How to manage a law firm? It’s a tricky business. All those high performers can be high maintenance and associates nowadays really want all sorts of newfangled bonuses, career paths and the like. Ashurst is actually one of the better-managed firms in the City, but even it has problems settling on the best way forward. […]
Ashurst has expanded its management board to include French finance partner Laurent Mabilat, increasing the representation of continental Europe on the firm’s board. At the same time, incumbent board members litigation partner Edward Sparrow and transport, energy and infrastructure partner Logan Mair have been re-appointed following a contested partnership vote. Mabilat becomes the ninth member […]
Three legal lobby groups have joined forces to send a briefing paper slamming the Legal Services Bill to every member of the House of Lords. In an unprecedented move, The Legal Action Group (LAG), Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) and Sole Practitioners Group (SPG), the three main bodies representing high street firms and their clients, […]
The Law Society has awarded all five of College of Law’s branches top marks after a recent assessment visit. The College’s branches in Birmingham, Chester, Guildford, London and York have now received the Law Society’s “commendable practice” grade, its highest rating in all six assessment areas for its LPC. The assessment, which follows visits from […]
BT Global Services general counsel Tim Cowen has been named chair of industry best-practice group The International Association of Contract and Commercial Managers. Cowen, general counsel and commercial director of BT Global Services, was appointed to take the reins as chairman from Bill Huber, TPI enterprise service delivery strategy project director. Cowen, who joined BT […]
Professional indemnity firm Plexus Law is to merge with commercial solicitors Gaston Whybrew (GW) at the end of this month. The newly-created firm will retain the name Plexus Law and remain part of umbrella organisation Parabis Group, with the GW’s Colchester office being incorporated into the practice. Plexus’ current managing partner Tim Oliver will remain […]
We love lawyers. And we especially love feuding lawyers. The normally phlegmatic Swiss are at it today. See story. It brought to mind ‘Great Feuds The Lawyer Has Known’. In recent memory we had DLA Piper‘s Nigel Knowles v Orrick’s Ralph Baxter, and Baxter seems to have most of Dewey Ballantine on his back after […]
Holman Fenwick & Willan partners have elected litigator Richard Crump to take over as senior partner when Roderic O’Sullivan retires at the end of April. O’Sullivan, who specialises in advising international transport and energy companies, is leaving the firm after 36 years as a partner. He was instrumental in HFW’s restructuring into industry focussed practice […]
German firm Heymann & Partner has raided Jones Day’s Frankfurt IP team, leaving only one IP partner in the firm’s Frankfurt office. According to German publication Juve, former Jones Day German IP practice coordinator Friedrich Klinkert and associates Piet Bubenzer and Nora Kessler have left the US firm to join Heymann. Klinkert and Bubenzer have […]
Arnold & Porter’s London office has a new partner after the US firm promoted a total of eight lawyers worldwide. The Washington DC headquarters has received six new partners, while New York joined London in receiving one. The London office’s new partner is Lincoln Tsang, a member of the pharmaceutical, food and medical technology practice […]
The General Counsel 100 has named Helen Mahy from National Grid to replace outgoing chair and Barclays legal head Mark Harding at last night’s group annual general meeting. The group appointed Mahy, National Grid company secretary and general counsel, to take over from outgoing chair Harding. Mahy was previously the joint vice-chair of the GC100. […]
It looks like meltdown at Dewey London (see story).