting Sir Alan Sugar
"Even if "De Lacy-" Brown is lucky enough after this farce to retain his pupillage, will the members of his set really want to offer him a tenancy?
The man's famous for being a pillock, after all."
A&O, Camerons, Freshfields seal Welcome Break sale
"So Investcorp made £27 million from the sale after an 11-year investment.
5.5% overall or a 0.5% annualised return. They must be very pleased..."
Partnership 2008
"It is with a deep sense of disappointment that we read once again of the recent round of partnership appointments within the larger firms. With a couple of noticeable exceptions the vast majority of firms are continuing to add fuel to the fire by failing to make up many women to the higher echelons of their practices. The question we must ask ourselves is - is it because we do not have women at the appropriate level and if so what are we doing about it?"
Mills-McCartney judgment reveals all
"[The case] clearly provides titillating reading. McCartney, whilst not landmark, is useful to reinforce a couple of messages - firstly if you cannot agree a settlement then one will be agreed for you - and one that neither of you may be happy with."
Freshfields banks on White & Case rebels
"Money and W&C were always like oil and water. They always said they were competitive in the field and paid just like all the other big law firms."
"Any W&C partner in the UK paid in dollars would likely be better off in a firm that paid in pounds. Considering the dollar is expected to weaken against the pound for the next year or two it would be no surprise if there wasn't a mass exodus to sterling-paying firms."
BPP and CoL in fees spat
"The BPP experience is similar to flying with easy jet (but easy jet takes you further)."
"A law school does as it says: schools you in the law. Anything after that is up to the individual and market forces."
Clifford Chance chief berates staff for taxi abuse
"I don't think messages like this can be very good for staff morale."
"cutting employees perks for working late, fantastic way to keep motivation high."
"They appear to be struggling. Will they be the first to shed associates?"
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Herbert Smith hit by associates' racism claims
"Herbert Smith had been aggressive in hiring Indian lawyers last year and it looks like they were not careful in hiring at least some of them. This surely is not a case of racism..."
"Err.... you didn't hire them to be British, did you? You hired them to generate billable hours!"
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The family courts and why Paul McCartney should reveal all
"In my view, secrecy does not protect children. It makes them more vulnerable. [...]
Family court secrecy is really about protecting the state, not the children."
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Edwin Coe prepares Northern Rock suit against government
"...another Railtrack fiasco?"
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"Waiting too for 4 pound per share, I paid 12 pounds a long time ago."
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Revealed: Akzo Nobel threat to global firms
"Perhaps this point has already been made but is it not the case that preserving normal levels of in-house 'counsel' and client privilege is part of the reason that solicitors (at least) in-house may still use the title 'solicitor' and are issued with full practising certificates (on payment of the appropriate fee)."
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"The previous comment by Anonymous might be slightly misleading re the situation in Germany: A Rechtsanwalt who moves to an in-house position as a lawyer is allowed to continue to use the title of and sign business letters as a 'Rechtsanwalt'."
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"..following on from Jyoti: the restriction is that they are not able to act in court for their employer. But the conflict between the Akzo judgement and the privilege enjoyed by the in-house Rechtsanwalt is indeed exercising the minds of the bar here."
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Official: Lawyers drink the most tea
"I feel compelled to issue a challenge to these Larry Graysons of law. I challenge you to a tea-drinking contest - name your tea: English breakfast tea, Genmaicha green tea, Lapsang Souchong, white tea, anything you like except those ghastly fruit teas and that lemon, ginger and nettle-type muck, which, let's face it, aren't even proper teas. Well then? Is that the sound of frit lawyers hiding under tables that I can hear?"
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"The survey does not specify what sort of tea. Jasmine, elderflower, peppermint drunk by IP lawyers? Or are they referring to builders tea drunk by construction lawyers? These are important questions."
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"I'm ashamed to say I probbaly drink marginally less than 10 cups a day. Mind you, I do use a one pint cup."
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"I haven't read anything trendy yet. Has nobody else discovered the joy of Rooibos Tea - Red Bush tea, to the uninitiated (rooi necks). It's the one tea I like black as much as with milk. You can taste the open fire smoke - puts hairs on your chest. And it's supposed to be very good for you."
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Weil doubles profit as US firms excel in London
"Difficult now for Weils not to increase associate salaries for 2008."
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Mayer Brown promotions bonanza sparks debate over partner status
"Mayer Brown subsequently made up 10 partners in London, most of whom weren't given pay rises. Will be interesting to see how many leave (although current environment isn't good for partner moves, especially quasi-senior associates)."
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India: open for business
"If foreign law firms operate in India, frivolous law suits will be filed... Foreign law firms should not practice civilian law but definitely can deal with foreign aff."
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"Referring to Rita's comments (above) and the cartoon published in THE HINDU, I can vouchsafe for the fact that when I practiced law in Bangalore almost 30 years ago, similar 'vultures' were existent, preying on road accident victims, minor traffic violators etc.
"Despite having 'frivolous and non-frivolous' suits, foreign law firms should be allowed into India, as they may concentrate more on corporate, commercial and IP work than on matters involving litigation. They will bring a lot more cross-border transactions and expertise.
"Probably the best way to move forward is to allow the foreign firms to provide legal services in all branches of law except litigation where ' hiring' a local (meaning Indian) lawyer should be made mandatory."
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"Dear Rita, regarding your comments, please be assured that no such thing can happen in India, even if the foreign firms were to set up shop in India. Our laws, unlike American laws, will not permit such frivolous law suits to be filed or to be successfully contested. Believe me, if our laws permitted this, we Indian lawyers would have perfected the art of frivolous law suits long back. In any event. Please do not fall prey to such propaganda which is aimed to solely let the Indian legal market be controlled by a few dynasties."
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How to make sexuality a non-issue
"While I'm pleased to read about how companies are now embracing diversity and actively trying to get into the top 100 list of companies where sexuality is a non-issue, I find it interesting to note the distinct lack of the modern 'LGBT' acronym here.
"For many years, transgendered people have fought for equality alongside lesbians, gay men and bisexual people but their efforts are often overlooked and, in many cases, purposefully ignored. It is disappointing to see that trend continue here with the use of the now very outdated 'LGB' acronym."
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Clifford Chance set to launch gay network
"Clifford Chance and other magic circle law firms are really progressive in their decision to open the LGBT network.
"As Anonymous said on 6-Nov-2007 @ 15:19PM: “that it's not about sex but about overcoming fear.”
"Frankly speaking, I would like to propose to partners of my law firm in Moscow to open such a network within our firm, but it seems to me that no-one would listen, because Russians are not quite tolerant to such issues. I feel that some of our clients may leave us for good because of our "attitude"...
"Well, good luck to those who are not afraid to go against society's mainstream."
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Only at Slaughters
"Don't make fun of Chris Saul saying he wants "to have fun". I've long had enough of lawyers taking themselves so terribly serious."
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* The Lawyer may edit your comments and not all comments will be published.
Answer: You must ascertain if you really do have a following. Ask a few key and trusted clients how they would feel if you moved on and test your choice of destination with them. Assuming they are positive about the change (if not, reconsider your options), you will have brought them into your confidence and they are even more likely to support you when you move.
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Answer: If you're ambitious for partnership, you should soon be talking with your partners about senior development programmes and your partnership track. Having two or three months off in the middle of that process is not a good idea.
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Answer: A secondment is a prime opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of a new environment, so ask yourself if there are other areas within the bank's legal department you can get exposure to.
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Answer: It would be unwise to raise your concerns initially with someone 'higher up'. You should speak to the partner in question and ask for more interesting and varied work.
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Answer: Given the transactional nature of a corporate role, it unlikely that this is will be a realistic possibility. From time to time you do hear of corporate associates working on a 'part-time' basis but even then, in most cases, they never really have their 'day off' and are invariably on their phone or Blackberry working.
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Answer: It depends what you want out of life; if you are a litigator, it may be that you are better off in a niche firm, or perhaps a US firm with a patent focus.
If you're on the non-contentious side, you have a stark choice: stay with a big firm, earn decent money and work on a lot of support work, or strike out to a smaller firm where you can more easily build a business with less pressure on fees.
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Shearman production team faces redundancy
Paul Weiss appoints new chair
